I was first attracted to these shoes because of the color. They're even better looking in person and will coordinate beautifully with my black and pink bike and gray tri shorts and trikini. They're also functional as well as good-looking. They work better in preventing shin splints than the Omni Moderate Grid 5 I used last year. My back doesn't get as tight either. I feel like they also offer a more cushioned ride. I read somewhere to size up 1/2 size in these shoes but learned that they actually fit true to size, i.e. a size 5 equals a size 5.