Nike Romaleo 2 Shoe Release Date Announced

UPDATE: Click to Read Our Full Review of the New Nike Romaleos 2

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Nike reps have stated that the new 2012 Nike Romaleo 2 will be available online on Monday, January 15th – so mark your calendars. Nike’s Facebook Page has been abuzz with people anxiously waiting the release of the new Romaleos for all their Olympic lifting needs. From what I can tell, there may very well be more people interested in these than the new Adidas AdiPower shoes and I’m curious to see if scarcity and low stock become an issue. Some of the increased interest in the Nike2 shoe seems to be in response to Adidas only be making the AdiPower in solid red with white strips, similar to the limited coloring options that were available on the Power Perfect II shoes.

As far as changes to the overall design of the shoe, Nike has stated that the Nike2 will look almost identical to the previous Romaleos and that most of the changes will be made “under the hood” so to speak. For instance, they’ve made the forefoot and toe box of the shoe much more flexible and they have reduced the weight to make the shoe lighter than its predecessor.

The shoe will retail for $199, same price as the originals, and will let Nike retain the crown of being the most expensive weightlifting shoe on the market. By the way, if any of you would like to snag a pair of the original Romaleos for cheap, Rogue and Athleps have them on sale for $145. We don’t know yet where or not the new changes to the Nike2 will justify the $55 price difference, but as soon as we get our hands on a pair, we will post a review and let you know what we think.

15 thoughts on “Nike Romaleo 2 Shoe Release Date Announced”

    1. Lauren, I have a Pair of last years Romaleos size 5. I bought from the Rogue site in December of 2011. I've only worn them twice. They are literally BRAND new. Let me know if you are interested.

  1. For those interested:

    The athleteps.com site has the Romaleos 2 in two new styles [white with grey and black, and white and red].

    Also a Nike rep I spoke with at the Arnold this past weekend said that for the Summer Games there will be a red, white and blue version! Even though I own a pair of Romaleos, I'm almost certainly getting my hands on a pair of those!

  2. I want to buy a pair, I don't know if I should buy the original or the version 2.
    I need a good pair of weightlifting shoes, scratch that I need a great pair of weightlifting shoes.
    I need a pair that are durable and are great for deadlifts, squats, overhead press, ect.
    Will these shoes deliver?

    1. Either of the Romaleos versions are excellent for Olympic style lifts. The Romaleos 2 is supposed to be a little more flexible in the forefoot and is 50g lighter than the Romaleos 1. Otherwise, they're the same shoe.

      Unless color variety is a concern of yours, I recommend the Romaleos 1 [if you're looking to buy new and you can find it in stock in your size] due to the lower price. It may be soon enough that you will be able to buy only the Romaleos 2 new.

    2. I'd say go for the AdiPower if you're going to spend that much money. I'm in the middle of reviewing the Nike 2s right now and I'm not impressed as they are basically just the original Romaleos with a little less weight and extra score marks in the sole. Four years and that's the best Nike can come up with?

      Of course, it sounds like you are doing more power lifting than Oly lifting, so maybe you should get something like the Reebok Oly which is a great shoe and much more forgiving for everyday lifting.

  3. I agree that it is a more than ample shoe for most people, but it doesn't negate the fact that it feels as though Nike is neglecting the Oly shoe market. The weightlifting shoe market is getting really big and Nike isn't really offering anything new with this shoe. Wow! The shoe is 1.76 ounces lighter – no one is going to notice that once the shoes are on their feet. Plus, Nike had some inherit flaws in their design and doesn't appear they've addressed them. More to come when I post up the final review…

    1. I’m curious to read your review. How do the adiPowers rate one whole star better than the Nike’s?I own the Romaleos 1 and the new adidas adiPower shoes, and I prefer the adidas ONLY because they look dead sexy.

      Performance wise, I find them to be equal weightlifting shoes. If I wanted to get *really* nitpicky, the Nike’s feel ever so slightly more stable because of the flatter outsole. And I cannot discern a weight difference between them without a suitable scale.

    2. Both shoes are up to the task of providing superior support for a lifter, they better be for the price at which they retail. The main reason we have a preference for the AdiPower is because they are lighter, breath better and still have a more flexible forefoot area than the Romaleo 2. Secondly, both manufacturers had FOUR years to redesign and improve their Oly lifting models. Adidas came out with something radically different than their previous model. All Nike did was shave a mere 50 grams (probably not even noticeable) and put some extra score marks across the sole of the forefoot to increase flexibility.

      The Nike2 and the AdiPower are both great shoes. But in our opinion, the Adipower had more R&D time invested in it’s design – which gives it the overall edge.

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