Well, I retired my first pair of Starbury Cyclones yesterday. Looking back through my LJ, it appears that I picked them up in the beginning of October. So that's about three months of use. I've been wearing them almost every day, including the past two weeks of my walking routine. About a week ago, I noticed the outer heel on the shoes were really beginning to show signs of wear. A few days ago, the sole completely cracked. So the shoes held up OK for a while, then completely broke down. While they lasted, I was happy with the shoes.

I was really hoping that they would last longer than three months, though. Yes, they were cheap -- just $10/pair. But If I have to buy four pair a year, that's $40. And that's getting close to what you could pay for traditional sneakers, which would probably last for longer than a year. So the final verdict is that the shoes are OK, but don't seem to last long enough to be cost-effective in the long run. I've got a second pair of Cyclones that I started wearing today -- we'll see if they last longer than three months. When they wear out, I'll buy myself a pair of real shoes that will last longer.

In addition to the pair of Cyclones I still have, I've got a couple of pair of work boots and a pair of crossovers. I think I'll start wearing the crossovers more often and see how they fare. I'm still liking the boots -- I expect that I'll really give them their real test once it's time to start mowing the yard again. All in all, I think I'm happy with the Starburys I've got, but I don't plan on buying any more Cyclones. I may pick up another pair of the crossovers if I ever find them in tan. I'll probably be in good shape with the boots for a while. If they hold up well during the mowing season next spring, I may pick up another pair when the ones I have wear out.

In better news about shoes, I bought a pair of real running shoes after work today. I'm really excited about trying them out on tomorrow's walk. I'll write about them after I wear them a few times.