NIKE Men's Air Zoom Structure 21 Running Shoes

Product Information

Turns out I still much prefer Odyssey for fast running, and the loose fit of Structure 21’s heel was even more apparent after being reminded of the snug heel fit of Odyssey. An inner sleeve is attached to the tongue, so the arch-band strap is sandwiched between the outer upper and the inner sleeve.

We had our work cut out for us last year because the Odyssey 2 was the perfect upgrade path from the Structure. This year, the Odyssey is gone so the only way is down. If you don’t require Structure levels of support, then you should look up the Nike Zoom Span 2.The Structure 21 has a softer interior feel than the 18, 19, and 20 due to the updated mesh which also has better breathability. RIDE QUALITY AND BEHAVIOR

A new heel clip adds an extra element of heel support to this year’s Structure. This is a feature that we’ve seen on the Infinity Run series for many years. This year’s InfinityRN 4 doesn’t have it anymore. The laces are now flat instead of round. These flat laces pass better through the strap-based cinching system. The Structure 21 uses a strapping system (or the internal ‘arch-band’ in Nike-speak) which was also used on the 20.

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Given the overall firm nature of the midsole, the ride is fairly supportive. Unlike some of the older Structure (17, 19) models, the 21 has minimal ride bias towards the outer side. SUMMARY, AND CHANGES BETWEEN THE STRUCTURE 20 AND STRUCTURE 21

Forefoot strikers will find the ride to be very responsive due to the large Zoom Air bag. Conversely, heel strikers will experience a flat and unresponsive rear-end. A Zoom Air bag also makes the forefoot stiff so runners who want a flexible shoe should bear this in mind.I know what Nike is trying to do with the Structure 25 and the latest InfinityRN 4: they want to push runners who need support away from the InfinityRN to the Structure and vice versa. The rearfoot rides flat because there’s nothing there except for the dual-density foam and the outsole. Though the open foam area below the heel plus the removable insole helps with the cushioning, the rearfoot is noticeably firm.

Both the tongue and heel are moderately padded. However, runners who’re switching to the Structure from brands such as Saucony and Brooks will notice the utilitarian feel of the Structure. The Structure 20 simplified the design by toning down the medial post and reducing the number of foam densities to two.From the outside, the Structure 21’s midsole appears to have more than two densities. But that effect is produced by the midsole paint rather than separate foam sections. The Structure 21 is a support shoe with a harder medial post. For this reason, we’ll exclude products like the Nike Lunarglide or the adidas Supernova ST from this list. The Structure’s midsole design has gone through a raft of changes recently. Just over a couple of years ago, the Structure had a quad-density midsole. This included three foam densities of the main midsole, plus the hard stabilizer underneath the arch. A lower drop seems to encourage runners onto their toes while at the same time limits the range of motion of the Achilles.