Carbon plated running shoes have been around now for the best part of a decade, and in that time have proved a game changer for both pro and amateur alike.
The latest Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3 ‘super-shoe’ is being launched with a 97 gram total weight and cool £450 price tag, yet it has already been written into the history books, Sabastian Sawe wearing a pair as he ran the first ‘official’ sub-2 hour marathon, an achievement that’s surely up there with Bannister’s 4-minute mile as a running landmark. Despite the high price tag it’s perhaps no surprise to see such an already iconic trainer fly off the shelves!
As with any technology, as it continues to develop and become more widespread the price begins to drop, and this is where the German no-frills retailer Lidl comes in, with it’s own carbon running trainers being retailed at a wallet-friendly price of just £40.
It’s certainly been a viral sensation, and the ridiculously cheap price has grabbed attention throughout the running community. Yuppie-media types have been keen to mockingly talk about Lidl’s new ‘super shoe’… you know the sort, the people who prefix trendier brands like Nike and Saucony with the phrase ‘our friends at’.
Criticism which is a little unfair, as at no point have I seen Lidl adverise this as a ‘super shoe’
But, what is a budget carbon-plated running shoe like? As a recreational runner and enthusiast of all things Lidl I thought I’d buy a pair to find out.
The trainers are sold under Lidl’s own fitness / cycling brand ‘Crivit’ which seems to be increasingly being pushed as a budget fitness rival to Decathlon. Found with its clean, distinctive branding at the ‘middle of Lidl’, Crivit has even seen Steffi Graf signed as a brand ambassador.
I’ve picked up plenty of bargain Crivit fitness wear before, and quite honestly it’s brilliant. Low price, fits well, wears well, and durable to last the rinse & repeat cycle, so I was looking forward to trying out the Crivit carbon trainers.
The ‘Crivit CarbonLite 1.0’ retails at the middle of Lidl, well packaged in their own box and not just strewn in a dump bin like you often see with their clothing and trainers. Intriguingly it’s got ‘1.0’ in the trainer’s name, which implies this is a first edition and they’re going to continue developing this trainer in the future.
Firstly, got to say I love the way the trainer looks. The Crivit logo swirls along the middle with bold white, orange and black colourways. It’s dated tech and certainly looks dated compared to some of the latest carbon shoes, but to me looks a bit more purposeful and a little less Power Ranger.
The trainer has a 38mm heel stack and 8mm heel to toe drop. The fit has been reported as fairly narrow which I would concur with, although this is my preference as I prefer the narrower fit, and have been drawn to Hokas in the past over this. Quite a large, bulky looking toe-box, it almost reminds me of the Asics Novablast from the front.
One recurring criticism has been it’s poor to get this trainer laced up well, but this is a problem I haven’t really encountered with a little bit of trainer prep. They can sit a bit loose, especially around the ankle so it’s important to use the spare eyelet to make a heel-lock on the top of the trainer. I did this, and once you’ve slipped on the trainer you can really lock it on with the heel lock, laces are good and fasten well.
Maybe not as slipper-comfortable as my favourite Hoka Clifton 9s but I find they fit well.
So to the debut run of around 8k around the trusty Daventry Black Path to get a feel. Must admit first impressions were reasonably impressed but nothing to write home about. It has very grippy rubber patches on the sole which inspire confidence, that combined with the heel drop inspire confidence and creates a good but of ‘push’.
But the EVA foam sole was hard and initially felt very unforgiving. Keen to try them again, a visit to Shrewsbury parkrun seemed an ideal opportunity.
As the miles increased in the trainers, they’ve started to feel like they’ve broken in a bit, and after the parkrun (and the same parkrun on the following week!) I’m really starting to enjoy them. It’s all personal preference but I really like the slightly old-school look of them, and whilst remaining quite hard they certainly carry quite a bouncy push to them as you get propelled along. I’m sure that hard feel would soon be counter productive on a longer run and I think this trainer would be well suited to a shorter tempo runs and/or racing of up to 10k. It’s certainly enjoyable on a tarmac parkrun!
Compared to the latest supershoes, they are not energy efficient and are bulky, heavy things. Someone wanting performance carbon shoes on a budget may be better served obtaining a low-use pair of supershoes on the resale market. But the Crivit carbon trainers are a great item in their own right and a great way for the casual runner to be introduced to the world of carbon trainers. I don’t think it would be a trainer to wear on every single run, but certainly a good one to mix in at parkrun, a 10k or a tempo run.
More than anything, I think it’s great how Crivit offers runners the opportunity to obtain decent quality budget running gear. More than a few people seem to exude the virtues of running being a cheap, accessible hobby, yet will be quick to mock when Lidl or Decathlon start bringing out budget trainers and kit. Quite honestly the limiting factor will be the runner for most kit. And if it means you can obtain some decent hardwearing running shoes and kit to get out there, that’s not a bad thing.
It seems I’m far from the only one to habitually use these budget trainers, having seen a few at parkrun and quite a few people wearing them at the recent Silverstone Grand Prix 10k event. Indeed, one fast runner lapped me wearing them, so I don’t think the trainer is a limiting factor for me!
CRIVIT CARBONLITE 1.0
RRP £39.99. Promotional ‘middle of Lidl’ item, now limited availability but likely to be reintroduced on a rolling basis.
PROS
- Ridiculously cheap price
- Secure lacing and fit
- Rubber sole is quite grippy
- Nice carbon-plate propulsion feel
- Clean, understated design
CONS
- Heavy compared to rival carbon shoes
- Bulky sole feels very firm
Chris Czora 
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