Post shoe measurements. Find out how low to the ground shoes are

[newyorkstadium]

Jr Barricade Team 2 - 3cm
Asics Gel Game 3 - 3.25cm
Breathe 2k12 - 3.45cm
Nike Vapor 9 Tour 3.6cm
Nike CB 4.3 - 3.85cm

Apparatus
Any one of these tools, assorted by accuracy.

Vernier Caliper $19 Instructions 0-1mm
Paper $0 Instructions 0-2mm
Digital outside caliper $35 0-5mm
Bar Clamp $8 Instructions 0-6mm

Shoes must have very little usage, as shoes lose cushion over time.

[WildVolley]

This is interesting, but I'm already suspicious of your measurements. What exactly are you measuring?

Usually, when someone measures how low to the ground a shoe is, they're measuring the from the ground to where the foot sits. I don't know of any tennis shoe that has the human heel sitting 3.45mm off of the ground. These measurements are best done with a caliper that measures the thickness of the outsole, the midesole, and insole so that you can tell the "stack" height.

Are you measuring some sort of curve of the outsole when a foot isn't in the shoe flattening it out?

[newyorkstadium]

moved.....

[WildVolley]

Originally Posted by newyorkstadium

Edited, mean't cm. I'm measuring the height from insole to heel.

To measure, I stuck a ruler inside the shoe and measured from the insole to the top of the fabric. I then used this measurement on the outside, and the remainder was the heel height.

If this doesn't make sense I will put up a picture tutorial.

OK, that makes a lot more sense!

Sounds like you came up with a quick-and-dirty way to get a fairly accurate measurement. I think it is useful information. I'll measure some of my shoes the same way and see what we get.

I'd also like to see a similar measurement for the forefoot, but the toe box gets in the way.

[newyorkstadium]

Step 1 - http://s1298.beta.photobucket.com/us...tml?sort=3&o=3

Find a flat headed object that will fit in the shoe. I used a glue-stick. Stick the piece of paper to the wall with tape. Place the flat headed object next to the wall. Mark the top of the object on the paper with a pen.

Step 2 - http://s1298.beta.photobucket.com/us...tml?sort=3&o=2

Place the object in the shoe. You will need something thin to cover the distance of shoe to wall. Something like a bank card would be fine, but mine is bent so I used a ruler. Mark the top of the object with a pen.

If you make the marking from the top of the thin object, take the object's thickness off the final measurement. My ruler had a 2mm thickness, so I took 2mm off.

[WildVolley]

Originally Posted by newyorkstadium

You need to account for the fact that some rulers have a blank bit at the end. Mine is 6mm, so I add 6mm as a result.

Not necessarily. If you're measuring to the same point on the upper and simply taking a difference, the extra length will cancel out.

[newyorkstadium]

The bar clamp must be this type, not this.

Instructions - http://s1298.beta.photobucket.com/us...a2bb2.png.html

[WildVolley]

Originally Posted by newyorkstadium

Yes, agreed.

I'm just having difficulty eyeballing the difference. I think that I need something square to actually physically touch the upper so that my measurements are slightly more accurate.

My first estimate is for a new

Yonex SHT-304 - 3.4cm

Used Prince Viper VI - 3.2cm

[newyorkstadium]

Apparatus
Bar Clamp. Must be this type, not this.
Duct Tape
Plank of Wood
Vernier/Dial Caliper. Must come with a depth rod like this.

Step 1 - http://s1298.beta.photobucket.com/us...tml?sort=3&o=0

Ensure the depth rod on the caliper is as far down as it can go. Tape the top of the caliper to the bottom of the plank.

Step 2 - http://s1298.beta.photobucket.com/us...tml?sort=3&o=1
Clamp the plank of wood to the table, so that the depth rod touches the floor. Place a heavy book on the bar clamp to secure it. Now read the measurements on the caliper.

Step 3 - Place the shoe underneath the rod. Then move the rod down, until it touches the insole of the shoe. Re-measure the caliper.

[newyorkstadium]

I'm already thinking of getting the gel game 3, on the back of this thread. I want shoes that enable me to deal better with low slices (i'm 6'4). Plus, I just prefer the feel of low to the ground shoes

[WildVolley]

Originally Posted by newyorkstadium

I'm already thinking of getting the gel game 3, on the back of this thread. I want shoes that enable me to deal better with low slices (i'm 6'4). Plus, I just prefer the feel of low to the ground shoes

I don't know that they'll help your slice, but my general feeling is that the lower to the ground a shoe is, other things equal, the better because of increased stability. If you think about the extremes, this is definitely true. Are you more stable barefoot or walking on platform shoes or in high heels?

There's also a mistaken belief that more cushioning is superior to less. I've found that in walking, a stiffer shoe with less cushioning actually makes walking easier because your foot compresses material in a soft shoe and dissipates energy. Especially for performance, more cushioning is probably worse than less.

The Gel Game series is low to ground. I measured an old used pair of Gel Game (don't know which #?) and it seems to be 2.8cm of heel stack.

It would be nice if we could see some measurements form the Nike shoes which seem to be so popular.

[newyorkstadium]

Have you ran out of shoes to measure? I have. I may have to order shoes online and then return them.

[newyorkstadium]

bumping this thread.

[banter]

My testing was not reliable, but I tested multiple times to find the most consistent result.

NB 851 - 2.1 cm
Prince T9 - 2.4 cm
ASICS GR 3 - 3.1 cm

[TeamHumphrey]

New Balance mc996 ~ 3.0 cm

[newyorkstadium]

Added some more. Gonna re-measure a few. They were done in a shop, with staff watching, so I rushed the measurement.

[WildVolley]

Originally Posted by newyorkstadium

Added some more. Gonna re-measure a few. They were done in a shop, with staff watching, so I rushed the measurement.

Nike CB 4.3 - 4.2cm!

So those airbags really do stick that heel way up in the air.

It would be nice if we could get someone to measure a pair of Vapor 9s, which I'd expect to be much lower to the ground.

So far, the NB 851 seems to be the lowest to the ground. I would have purchased a pair of these already if I hadn't been concerned about toe-box width (I need a wide toe box). It would be nice to see a measurement on the NB MC 996.

[Irrelevant]

Barricade Team 2s sit higher than B7s? Really?

[newyorkstadium]

Barricade team 2 is one of the shoes I need to re-measure, as is the CB 4.3. I'll take them off the list. Mc 996 is already on there.

[newyorkstadium]

Originally Posted by Irrelevant

Barricade Team 2s sit higher than B7s? Really?

The heel was pretty large. I wasn't surprised at the result.