Asics Gel Nimbus 25 vs 24 Comparison Running Shoe Review
The main difference between the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 running shoes and the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 is that the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 has an overhauled midsole with a higher stack height and lower heel-to-toe drop for a more consistent and comfortable ride.
Sportitude Running's shoe expert Josh Willoughby reviews the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 - a high mileage running shoe that prioritises protection underfoot – catering to neutral foot types lacing up for daily training, recovery runs or longer sessions out on the road.
This new Asics running shoe features a re-engineered outsole – removing flex grooves to work more harmoniously with the plushness of FlyteFoam Blast Plus Eco. According to Asics, this more eco-friendly cushioning technology is made with a minimum of 20% bio-based material - putting renewable resources into play to run lighter on the environment.
This combination creates a stable yet exquisitely soft and responsive ride. It provides a more consistent sensation from heel-to-toe with Gel cushioning being removed from the forefoot and placed strategically at the lateral part of the rearfoot as PureGel technology, providing shock-absorbing protection for heel strikers.
A breathable, more voluminous forefoot allows your feet to engage fully and expand naturally as you clock up the kilometres ahead. The stretchy knit tongue and heel counter provide a secure, distraction-free fit.
Check out the review with full transcript below.
Hey guys, welcome to Sportitude Running. My name is Josh and surprise, surprise it's shoe review time!
In front of me I have the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 and the Asics Gel Nimbus 24. This is a comparative review. We're going to talk about the new Asics Gel Nimbus 25, profile it and the foot type that should be using it, touch on who it's for and talk about similar shoes in the market. We’ll also compare it to where all the changes have occurred from the Asics Gel Nimbus 24.
It’s a pretty exciting review and it's going to be a bit of a long one, so go make yourself a cup of tea, settle in and let's get stuck in.
Who Is The Asics Gel Nimbus 25 For?
What foot type is the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 targeting? For two and a half decades now it has been talking to that neutral foot type. If you're unsure if you are a neutral foot type or what a neutral foot type looks like, check out What Type Of Running Shoes Are Best For Me?.
If you happen to be a mild overpronator or a mild supinator and you land in the right areas and are looking for something cushioned, the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 will be absolutely fine for you.
It hasn't changed regarding its category positioning in the market. It is still a high mileage running shoe with a lot of cushioning underneath the foot.
We’re still talking to that runner that's looking to spend plenty of time out on the road and either is looking for that cushioned, easy day shoe or that running shoe that just adds to their shoe rotation. It’s all about protecting the body and getting as much cushioning and support underneath you as you possibly can.
Upper
Let's talk all things upper first. Side by side, you can see the shape of this running shoe is quite different from the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 to the Asics Gel Nimbus 24.
However, Asics have used some pretty similar technologies regarding executing the upper. It is an engineered mesh so therefore they have a really dialled in forefoot construction, the same as what they had last year. It’s a pretty similar fit and feel regarding the softness of the mesh.
Nothing really has changed in the overall weight, however the conformed fit has altered ever so slightly.
I want to talk about one thing that I found made the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 a fantastic shoe, the tongue and a really stretchy knitted construction. The gusseted engineering was broad across most of the saddle and most of your arch of your foot from the lateral to the medial side.
The great thing is Asics knew that was a successful part of that running shoe and they've rolled it over into the Asics Gel Nimbus 25. They've used the exact same tongue technology, with the same gusset construction in the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 as the Asics Gel Nimbus 24.
However, the volume of the forefoot is a little bit more generous in the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 in comparison to the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 so there’s a little bit more wiggle room.
As you come back you can see even to the naked eye there is quite a change with the heel counter. The plastic internal heel counter is the exact same height. That must be said because that's a really important feature of an upper. It keeps that heel nice, stable and locked in so we don't get in too much movement on that first entry. However, you can see the height of the collar comes up quite a bit with this little pull tab.
Memory foam is on offer around the internal heel collar. That's more there for that comfort aspect to make sure you have a nice, soft touch and feel around the back of your ankle and heel. It’s pretty similar to what we had last year, however they've just executed it slightly differently.
It’s the same material and same amount of memory foam, but we just have a higher collar at the back and almost like an Achilles flare with the pull tab. You'll find that it’ll just lean in a little bit more towards the back of your Achilles insertion to your heel, providing a comfortable, stable fit around the back of your foot.
Outsole
Let's talk all things outsole next. Looking at the bottom of the two you can see straight away there is a lot of differences. However, I'll talk about the technology first up. Asics are still using their AHAR rubber which is a really hard compound that's nice and durable. To be honest they needed to use it in the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 because there's a lot of change in the midsole which we'll get to in two ticks.
You can see to the naked eye in the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 that there is a lot of flex grooves for the forefoot, providing a nice flexible exit regarding the outsole configuration. Through the back part of the heel there's that AHAR Plus rubber, but there's quite a gap in the mid part of the running shoe. That's exposed FlyteFoam Blast Plus technology.
We didn't see too many areas of concern with the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 and its wear. Of course, it's going to wear down over time, that's natural. All shoes wear eventually, but it wasn't alarming for them to consider filling in the walls around the outsole configuration.
However, when you're looking at the Asics Gel Nimbus 25, there is quite a bit of change regarding the set-up. At the lateral and medial side of the heel we have that AHAR border around the back half the shoe. However, they’ve filled out the outsole a lot more through the front half.
There is no flex grooves as we touched on a minute ago and that's more due to the fact of the softness of the midsole. If you had those flex grooves on the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 midsole, the running shoe would be very unstable through the forefoot so they have filled out that border.
There's some small circle dimples through the front half of this running which do a couple of things. They reduce the weight but also allow the midsole to push through that outsole to provide an element of flexibility through the forefoot as you toe-off.
All in all, I like what they've done with this outsole. It's going to be durable, it’s going to protect the asset being the midsole and it's certainly a little bit broader as well, providing a more surface area underneath to improve the overall fit of your foot.
Midsole
Let's jump to the midsole part of this review and like most running shoes, this is where the fun part of the conversation comes to the forefront. With the Asics Gel Nimbus 25, the biggest change is more around the technologies used. It's not a new technology, they're using FlyteFoam Blast Plus as their overall cushioned element, however it's more due to what they have taken out and how they have positioned the offset.
Talking all things statistics first, we have a 41.5mm heel in the men's model and a 33.5mm forefoot height for that variance of 8mm. The women’s model has a 40.5mm heel and 32.5mm forefoot, so the men's model is 1mm higher.
However, statistically this is a big change from the Asics Gel Nimbus 24. The stack height in the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 was different in the men's and women’s model. We had a 10mm offset from the men's model and we have a 13mm offset in the women's last year in the Asics Gel Nimbus 24.
That was a pretty consistent theme that Asics have been rolling for probably a decade now, more when looking at your Asics Gel Nimbus and your Asics Gel Kayano.
They did have a variance with their offsets to be gender-specific. However, they've torn that piece of paper up, scrunched it and thrown it out the window and reverted back to a consistent stack height and consistent drop for both the men's and women's models.
The reason they've gone with an 8mm drop from heel-to-toe and not 10mm is because originally the prototype had a 10mm offset, but the feedback was the running shoe bottomed out too quickly through the forefoot. Therefore, by lifting up the forefoot by a couple of millimetres by having that offset being 8mm, it provided a more consistent performing midsole from the back half right through to the front half.
As we touched on in the intro of the midsole part of the review, it's more about what they have taken out. There is no forefoot Gel on offer in the Asics Gel Nimbus 25. There was a Twist Gel in position under the first metatarsal in the Asics Gel Nimbus 24.
Don't be alarmed, this running shoe is still soft and plush. Taking out that component has allowed the running shoe to be a little bit more compliant through the forefoot. There is no intricacies regarding where that Gel is positioned.
It's been a big thing for Asics over a number of years now where they have positioned that Gel. I like the fact they've taken it out of the forefoot of the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 because you're going to get a more consistent feel through the forefoot for the majority of runners this running shoe is targeting.
The other thing you may have noticed is that there is no exposed Gel on offer. Cosmetically you can't see the Gel positioning in the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 in comparison to the Asics Gel Nimbus 24.
Asics for a number of years have liked to showcase the fact they have Gel technology in their running shoes. It's probably more to stand out on the walls against its other competitors and for them to call out their intellectual property regarding what they do for cushioning.
The Gel is positioned very strategically on the lateral part of the running shoe, encapsulated inside that FlyteFoam Blast Plus technology. It's positioned laterally to cradle that foot on that first entry point for your heel strikers. It's great that they've tucked it inside this midsole, letting the foam be the biggest asset of this running shoe and allowing it to perform.
FlyteFoam Blast Plus is a soft cushioning system. It's nice and responsive through the forefoot, remembering this shoe is targeting someone who is spending a lot of time out the road. You want a consistent feel on your foot from your first K right through to your last. Not only that, but you want that consistency on your first K right through to the last kilometre of the running shoe when it decides to retire.
For me this running shoe is a big upgrade regarding the midsole technology - changing stack and making it a little bit higher, changing the drop and taking out components regarding the Gel and positioning it slightly differently within the midsole. It performs very well.
Josh's Subjective Opinion On The Asics Gel Nimbus 25
We’ve gone through all the engineering changes from the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 to the Asics Gel Nimbus 25. Now it's time to hear my subjective opinion on this running shoe. When we got this running shoe around 12 weeks ago, a couple of our team members who happened to be a size 9 circulated this running shoe around for a few weeks.
The general feedback was before you even put it on a foot, you have to sit there and ask, “Why the big change?”. When we go from the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 to the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 that's a question we ask ourselves straight away. What is this brand trying to achieve by doing this?
I’m not saying this is a conversation we have just with Asics. We ask the question with every single brand when every single model comes in. When there is a significant change we need to understand the ‘why?’. We talk to the team at Asics, we get their feedback, their knowledge and then obviously we circulate this amongst ourselves.
Looking at the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 and what we've talked about with the increased stack height and lower drop, we're finding this running shoe is going to be a lot softer on the foot.
Therefore, they're probably talking to a lot more runners out there who are searching for a plusher ride underneath the foot than what you would have experienced in the Asics Gel Nimbus 24.
If you have an Asics Gel Nimbus 24 and love it, I'm still going to say you can comfortably transition over to the Asics Gel Nimbus 25. I don't think there's enough change there to suggest that you won't enjoy it, however if you do happen to come in store, try it on and you think, this is not quite right for me, we'll talk about what Asics have done with the Asics Gel Cumulus to you specifically.
If you come from the Asics Gel Nimbus 24 and you really like that running shoe, I think you might find the Asics Gel Cumulus to be a pretty compliant running shoe for you. We'll get that shoe review done shortly.
When we're talking about the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 running shoe, as I touched on it’s on a higher stack height and a lower drop. It’s a really conformed fit up top.
This running shoe is going to have a lot more runners jumping into it from other brands, it's talking to a broader community. When we consider why a brand changes, they're trying to appease the previous runners who've used their brand or have run in their previous shoe, but they're also trying to target a few more runners out there.
No surprises, it is a business and they're trying to get more people into the Asics Gel Nimbus who have #1, used it before and liked it and also #2, Asics is considering what are they not doing that other brands are.
The Asics Gel Nimbus 25 is lighter, softer and with a higher stack height. That's where the industry is right now. We're seeing a lot of increases in those areas and I think the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 is going to talk straight to that running community.
Similar Running Shoes To The Asics Gel Nimbus 25
First things first, I think the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 running shoe does sit on its own. There's no real direct replica from another brand, however there's some similar characteristics in this running shoe that you will see in other models and other brands on the market currently.
If you've been running in a New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v12 (above), the Saucony Triumph 20 and I’ll even throw in the Nike Invincible as well as a pretty similar shoe regarding the overall stack height, and you want to try something a little bit different, I'd certainly suggest giving the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 a go.
All of them have different variances with how their midsole performs but it's more about the stack height, the cushioning and the overall ride and experience. The best case would be if you can roll yourself into a speciality running store like Sportitude Running, have a RunDNA running gait analysis, have a conversation with the team and profile yourself inside this running shoe to make sure it has the right support, right amount of cushioning and that it's going to do everything you expect and more on the road. I suggest doing that for sure.
The Wrap Up
For me the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 is a massive thumbs up. I have really enjoyed running in this shoe and I've enjoyed having conversations with our other team members in and around what they have done.
If you're an Asics Gel Nimbus lover and you've been wearing them forever and a day, you may have jumped ship a couple of years ago because you had tried something a little bit lighter, a little bit softer and maybe a higher stack like from other brands. As I touched on earlier, that is kind of where the industry has trended in the last few years.
I'd say give it a go, come back and have a conversation about the Asics Gel Nimbus 25 because it is by all means a very comfortable, compliant and very good shoe in that high mileage neutral category.
Over 25 years and I say this in in most of my reviews when brands have had a shoe or a franchise that existed for more than a decade, there is always going to be some hits and misses in that time.
I love the progression with the Asics Gel Nimbus 25. I've been fitting them now since the Asics Gel Nimbus 8, that's when I first started in this industry. Over the journey I’ve seen where those running shoes have come from with the trends in the market, and Asics have always stuck to their guns. They've always provided a really good stable cushion shoe.
In respect to what the industries were doing with midsole technologies and upper technologies, Asics have always been at that forefront. However, over the last few years they've been a little bit safe in regards to how they have engineered the Asics Gel Nimbus.
The Asics Gel Nimbus 24 is a great running shoe, I’m not denying that. However, in terms of where other brands are trending and what the expectations of you the running community out there and what you wanted from your shoes, I really like what they've done with the Asics Gel Nimbus 25.
They've listened, they've done their research and they really did put this running shoe through a lot of testing and field research to come up with this end model, the Asics Gel Nimbus 25.
If you have any questions about this running shoe or you have been an Asics Gel Nimbus lover previously, please let us know your favourite Nimbus. Contact our Sportitude shoe experts if you have any questions, theories or queries on this running shoe.
If you haven't subscribed to the Sportitude YouTube channel, please do so to stay notified and we will keep doing these shoe reviews for you the running community out there.
Until next time, stay safe, be kind to one another, happy running, smash those goals in 2023 and we'll see you on the road. Take care.
FEATURES
Asics Gel Nimbus 25
- Support: Neutral
- Upper: Mesh
- Midsole: Asics FlyteFoam Blast Plus Eco
Men
- Heel Height: 41.5mm
- Forefoot Height: 33.5mm
- Offset / Drop: 8mm
- Weight: 292g / 10.3oz (US 9)
- Width: D (standard)
Women
- Heel Height: 40.5mm
- Forefoot Height: 32.5mm
- Offset / Drop: 8mm
- Weight: 260g / 9.2oz (US 8)
- Width: B (standard)
Asics Gel Nimbus 24
-
Asics Gel Nimbus 25 - Mens Running Shoes -
Asics Gel Nimbus 25 - Mens Running Shoes
-
Asics Gel Nimbus 25 - Mens Running Shoes
For a more in-depth shoe fitting experience, you can book a free 15 minute video chat in a Live Fit session or make an appointment to discover your RunDNA at Sportitude Running@Hindmarsh.
Happy running!
Follow Sportitude Running at:
Instagram: sportitude.running
If you liked this you'll love:
Running Shoe Guide 1: What To Do When Your Running Shoes Arrive
Running Shoe Guide 2: How To Break In Your New Running Shoes
Running Shoe Guide 3: How To Clean And Care For Your New Running Shoes