AVIA Pacer Leisure, 19/21 Denmark Street, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 2QF; 0118-977 2032; www.aviashoes.com2003 MODELSCUSHIONEDECS-Scape STABILITYECS-Teem2050 2001 MODELSCUSHIONED2069257 STABILITY2079

Weight 360gEvaluation Avia made a welcome return to the UK running market this spring with two decent shoes – the ECS-Teem and ECS-Scape. Both shoes showcased their take on the ‘mechanical’ midsole – the Ecto-Cantilever System where polyurethane

Weight 333gEvaluation Avia built its reputation in the USA on reasonably-priced stability shoes, but its cushioning shoes have been good as well. The 2069 is the latest. It follows the standard cushioning formula (blown-rubber forefoot, single

Weight 334gEvaluation Avia returned to the UK marketplace 18 months ago with shoes priced so well that you wondered what the catch was. There wasn’t one – though now the shoes have moved to more realistic price levels. That means that while you used

Weight 338gEvaluation Avia possibly makes some of the best shoes you’ll never see. That’s because after a brief re-appearance in 1999, the company had distribution problems in the UK. But it’s back, initially with a high-mileage stability shoe

Weight 402gEvaluation ECS – the Ecto Cantilever System – is Avia’s take on the ‘mechanical midsole’ – Nike’s Shox and Adidas A3 were the first shoes to utilise this concept, but while Nike and Adidas use the pillars to provide cushioning, Avia uses

Weight 363gEvaluation Over the years, Avia has produced some top-notch stability and cushioning shoes, but distribution problems mean that they’ve largely remained the most hidden of hidden gems. And it’d be a shame if runners have trouble finding

AdidasCalibrate (motion control) £75 Supernova Control (stability) £70 AsicsGel Cumulus (cushioned) £65 Gel Nimbus (cushioned) £85 Avia2050 (stability) £70 BrooksGel Glycerin (cushioned) £85 Racer ST (racing) £60 T3 Racer (racing) £50 Inov-8Mudroc

Nimbus 11 £100 NEUTRAL CUSHIONED Avia Avia Avi-Bolt II * £65 PERFORMANCE Avia Avi-Stoltz * £75 NEUTRAL CUSHIONED Brooks Brooks Ravenna £80 STABILITY Brooks Trance 9 £110STABILITY Mizuno Mizuno

enough, but it doesn’t have anything to make it stand out.Try it if you liked Asics Gel 1070 (£65); Avia 2069 (£60); Nike Air Span Triax (£60)