4/5
Overall
Cees Gm2a · Apr 10, 2015
32 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 20
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
ASICS GEL-Nimbus 16
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 10.5 oz · 32/22mm stack · 10mm drop
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS GEL-Nimbus 17 replaced it
How it ranks
The ASICS GEL-Nimbus 16 trails most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 38 runner reviews and 13 other rated shoes in the GEL-Nimbus product line.
Below average
Confidence
How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.
Confidence
96 Very high
Based on
The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.
- Our ratings
- Product line track record
- External ratings
What runners say
“The fabric in the heel covering the heel counter wears out very rapidly causing a hole and then blisters”
“The inside material on the heel counter wears out quickly within 60 miles, requiring taping to prevent blistering”
“A well cushioned neutral durable every day shoe that gives good stability and is easy on the joints, knees, and ankles”
“A little too clunky for speed runs where I need my feet to be as light and nimble as possible”
“The rubber soles were pretty worn down in places by the time I reached 300 miles”
“The cushion has held all the way through 14 and 15 mile long runs”
“I've run 40-60 mpw for four years in this shoe with only one major injury”
“At about 3.5 miles in, my left foot goes numb”
“My toes go numb and painful in these shoes”
“My toenails were still getting pounded, in spite of the much larger toe box”
“Heavy trainer but tons of cushioning great for long runs and easy runs”
“The sole seems stiffer and actually has less give than my Merrells”
“I had hip and toe problems pretty soon after I switched to the 16s”
“I really like the upper and how it wraps the foot”
“They are super comfortable until 3.5 miles”
“They dissipate force which helps me a ton”
“A neutral well-cushioned shoe which nimbus affords”
Prefer this shoe over another
48% 11/23
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.
Pros
- Reviewers praise the cushioning on long, easy runs.
- Reviewers stay in the Nimbus line for years, several of them across ten or more versions.
- Comfort is its best-rated dimension at 4.5 out of 5 across thirty-eight reviewers.
Cons
- Two reviewers report the heel lining wearing through and blistering them, one of them within 60 miles, and both tape their heels before running.
- Three reviewers report the fit running narrow, with numb toes or pounded toenails.
- Averaging 10.4 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is much heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers for sale, and two reviewers call it clunky for faster running.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the ASICS GEL-Nimbus
Each dot is one version of the GEL-Nimbus, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Release year
-
2026 · 5 reviews
85 Good
79 Confidence
-
2024 · 2 reviews
82 Good
79 Confidence
-
2024 · 25 reviews
84 Good
92 Confidence
-
2023 · 88 reviews
95 Excellent
99 Confidence
-
2022 · 18 reviews
87 Good
93 Confidence
-
2020 · 4 reviews
78 Decent
83 Confidence
-
2019 · 1 review
81 Good
75 Confidence
-
2018 · 9 reviews
78 Decent
89 Confidence
-
2017 · 7 reviews
72 Decent
92 Confidence
-
2017 · 11 reviews
66 Below average
92 Confidence
-
2016 · 4 reviews
74 Decent
88 Confidence
-
2015 · 3 reviews
72 Decent
85 Confidence
-
GEL-Nimbus 16 This shoe
2014 · 38 reviews
68 Below average
96 Confidence
-
2013 · 53 reviews
69 Below average
98 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 10.5 oz
- Men's / women's
- Men's 11.5 oz · Women's 9.4 oz
- Release
- 2014
- MSRP
- $150
- Stack
- 32/22mm
- Drop
- 10mm
Runner reviews
5/5
Overall
ManBearCoach · Apr 8, 2015
30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 15
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Apr 7, 2015
40 mpw came from the Brooks Glycerin 11
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 5/5
5/5
Overall
grahamsmack · Apr 7, 2015
30 mpw
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
5/5
Overall
#intheno · Apr 6, 2015
20 mpw
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
Alternatives
Other shoes worth considering.
More from ASICS
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
ASICS GEL-Nimbus 16 In Context
More on the ASICS GEL-Nimbus
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 28
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 26
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 27
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 25
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 24
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 23
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 17 next version
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 15 previous version
Reviewers Also Ran In
- ASICS GEL-Cumulus 14 3 runners
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 15 2 runners
- ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16 1 runner