Asics just revealed the Novablast 5 – and it’s got a brand new midsole
Since its inception five years, the Asics Novablast has risen through the ranks to become arguably one of the best running shoes on the market. Bouncy, versatile and hard-wearing, its blend of cushioning and zip makes it an ideal daily trainer for easy runs, long runs, tempo runs and pretty much anything in between. Now, a year on from the fourth iteration’s launch, Asics has officially unveiled the Novablast 5.
The headline update is a brand-new midsole foam, known as FF Blast Max. Deep breaths Novablast fans, this is (hopefully) only going to make the ride bouncier than ever. In fact, Asics claims it helps to increase the shoe’s ‘bounce properties’ (we’re not entirely sure what this means but it sounds fun) by 8.5% compared with the v4’s FF Blast Plus Eco foam.
So far, the Novablast 5 is the only shoe in the brand’s line-up to utilise a fully FF Blast Max midsole, but this leads us to speculate that we could see the new formula popping up in the (unconfirmed) Asics Superblast 3 next year. FF Blast Max meets FF Blast Turbo? We'll wait and see.
As well as a new midsole, the Novablast 5 features a pod-like groove in the forefoot to improve spring. It's also got a brand new upper, upgrading from the v4’s woven knit material to an engineered Jacquard mesh that should enhance breathability (not that we had any issues with the current version). Meanwhile, the tongue mirrors that of the Superblast 2, with a gusseted wing design helping to create a secure lockdown.
Other than that, the shoe’s signature geometric midsole appearance remains the same, as does its £135 price tag.
We're currently waiting for our test sample to arrive, so can't yet comment on how the shoe performs. But the updates certainly sound promising, and if older iterations are anything to go by, the Novablast 5 could well be one of the best releases we’ve seen this year.
The Asics Novablast 5 will be available globally on December 1st 2024, for £135.
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