Hi, I searched the forums but couldn’t find my answer.
I’m looking for highend-ish running shoes, Saucony, Brooks or Asics, none of which I can seem to find.
I’d love to find a running specialty shop. Is there any such thing in Taipei?
Cheers
Plenty of these speciality shops around. Just look out for the Nike, Adidas signs which shouldn’t be too difficult to spot between the zillions of Chinese signs.
I dunno know about brands like Brooks, Saucony, or Asics. This is more like Nike territory. 
Some of the bigger department stores, e.g. RT Mart and Geant (Ai Mai) have Nike / Adidas stores in them too.
Brooks Dealers
威利(木柵) 台北市文山區保儀路43號 02-29365507
43 Baoyi Rd., Wenshan district
富爾曼 台北市景美街85號 02-29310178
85 Jingmei St.
嘉鴻(景美) 台北市景美街61號 02-29315969
61 Jingmei St.
大台北大東 台北市士林區大東路10之2號 1樓
10-2 Dadong Rd., Shilin District
摩曼頓大東店 台北市士林區大南路41號
41 Danan Rd.,Shilin District
詹士-天母店 台北市天母東路37號 02-28730532
37 Tienmu E. Rd
晴晴皮鞋店 台北市士林區文林路517號 02-28312478
517 Wenlin Rd., Shilin District
no, the OP is actually looking for asics and brooks… specialty RUNNING shoes, not trendy loafers. Nike are a big name but are not good at making shoes to actually run in.
there are Asics outlets in the two SOGO stores at ZhongXiao FuXing AFAIK.
that’s where i get me gel runners.
Yes, there’s an Asics shop in the new Sogo Mall on Zhongxiao-Fuxing. Very happy to find it as my last pair of Nike runners are so bad I won’t even walk in them.
How about in Gonguan near Taipei? On Xinsheng South Road across from the Tai Da track? It seems that there are a bunch of shops along that street with athletic gear, tennis equipment, and so on.
This is a great topic for a thread. I’ve actually been meaning to ask the same question myself. If I find a good store for serious runners in Gongguan, I’ll be sure to post the info here.
I like the Fleet Feet stores in the USA. The employees, all runners themselves, take the time to give you a good fit for your shoes.
Thanks for all the help.
Maybe I’m just too picky when it comes to my running shoes ; )
I like Asics too and have bought them at a few places in Taiwan.
Including there.
But a few of the pairs I bought here have fallen apart quickly and I’m convinced they must’ve been fakes. Asics is my regular brand and I haven’t had quality problems with them before. As a consequence, I’ll buy a new pair at Big5, when I’m back in the States for CNY next week. Besides, Big5 often knocks the prices down by as much as 40 or 50%. 
But, they do have lots of brands including Asics in the Gongguan area.
Alexander’s Health Club sells Saucony running shoes on Songren Rd. in Xin Yi Section 5 (in Neo19 shopping center).
Sogo prices for Asics (w/ 20% discount):
Kinsei 4600
Kayano 3700
Nimbus 3400
Sogo prices for anything (with a 20% discount):
200% MSRP
Actually those prices aren’t bad, which store sells asics?
7th or 8th floor of Sogo (the sports dept. / level), there is an Asics shop up there. Nike, New Balance, Mizuno, Puma, Adidas and a bunch of others are up there as well, makes it convenient… though not much of a selection in terms of “real” running shoes when I was last there… They’ve got all the Asics up there though, which is pretty much all I need.
There are some huge shops in Shilin. That is where I go. Across the street from each other there are three really big ones. Went to about 4 different shops in Tien Mu and they all only had a few and nothing for real real runners.
Now what is the name of that street? I think it is not too far from the B&Q/Hola in Shilin.
I’ll be up in Taipei this weekend and need some new running shoes ($2500+):
I like the sound of that, but not much good without the name of the street.
So all I can find on Flob right now is advice to go to:
Sogo
Xinsheng S. Rd across from Tai-da
Tingzhou Rd in Gongguan
Are they still good areas?
If you know what you want, you can go to most department stores and probably find something suitable.
SKM & Sogo have many different brands etc.
However, if you want to get a measurement / analysis done, then i would suggest the Asics Store on Dunhua South Road, near Zhongxiao Intersection. They have the machine upstairs that perform the analysis on your running style, and then recommend the suitable shoes based on the way you run. You do have to make an appointment, so call them first if thats what you want.
I mention Asics as that is the only place i have seen the equipment in Taipei.
Are Nike Free and Free Run+ trendy loafers? I have a couple of pairs and find them pretty good minimalist-style running shoes. If nothing else, they dry extremely fast, which is pretty useful in this kind of weather. The real problem with buying running shoes is that you can’t actually run in them before buying them. Walking around the shop isn’t really much of an indication of how they are going to feel on your feet after a 5km run.
If you need fancy gel soles and sprung heels to avoid shin splints or shake bolts out of the treadmill when you’re running on it, maybe it’s time to adjust your running style …
+1 on Nike Frees. They’re also pretty good gym shoes.
When I do actually do distance running (not often these days, I switched to HIIT), I also like Nike Air Max 95s. Nearly 20 year old design works for me today. They’re kind of pricey and hard to find these days being retros, however.
Do they have sizes 12, 12.5 and 13 (US)?
I’ve never bought shoes here because I’ve never found them in my size.
In the market for a good pair of running shoes over here, and I love the idea of gait/style analysis. One can only self-diagnose so well. Has anyone used this machine at the Asics store before?
This is great information but I have found that Taiwan does not carry shoes for women above size 9.
I wear a 10.5. A mens shoe does NOT work as they are too wide.
Any ideas? I’m shipping shoes from the states or buying mass quantities when I visit.
Thank you!
Tami