CrossFit Shoe Reviews – Under Armour TriBase Reign
Can Under Armour compete with Nike and Reebok in functional fitness?
First Impressions
When I heard Under Armour was making a functional fitness shoe, I was immediately interested. I’m a lifelong Warriors fan (Run TMC Forever), and I have all the Steph Curry shoes. So, I know that they like to take chances with designs and knew they’d bring something special to the table. In pictures, they don’t look like much, but in person they aren’t a half bad looking shoe. I was on a grey colored shoe kick at the time and picked up a pair of those.
Fit and Performance
I wear a size eleven and have a narrow foot. It fits very well and had just enough room in the toe box. If you have a wider foot, I imagine this could be a problem. They’re a little harder to find out in the wild, so trying them on at your local sports store may be a problem. Amazon has a slim amount available for “Amazon Wardrobe” so getting a nice colorway may be hard if you go that route.
These shoes are surprisingly light and comfortable. Like most functional fitness shoes however, they aren’t exactly great for running. The standard, “one mile is fine, but anything more is pushing it” rules applies here. They don’t get heavy on runs, but like most CrossFit type shoes, the flat base makes running less than fun. However, that amazingly stable base makes it great for Olympic lifts.
There is a concern about heel slippage here as the shoe doesn’t tie great around the ankle. I haven’t personally felt any heel slippage, but the movement sometimes gets in my head, and I may act more cautiously than normal. Also, tying these shoes sometimes requires you to completely unlace them, as just slipping them on often makes the tongue fold in on itself making the shoe very uncomfortable.
The Reign is great for all movements inside of the gym whether they be cardio, or weight based. They have a 2mm drop which makes them feel almost Chuck Taylor like, making them great for deadlifts. They have a nice padded heel that protrudes about a quarter of an inch that acts as a serviceable “heel clip” for handstand pushups. It also has a durable inside arch and a “ripstop durable mesh” upper for rope climbs.
Value and Final Thoughts
As a first attempt at a functional fitness shoe, it’s not bad. I like the look and feel of the shoe quite a bit and it’s better than Adidas’ CrazyTrain Elite that came out a year before. As a first pair of functional fitness shoes, they are a definite pass. For the regular fitness junkie, while they are $120 and cheaper than Nano’s and Metcon’s, it may not be worth the risk if you’re already accustomed to the mainstays. Trying them on may alter your opinion, but they fit about standard to me. I’ve seen them as low as $90, and if you have a strange foot size, even lower. While that price could make it worth it, the competitors have them just as low. I would pass on these unless you’re just trying to add another pair to your collection.
