Customer Reviews Ryka Studio Flex Low

I really wanted to like these shoes. I have been a huge fan of Ryka from the time I bought my first pair when I needed more support for my high-impact step class. However, these shoes feel way too hard to even walk, let alone exercise. Not flexible, despite the style name. Too bad; otherwise, the shoes look pretty good.

Not for zumba, you cannot zumba glide your feet, you will hurt your knees and ankles. I wear an 8.5 shoe, 9 running and I would have gotten these in 8.5 or 9.

Read the glowing reviews by Jazzercisers and purchased for my Jazzercise classes. The instructors swear by Ryka. I wear an 11 street shoe and, typically, an 11 1/2 athletic shoe to allow for the movement of the foot during activity. Even though I've always heard Ryka runs short, since they don't make 11 1/2 I tried the 11. The toe box seemed bigger than other Rykas I've tried, but my toe was still almost touching the front edge of the shoe standing still. Unfortunately, the rumors are true - they run small. I knew it would be even more uncomfortable once I started jumping around in class. There seemed to have decent support for lateral movements like grapevines, etc, but the cushioning under the heel and forefoot was lacking for all the bouncing around I do in class. I also have high arches and didn't feel the shoe had good arch support. Even with the bigger toe box adding a more supportive insole was out of the question because it definitely reduced the room for my foot to the point my toe was on the edge and everything was too snug in the rest of the shoe. A plus was that the sole would have been perfect for a Jazzercise or Zumba class. I don't understand Jazzerciser's love affair with this shoe but I'm glad it worked for the other hundreds of folks that reviewed it. Sadly, will be sending these back and my hunt for the perfect Jazzercise shoe continues. Zappos rocks even though this shoe didn't for me.

I bought the shoes for Zumba and was hoping for a smooth-soled shoe that would provide support for jumping and pivot type movement. It's o.k. but I would like more cushion and a more solid construction on width to keep my foot from sliding around. Also, it may sound lame, but they are not as cute on as they are in the picture. They feel too wide and completely unflattering.

I ordered these first size 9.5 based upon reviews but had to exchange them to 9. Love Ryka's but this shoe is not for me so I'm returning them. Wanted them for Zumba but does not give enough support and gave this feeling like 'I'm in a wrong shoe'. Thanks to Zappos for making exchange and returns so easy. I just ordered Leo's NRG Wave, hopefully that's the one for me for my Zumba classes.

Not enough arch support for me, and the front of the shoe is a little wide, allows for my foot to slide around too much inside of the shoe. I tried to put arch supports and insoles in, but this made the shoe too tight, and the arch supports were too high. These will not work for me. My feet ached when trying to do zumba in these, with or without the arch support.

Very disappointed. After a month this sneaker developed a really loud squeak every time I walk. The inside flap is rolling up and rubs on the side of my foot.

I'm on the fence about these shoes. They fit my wide feet, even though they only came in a B width. They are comfortable for walking around, but when I Jazzercise in them, the arch support start to feel like golf balls jamming into feet. I'm keeping them and trying to add insoles to minimize this, but I wouldn't buy these shoes again.

These shoes are very wide in the toe area but fairly narrow in the heel. If you are doing high impact activities with a lot of jumping or running your foot will slide forward. Cushion was adequate but seemed to wear out quickly. I ordered half a size up from my normal street shoes.

After reading other comments stating that the shoes were good for Zumba I ordered them for TaeBo. Before they arrived I discovered the Nike Muse and bought it locally. I thought I would keep the these Ryka's also when they arrived. But I find the Nike Muse is far superior for pivoting. It has a sole with a circular pattern on both the forefoot and heel which works with you when pivoting. These Ryka's are nice and flexible in the mid sole. They are equal to the Nike Muse in that aspect. Also, I always buy a medium width, but I found these to be a bit snug compared to the Nike's and to New Balance walking shoes which I've been buying for years.

I purchased these shoes for Zumba and Step. I read all the reviews prior to purchasing and was glad that I did. I usually wear a 6 1\/2 or 7 in most shoes. So, I opted for the size 7. It fit perfectly in length and in the heel. The mesh was very breathable. You can even see through the layers of mesh! However, the shoe was much too wide for me at the ball of my foot. I tried a few exercise postures at home and my foot would slide from side to side in the shoe. I am opting to return them for the Nike Zoom Dance Trainer.

This is the first time I\'ve tried Ryka brand and my first Zappos purchase. My Jazzercise instructor recommended the Studio Flex shoe. I ordered that along with the Ryka Sync and Studio D. Got size 8 for all; usually I wear 7.5. The Studio Flex felt too big while the Sync and Studio D were fine. I liked the brocade look of Sync a lot. But in the end I decided to save $20 and take the Studio D. I\'m very happy with Zappos\' ease of ordering, return, and free shipping both ways.

Sigh. I am still on a quest to find an athletic shoe that's right for me! This one sadly did not fill the bill. I realize it's partly a matter of taste, but the "patent leather" look, coupled with a lot of mesh, made the shoes feel cheap to me. On the other hand, they are very light and airy, and some who seek a weightless feel and plenty of aeration might like these. And, for those who seek a more feminine look to their athletic shoes (I am in fact among them) might actually like the shiny bits. I ordered an 11B, my standard size in an athletic shoe (10B in a dress shoe) and I think this was the right size for me. The toe box was roomy and comfortable.The main reason I am returning these is that I could not get a comfortable fit around the ankle without the shoes' rubbing. I loosened the laces, reorganized the tension, unthreaded the laces from the top set of holes -- nothing worked. But many, many thanks to Zappos for the opportunity to keep trying!!

The first day they felt great! During the second day of use my toes started to feel very pinched and by the time I could get home to change it was very painful. I think I just have a hard time finding shoes that work for me. I'm like the princess and the pea!

Really good arch support, but that was the only good thing. They have Zero cushion. My knees were aching after just wearing them for a bit.

I attend as many Zumba classes as I can and I just got these shoes. The big problem is that they stick to the floor and I fell on my butt because they stuck to the floor when I was moving to the music. These shoes I would say are good cross trainers but if you are moving a lot on a gym floor, be careful.

Bought this shoe for Zumba. They felt comfortable at first, walking around the house, but 10 minutes into my class, my feet and ankles hurt. Everyone kept telling me I needed time to get use to them, so I wore them to a few more classes, but was in too much pain. (I have been doing Zumba for 2 years and never had issues) So the bottom line is I am out money. Since then bought Saucony grid flex, love them!

I love the old Ryka Intensity aerobic shoe, but they don't make it anymore. I tried this one instead, but I wish I hadn't. There is no support for the balls of my feet, so they hurt, as well as the toes on my left foot. The shoe itself is flimsy because it is made of mesh rather than solid fabric. The tongue of the shoe isn't wide enough to cover the whole front of my foot, so the sides of the shoe above the last lace hole rub against my foot while exercising. I wasted money.

I purchased this for step class. It has good cushioning however the front of the shoe, from middle of the foot to the toes, is constructed so that it's really gets significantly wider. Lateral movement is tough. The shoe is so wide the edges catch on the step making it a tripping hazard.

Disappointed. Have other Rykas and had great luck with them. I feel these run 1/2 size small. I wear 7 - 7.5, I ordered 7.5 and they are narrow and my toes hit end. There is little arch support either. Also very disappointed in appearance, pictures show rounded toe box, they are actually very pointed. I do love the products you carry, I very seldom have negative issues with your products...can't win them all.

So disappointed. I do aerobics four times a week. These pinch close to the tongue lace area. When my foot moves into a crunching/bend action the pinch happens and is almost too much to take. I prefer high tops so that is not the problem. I rarely have problems with shoes so I was excited to get these. I loved the 'ngaged Ryka cross trainer, and have worn them for ages. This one is a low top that does not support the way I like. The lack of cush at the ball of the shoe is another negative. This one does not work for high impact aerobics. I wore them twice before I realized the shoe doesn't perform, and my foot just hurts after a work out.

When I first put these on, I liked them a lot as they were very lightweight. But after wearing them a bit and doing some aerobics, my feet started hurting. I don't know what's going on with Ryka, but they don't seem to be as good as they have been in the past. I am returning the shoes to avoid injuring my feet and arches.

I was very excited to receive these shoes as my zumba class teacher said she had Ryka shoes. I ordered the ones that seemed most highly recommended for zumba, but the first time I wore them, they were no better than tennis shoes as far as sticking to the floor. I checked with the teacher and she said she had had these and found the same problem and had gotten the newest ones (forgot name). They had a pivot point on the sole, which is what these seem to need as they don't allow you to move freely. Your feet stick to the floor!

These are the worst studio shoes I have ever owned. I would not hesitate to call them evil. I purchased them for studio strength classes and step classes. For the studio strength, I would call them an average shoe (3 stars all the way around). But if I could give them negative stars for step, I would. The toe box is huge. The shoe provides no lateral support for the front half of your foot. My feet would slide around causing huge, painful, deep blisters on the balls of my feet, which is somewhat inconvenient for step. I thought they needed to break in, so I tried them repeatedly (yes, I know and it's stupid), but nothing ever changed. Terrible shoes. I am very disappointed with Ryka. Won't be trying another pair.