QLVR ENDVR running shoes review: are these laceless, self-fastening shoes a clever endeavour?

Quilver? Quoover? I’m going to put you out of your misery, because we’ve got better things to discuss here than how to pronounce this quirky new brand’s name – it’s ‘clever’. Clever by name and clever by nature they are as well, because the first thing you’ll notice is these shoes don’t have any laces. This one feature in itself will have triathletes’ eyes lighting up as – if nothing else – a running shoe with no laces means much faster transitions. The Endvr (Endeavour) is completely fastening-free too. 

So how does it work? Put simply, that wiggly plastic spring you can see that wraps around the side and top of the shoe stretches and contracts to allow you to access the shoe and also to allow a little flexibility as you run. The first thing to do is to push the shoe on and this is so seamless you don’t even have to sit down or bend over to do it. You simply slide the front of your foot in, push the heel down on the back of the shoe and your foot will pop straight in and be cradled in place by the ‘Wing Fit’ system. I have to admit, this led to an audible ‘ooh!’ sound from yours truly when I pushed them on for the first time at the World Of Triathlon show last month, where the brand was exhibiting and gaining a lot of interest. 

One thing to flag at this stage though is at the moment these shoes are designed with a female audience in mind (sizes UK3.5 to 9 including half sizes), though the brand did tell us they are looking at developing a version for the male audience too. Part of the rationale though was to design a female-first shoe and not just one which is a smaller men’s shoe. 

QLVR ENDVR design and performance

How you feel about that though may vary depending on how hard you find it to choose shoes that fit you already, but the design includes a higher arch, narrower heel cup and wider toe box than a traditional shoe. 

The next thing you’ll notice about these shoes is how plush they are. Soft and silky lining adds to the comfortable feel and I quite happily wore these without socks (though on race day and with wet feet I’d be tempted to add a little lube to the top of my feet to avoid chafing, as with any other item coming into contact with my bare skin). 

Those materials have a good element of sustainability too, with the upper made from Lyocell (eucalyptus wood) the midsole derived from dandelions and the soles from a bio-based rubber. Meanwhile those ‘wings’ are a polymer derived from castor beans. 

Bottom line

All well and good – but how do they perform? Definitely on the soft and springy side, with plenty of bounce and cushioning. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the shoes stayed in place and how little my feet moved around in them while I ran – they definitely felt snugly locked in place. Qlvr states these can be worn for everything from 5ks to half marathons but I have only used them for short runs so far. For now though, one to watch for tri for sure.

QLVR ENDVR specs