Best of 2013
In our first calendar year, we are breaking the mold of “specialty” running stores. Of the shoes we sold, 69% of them were trail running shoes. 31% were road running shoes. Back in my days at the Seattle Running Company (R.I.P.) we were selling roughly 10% trail shoes, 90% road shoes–and we thought of ourselves as the trail shop in town. Times are changing; trail shoes are changing. There are more and more options that feel better and better for all surfaces– for all distances.
As the nation’s first ever trail running specialty store, we have strived since the beginning to support the brands that support the booming sport of trail and ultra running–and to give them a prominent place in the shop. Never before have brands like Montrail, Salomon, Pearl Izumi, and La Sportiva, been provided the marquee spots on the shoe wall of a small locally owned running shop. Never before have the up and coming brands like Altra, Hoka, and Scott been treated as equals instead of the also-rans. So ours might be the first trail running shoe list that actually means anything!
Trail Shoes
Here are the Top 7 best-selling Women’s trail shoes for 2013–in terms of quantity sold.
1) Pearl Izumi Trail N2
2) Scott T2 Kinabalu
3) Hoka Stinson Trail
4) Salomon XR Mission
5) Montrail Bajada
6) Pearl Izumi Trail M2
7) Hoka Kailua Trail
Notes:
The Kailua Trail came out in July and the Pearl M2 came in late May. The rest were at the shop by February.
Here are the Top 7 best-selling Men’s trail shoes for 2013–in terms of quantity sold.
1) Scott T2 Kinabalu
2) Hoka Stinson Trail
3) Altra Lone Peak (1.0 and 1.5 combined)
4) Pearl Izumi Trail N2
5) Altra Superior
6) Pearl Izumi Trail N1
7) Montrail Bajada
Road Shoe breakdown:
Women’s Top 7 Road shoes 2013
- Altra Torin
- Saucony Ride
- Pearl Izumi Road N2
- Saucony Hurricane
- Scott T2 Evo
- Pearl Izumi Road M3
- Merrell Mix Master Move Glide
Mens Top 7 Road shoes 2013
- Altra Torin
- Saucony Ride
- Pearl Izumi Road N2
- Altra Instinct
- Pearl Izumi Road M3
- Scott T2 Evo
- Hoka Bondi B
Brand Break-down (% of total shoe sales):
- Pearl Izumi: 15.7%
- Saucony: 15.2%
- Altra: 13.6%
- Hoka: 12.5%
- Montrail: 11.8%
- Scott: 10.7%
- Inov-8: 5.5%
Being in the running shoe business for a long time now, these numbers are very well-rounded. Just another way Seven Hills is breaking the mold of traditional running stores!
2014 predictions:
Top 7 predicted Women’s trail shoes for 2014
- Pearl Izumi Trail N2 here now!
- Scott T2 Kinabalu 2.0 coming mid to late January
- Salomon X-scream coming early January
- Hoka Kailua Trail here now!
- Pearl Izumi Trail M2 here now!
- The North Face Ultra Trail coming early January
- Merrell All-out Rush (or Blaze, but Merrell will make this list next year!) coming in February
Top 7 predicted Men’s trail shoes for 2014
- Scott T2 Kinabalu 2.0
- Pearl Izumi Trail N2
- Hoka Rapa Nui Trail
- Altra Olympus coming mid to late January
- Pearl Izumi Trail M2
- Salomon Sense Pro (NOT a $160 S-lab shoe!!) coming mid January
- Scott Trail Rocket coming mid to late January
Top 7 Brands for 2014
- Hoka –Their fall road shoes will BLOW THE MARKET AWAY; let alone the addition of the Rapa Nui and Mafate Speed to the Stinson Trail and Mafate 3. Oh, and the Conquest Road shoe comes out in January. All of these models will be on our wall.
- Pearl Izumi –Two new models (both road) added to the wall; and none of their 2013 best-selling shoes change!!
- Altra–The new model of the Lone Peak has been well received as I am sure the new Superior and Instinct/Intuition will be. Worried about the Torin: with the addition of the Repetition to the line-up, will anyone buy the Torin? Oh, and a little shoe called the Olympus comes out in January!
- Scott–Trail Rocket, Kinabalu 2.0, Grip; All 3 of these shoes have Top 7 potential. Even without Sage, Scott will soar!
- Salomon–Hello Salomon, welcome to the US market! Finally, it seems, they have designed shoes for the US foot! X-Scream, Sense Pro, Tail Wind. These 3 trail shoes will be the biggest surprise in 2014–it seems like I’m the only one talking about them?? Oh, and the Fell-raiser should supplant the Speedcross
- Saucony–The Peregrine 4 and Xodus, solid! If they could only dial-in the Kinvara Trail to be a shoe enjoyed by the masses!
- Montrail–no new additions in 2014 (at least through the spring). Fluid Feel 2.o will do amazingly well; but why didn’t they shave 2mm off of the Bajada’s heel drop!?! It’s not rocket science, Montrail: 10mm “heel drop” trail shoes—with no curvature to the mid-sole—are a dying breed! And why didn’t you launch the Max King shoe? The “IM King” and a re-vamped Bajada would have bumped you up to #6.