Nike Running Shoe Wallet with the Nike+iPod Sport Kit
July 30th, 2006 by Podophile
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
When I pre-ordered the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, my initial idea was to buy a shoe wallet, made for holding keys and I.D. while you run, and attach it to my laces with the transmitter inside. But on the day it arrived I realized I still hadn’t managed to get off my butt and find a shoe wallet. Luckily, when I saw how small the transmitter actually was, I realized that I could easily attach it to my shoe under the laces, and my velcro shoe mod was born. Despite how simple and thrifty the mod is, I still receive comments and email from people who are wondering if the transmitter works with a shoe wallet. In service to those people, I laid down my hard-earned cash to find out.
The obvious choice for me was to go with the Nike Running Shoe Wallet. Since this site may have cost Nike thousands of dollars worth of shoe sales, I figured it was the least I could do. And I do think it’s the best looking of all shoe wallets on the market. So while I was in San Francisco today for the SF Marathon (just watching, not running), I decided to swing by the Niketown store in Union Square and pick one up.
The first thing I noticed was the reasonable price… eight dollars. It’s a sleek, almost shoe-shaped neoprene pouch in two-tone grey with reflective trim and a velcro closure on the flap.
I had expected a velcro strap on the back as well, but instead there’s a plastic clip that slides down behind your laces.
The clip has a small plastic tab on the end that keeps the pouch from sliding back up as you run, similar to a standard belt clip.
The transmitter fits inside the pouch with room to spare. I’m guessing that if the transmitter can slide around inside the pouch, it may affect its accuracy. So to keep it from moving around while I ran, I folded up half a Kleenex and stuffed it inside the pouch as well.
I did a quick one-mile run and the transmitter measured it perfectly. The Nike Shoe Wallet was remarkably stable and comfortable on my shoe; I actually forgot about it after a couple of blocks. I ran back to my starting point and received another perfect one-mile reading on my iPod. I would say that using the shoe wallet is every bit as accurate as the velcro shoe mod.
One last thing to mention: There are several other companies that market shoe wallets, and I’d love to provide a rundown of all of them. Unfortunately, my site has been plagued by numerous spammy comments from at least two of these companies. They’re disguised as glowing testimonials from satisfied customers (which were fishy to begin with), but it didn’t take much detective work figure out what was going on. I’m a big fan of free speech, but don’t care for people taking advantage of it to deceive my readers.
Therefore, so there’s no confusion or hurt feelings, here’s my position on the subject:
- Shoe wallets do work as a way of using the Nike+iPod Sport Kit with any brand of running shoes, and it probably doesn’t matter much which shoe wallet you use.
- If you’d like to shop around for brands other than Nike’s, it’s very simple to search the Internet for them.
- I encourage people to discuss their experiences with shoe wallets here, but any endorsement or link to a specific brand or store will be edited.
- If you own a shoe wallet company and would like to advertise your products on this site, you can sign up for Google Adwords (), or you can contact me directly (podophile@podophile.com).
Shoe wallets offer a simple, affordable way to get the Nike+iPod Sport Kit working with non-Nike shoes. If you’re uncomfortable with putting velcro on your shoe, or don’t like the look of the transmitter under the laces, they’re probably the best way to go.
Related Stuff:
- Nike Shoe Wallet Revisited
- Another Cheap Nike + iPod Shoe Pouch Option: Case Logic USB Shuttle
- New Marware Pouch For Nike+iPod Sensor
- Inside The Nike+iPod Sport Kit
- LaceLid Shoe Accessory For Nike + iPod Sensor
Now if only they made it a little smaller and more oval and could only fit the run-kit transmitter… ;-)
I think making a tiny case that clips right onto your shoelaces would sell like hotcakes. Nike isn’t very smart about trying to push their sneakers if they know runners at all and how they stick with their particular brand of sneakers.
Nike is smart enough to know that they CAN’T push their shoes on runners who are already loyal to another brand, which may be why they didn’t just build the sensors into the shoes permanently. Think of the Sport Kit as Nike’s “gateway drug” for the running community. They may not ever sell us shoes, but they’re hoping it will lead to sales of other apparel and accessories… yes, even shoe wallets.
You’re probably right. It doesn’t just stop with the hardware, people are spending huge amounts of cash on the accessories…which is why it would be reasonable for them to start thinking about an attachment kit if/when they see that their sneaker sales are far below their expectations.
Otherwise I suppose Belkian will come out with something. In the meantime I’ve been thinking about a way to attach a clip using crazy glue, or a sleeve with a clip attached to it. Admittedly I don’t go through shoes that quickly, but it would be more convenient to just pop the transmitter on and off without taking out the needle and thread every time you switch sneakers.
Are you going to use the shoe wallet or the velcro ?
I’m sticking with the velcro under my laces for now. I only switch shoes every 6 - 8 months, so making eight stitches twice a year doesn’t really inconvenience me. I’ll find another use for the shoe wallet.
Great idea… I got the Nike Wallet for $6.95 at Academy Sports. Then I cut
one of those foam beer/coke can holders in the shape of the wallet
with a hole for the transmitter. It fits nice and firm. The transmitter does
not move at all.
anybody figure out how to make this device work with the IPOD Mini yet?
Yeah, along the same lines as Billy, would the iPod Sport Kit work with my Video iPod? I was thinking of buying the kit, and after seeing your shoe mod I’m definitely going to get one, unless it won’t work with my video iPod.
Sorry Wyatt and Billy, the Sport Kit only works with the iPod nano at this time. If you try to attach it to any other kind of iPod, the screen will tell you that the device is not compatible. I’m not aware of any hacks to get around this.
On the bright side, you can usually find refurbished nanos on Apple’s website at a nice discount. And if the rumors of new nanos being released soon are true, the original nanos will probably be marked down even more.
Is there an armband for the Nano that accommodates the Nano with the Nike sensor?
The only armband I know of at this time that fits the nano and receiver dongle is the one made by Nike. Sorry, I don’t have a link handy but you can find it at Apple’s online store. Make sure it’s the Nike+ armband and you’ll be good to go. Hopefully more 3rd party products will be coming soon.
Belkin makes one.. 14.99 at CompUSA
slotted on the bottom, so the connector can
just stick out
not fully h2o proof though
Marware just came out with the Sportsuit Relay - armband and pouch.
I got this for $5.99 + tax at the Nike Outlet in Milpitas, CA. It was at one of check out stands and they only had a few left last week.
However, the running pace displayed shows me going slower with the shoe wallet vs. sticking the transmitter under the tongue of my shoe and lacing in a way to hold the transmitter in. I am using a treadmill to calibrate. Perhaps it is off because the transmitter is now a a little bit higher than if it was inside my shoe?
I think a clothes peg, some tape, and a small plastic bag (cut to size) would work to attach the sensor to shoe laces.
i.e. put the sensor in a plastic bag. Roll it up and tape shut. Then tape the plastic bag containing the sensor to the clothes peg. Then clip the clothes peg to one of the laces, while burying the body of the clothes peg within the other laces.
Should be quite secure, discreet, and removable.
Replace clothes peg with small alligator clip (you know, the ones used for those Hipster PDAs), or a belt clip (you know, the ones used to clip a Palm handheld to ones belt), as required.
You dont wnat to mod or use a vidoe ipod. Only nanao and down. They are flash mem where anything over 8 gigs is a hard drive “hard drive plus jarring from running = skippage”
i had the nike shoe wallet you bought. exactly the same one. it used to be my loyal companion when i go on runs, short or long. it was home to my keys and miscellaneous small stuff that need housing while i run. yes it’s so comfy that i don’t realise there’s anything on my shoe when i first tried it. however, the clip isn’t that elastic and after about a few mths of constant usage, i lost it during a cross terrain 10km run. i didn’t even notice it was missing until after i completed the race! so becareful when you put your expensive-looking transmitter in that shoe wallet. you might end up losing it during your runs!
I’ve read some postings about armbands for the ipod nano. I bought a silicon skin at ebay (hongkong shop) for $2 plus $3 or $4 shipping. It comes with a velcro armband that goes through the back of the skin and a strap to hang it around your neck (not recomended for running this strap). The armband works perfect. At the beginning I was a little afraid the nano would fall out of the skin, but now i’m very confident it will stay there. I would recommend it. It works and is cheap, the display is open, so you can read the info.
i lifted the insole of my shoe and under the heal, carved a hole in the foam with an xacto knife just big enough for the transmitter to fit in. replaced the insole and went off running. i can’t even feel the transmitter while i run and it worked perfectly. its just that its dificult to navigate the nano while you’re running or trying to record splits. (tick-tick), and the time gets messed up while you’re trying to stop or restart the thing.
Just stumbled upon your post. I use both this Nike show wallet for my keys I bought at a Niketown shop in NYC 2 years ago and a Mar*ware Nike+ receiver wallet. I found that accuracy wasn’t *that* good when I stuffed the receiver in the wallet mentioned here so I went for the additional Nike+ receiver pouch which always stays attached to the shoes.
Greetings from Germany,
Steffen
Great feedback on this site. I purchased the Nike+ nano kit about 18 months ago. Giving up my current running shoes to buy the custom Nike shoe wasn’t too attractive to me. Seemed like a way to trick people into buying Nike shoes when a simple action of sticking the sensor under your laces (for any shoe) would work exactly the same. Though I did some comparisons. My first question was if the oval transmiter was connected to the Nike show, like a plug of some sort. When I pulled apart a shoe in the Nike store I realized there was no plug and no real reason to buy the show. The transmitter will work independently from he shoe. I have been looking for a shoe wallet to carry ID and keys etc…, Sometimes the little pocket in the shorts gets too full. Suggestion…don’t buy the Nike shoe if you don’t have to. The slip under the laces method has worked great for me, and there is absolutely no rubbing. It has never fallen out and is secured by the tightness of your shoes being tied. The shoe wallet will add a more comfortable way to carry other items, but not necessarily needed for the transmitter. I’ll be prchasing a shoe wallet this afternoon.
Trackbacks/Pings
August 7th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
October 16th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
October 29th, 2006 at 9:28 am
November 23rd, 2006 at 1:15 pm
November 30th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
January 22nd, 2007 at 5:28 pm
February 9th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Trackback URI | Comments RSS
Leave a Reply