Details
Brand
Under Armour
Heel To Toe Drop
6 mm
Breathability
8/10
Latest Version
Yes
Terrain
Road
Type
Neutral
Key Features
• Breathable mesh material on upper• Semi-bootie tongue structure• High abrasion EVA outsole• Comfortable cushioning• Durable blown rubber construction
Upper
The Under Armour Micro G Optimum’s upper relies on breathable and comfortable coverage that’s all thanks to a textured mesh system that wraps around the foot in a secure manner. If you’re worried about running in higher temperatures for fear of overheating your feet, you don’t have to worry about that with the Under Armour Micro G Optimum. It uses a breathable mesh that allows the hot air to get out so that you can keep your feet cool and dry. It has an integrated midfoot structure that wraps securely around the foot and keeps it in place while you run. This prevents the top of your foot from falling out of line. It also has an external heel counter that helps to lock the heel into place.
Midsole
The midsole on the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is loaded with Micro G foam that’s been placed within the entire shoe for added comfort and durability. The foam gives the shoe a high degree of protection and bounce so that your ride is responsive. This is especially important for a road runner since the paved surface will be unforgiving and potentially damaging to your foot. It has a molded 4D foam footbed that completely follows and adjusts to the shape of your foot. This means the fit is completely adaptive and gets rid of potential slippage on either uphill runs or downhill plunges.
Outsole
The outsole on the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is made of high abrasion EVA that extends throughout the entire shoe. It makes a good ground contact, which is especially handy for a road runner such as this. Your running experience will be enhanced, and the shoe will absorb much of the impact on the landing of the shoe. There’s a blown rubber construction on the outsole that’s been designed for durability, but some runners expected more in terms of durability. The outsole is also responsible for the enhanced traction on the shoe.
Breathability
As we’ve already briefly touched on earlier, the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is highly breathable, and it got that way thanks entirely to the proprietary technology that’s used in the upper. It has breathable and comfortable coverage thanks to its textured mesh design that also wraps around the foot in a secure fashion. The breathable mesh is light, it’s secure, but most importantly, it’s highly breathable. You also have an external heel counter and advanced midsole structure to ensure that the shoe is as comfortable as possible, all while remaining highly breathable.
Comfort
The comfort of the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is one of its strong suits, and that’s really a multi-pronged effort. It’s due entirely to the heel, midfoot, and upper of the shoe, that all work in tandem with each other. Some running shoes suffer from an inadequate heel, and this can easily lead to blisters forming on your feet, especially during long distance runs. This isn’t the case with the Under Armour Micro G Optimum, as you have a good fit that’s supported with adequate cushioning. The forefoot gives you plenty of room for toe splay, and the sole adapts to the foot’s natural shape.
Style
The style of the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is a bit minimalistic to some, or quite classic and classy to others. The shoe relies heavily on a backdrop of simple shades like black or white, over which bright, bold colors are overlayed. In this way, you can please both crowds who like either minimalistic or bold designs. It might not be the flashiest running shoe you’ll find out there, but it will definitely give you that sleek look that will make you look that much better as you run.
Durability
No running shoe is perfect, and the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is no different. While it does utilize a tough EVA construction for its outsole, several runners were disappointed with the overall durability of the shoe. What this means, especially since you’ll be burning rubber on the road, is that this shoe won’t necessarily last as long for you as other running shoes will. When you take into account that this shoe is cheap and packed with loads of features, this factor won’t be as important to you. But you should definitely take this into account.
Protection
The protection on the Under Armour Micro G Optimum starts with the synthetic toecap detail that gives your foot just that extra bit of protection. It also utilizes full-length Micro G foam protection to give you underfoot cushioning while you run. Along with the protection it affords, it also gives your shoe a great deal of bounce as you run. The last thing you want is for the road to punish your foot and take away any of its natural bounce, so the Under Armour Micro G Optimum counters this by giving that bounce back to your run. In this way, you’ll have a more dynamic run that will give your foot good feedback.
Responsiveness
The Under Armour Micro G Optimum’s responsiveness is dependent largely on its midsole. It features a Micro G foam construction that is introduced into the entire midsole unit which gives you a high degree of protection and bounce, allowing the entire ride to be more responsive as a result. It has a molded 4D foam footbed that seamlessly follows the shape of the foot as you run. This will give you a more adaptive, personalized fit instead of a generic fit that won’t respond to your foot. This will eliminate slippage on both uphill and downhill runs, especially helpful for runners who live in North Carolina or another similarly hilly state.
Support
The Under Armour Micro G Optimum’s support depends on the arch support of the shoe. It’s a neutral runner, so it would be especially good for runners who need a little more arch support. The writer of this article has slight arches, and this is a condition that is quite difficult to accommodate in the running world. But shoes like the Under Armour Micro G Optimum eliminate this problem by utilizing a level of support and cushioning that ensures that even those with no arches or even slight arches can still have a comfortable run.
Terrain
The terrain of the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is specifically roads. This means that you can take it out on just about any paved surface and get a very good experience out of it. You’d think that in a lot of ways, it’d be harder to develop a shoe that can run on technical trails. In a lot of ways, you’d be correct, but the Under Armour Micro G Optimum can handle even the hardest of paved surfaces, still giving you plenty of bounce and responsiveness even on the hardest of roads. The traction is likewise strong, allowing the shoe to hug the road even in the rain or in other difficult weather situations.
Price
The price of the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is where things get a little fuzzy. It’s right now ranging in price between around $50 and $125 on Amazon, so it all depends on the different choices you might make as well which seller you ultimately make the purchase from. Amazon is generally the best seller to purchase running shoes from, as they offer the most reasonable prices out there. But you should expect to see something that’s around the low end to the midrange of those two prices, so you shouldn’t be paying too terribly much for the Under Armour Micro G Optimum.
Drop
The heel to toe drop on a running shoe is very important, as it determines when and where your foot makes contact with the ground. The Under Armour Micro G Optimum is very good in this regard, as it only has a 6mm heel to toe drop. This isn’t necessarily the best heel to toe drop that we’ve seen in a running shoe, but it’s definitely sufficient for a really good run on a paved surface. This will really come in handy when you’re running, as you won’t have to worry about the way your foot makes contact with the ground.
Stability
The stability of the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is definitely adequate, but it’s been improved upon in a later version that Under Armour had to offer. The updated version includes an internal TPU heel counter that improved upon this version. This isn’t to say that the heel counter and overall stability in this shoe is bad, it’s just that there have definitely been improvements made. Stability isn’t the main draw of this running shoe, but it has more than enough stability to ensure that you get a relatively stable ride as you go.
Flexibility
The flexibility on the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is really a three-part effort on the part of the upper, the midsole, and the outsole. The upper is breathable, but it’s also very flexible. This is then helped by the midsole, which is connected seamlessly to the outsole for added toughness and flexibility. The EVA construction allows for a great degree of toughness while also still remaining light and flexible. The Under Armour Micro G Optimum is full of surprises, and that’s no different with the overall flexibility of the running shoe.
Traction
Just as the breathability of a shoe is dependent entirely on the upper’s structure and nature, the traction of a running shoe is dependent entirely on the outsole of the shoe. In terms of traction, the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is offering a high level of reliable traction thanks to the EVA construction of the outsole. While there were some issues with durability on this shoe, the traction has been lauded by multiple reviewers as being more than adequate. So the traction will keep you going on any paved surface with the Under Armour Micro G Optimum.
Bottom Line
The bottom line with the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is that this is a shoe with a host of great features, such as a high degree of cushioned comfort, an overall smoother ride during the run, and a better overall transition during the gait cycle. It has an upper that uses a breathable mesh material that is also highly flexible while keeping your foot in place. Slippage is eliminated by a semi-bootie tongue structure and 4D foam footbed. The cushioned nature of the shoe adds comfort, and the shoe is feature-rich, light, and inexpensive. It leaves some to be desired in terms of durability, but overall, the Under Armour Micro G Optimum is a great road runner.
