NIKE Women's Downshifter 11 Gymnastics Shoe

Product Information

The Structure 24 has a crash pad under the heel that moves you through your footstrike in an efficient and stable manner, and both the midsole foam and outsole are built to last, making the shoe a great workhorse trainer for your base training. The new outer sole footwrap was one of my favorite parts of the shoe, adding to the structure of the TPU cage to keep the foot secure. Flex grooves keep the weight of the shoe down and flexibility of the sole up.

Nike made a few tweaks to upgrade the Downshifter from its previous version. The shoe's upper has been slightly updated and some subtle tweaks are done on the outsole. If taken as a sneaker, the Downshifter 12 does a good job in this department. However, a weight above 10.6oz (300g) is nowadays quite hefty for a road running shoe, which is averaging 9.5 oz (270g). Both versions felt exactly the same. Same cushioning, upper, fit, and shape. If you’re looking for an exact upgrade of your Downshifter 10, this is what this shoe delivers.

Whether you want a comfortable training shoe or the best racing shoe on the market, Nike has you covered

Compared to the Downshifter 10 I’ve recently been running in, there’s slightly more visible support around the midfoot, however, I really couldn’t feel this when trying it on. The medial and lateral swoosh design follows the path of the sole wrap and the heel features tape with the ‘Nike Running’ branding, matching that of the clothing range (a nice detail, if like me you like to match your workout outfit!), totalling 14 swoosh’s per pair! Nike Downshifter 10 Conclusion As for the grip, the outsole has mini 1.7mm lugs, which is great on a road shoe since they normally don’t have this much texture. It should be fine on gravel trails and dirt paths and had no issues on our road tests. But if you are planning to take the shoe out in the cold, be prepared that it is going to stiffen up. In our freezer test, the Downshifter 12 got 30.8% firmer compared to its room temperature state. Compared to its similar priced cousin, the Nike Revolution 5, the sole unit in the Downshifter is an upgrade and a big thumbs up from me.

I’d recommend the Downshifter 11 for anyone looking to run their first 5km, 10km, or even half marathon. If you’re new to training and want to use this in the gym too it’s a great shoe for that. In the next version I’d love to see a few more features on the upper to improve breathability, and perhaps some longer laces. Key specs – Terrain: Road; Arch support: Stability; Best used for: Training; Weight: 312g (UK 9); Heel-to-toe offset: 8mmKey specs – Terrain: Road; Arch support: Neutral; Best used for: Racing; Weight: 182g (UK 9); Heel-to-toe offset: 6mm The midsole is firm too, at 32HC (average midsole run 22.8HC) it’s a bit dense under foot, and feels a slight bit harsh to run in for longer distances. But what really sets these shoes apart, is that the new Downshifter 12 is much softer and cushier. This is confirmed by our durometer measurements as well. We found the Downshifter 12 to be 19% softer than the 11.

The other thing I don’t like about Nike’s lower-budget shoes is they cram the heel with foam for a high-drop experience. The Downshifter 11 has a 11.6mm drop which is just too much. Their other budget shoe, the Quest 4 has an amazing 13.7mm drop in our tests… Nike, even beginners don’t need this much heel! Surprisingly nice weight on the Downshifter 11 Size-wise, I had gone half a size up in the Downshifter vs the Revolution 5 and I felt the fit on the Downshifter 10 was the same as the pair of Revolution 5’s I have, thus making the Downshifter 10 on the smaller side in both length and especially the width. There are no reflective elements on the Downshifter 11 so be sure to be careful after dark in these if you are out running on busy roads.

Nike Downshifter 10 Intro

Although this foam isn’t one of Nike’s premium materials, e.g. React or ZoomX, it did a great job of cushioning the foot strike over short and long runs. As for the rubber density, our durometer shows it to be close to the average as well. Only 4% softer. Key specs – Terrain: Road; Arch support: Neutral; Best Used for: Racing; Weight: 232g (UK 9); Heel-to-toe offset: 4mm