Type "asics gel 1130 sizing" into a search bar and you get two answers that look like they contradict each other. The product page says true to size. The forums say go half up. Both are right, and which one applies to you comes down to the shape of your foot rather than the shoe.
Here is the honest version. Tempo lists the GEL-1130 as true to size, and for a normal or narrow foot that is exactly how it wears. The independent consensus among wearers is that it runs slightly snug and narrow through the midfoot, and people with wide feet or a high instep commonly go half a size up. This post explains why, gives you a decision table by foot type, and covers what to do if you get it wrong. For everything else about the shoe, from the colourways to what it costs, start with our complete GEL-1130 guide.
The short answer: true to size, unless you are wide
If your feet are average width or narrow, order your usual UK size. The 1130 will feel close through the middle on the first wear, but that is the shoe holding your foot, not the shoe being too small. Half sizes are available, and there is no reason to guess upwards.
If your feet are wide, or you have a high instep, take half a size up. The extra length is barely noticeable but the volume gain across the midfoot is, and that is where the 1130 pinches.
If you sit between two sizes, go up. Every report we see about the 1130 being uncomfortable is about it being too tight, not too loose.
Why the GEL-1130 fits snug: the construction
The snug feel is built in. It comes from three parts of the shoe.
The midsole. The 1130 borrows its design language from the Gel-Kayano 14, but sits on a lower-profile chunky midsole. A lower platform generally means a slightly narrower base under the foot, and the upper is lasted to that base.
The upper. Tempo's colourways use a suede and mesh upper. Mesh stretches and moulds within a few wears. Suede gives less. On the 1130 the suede overlays sit exactly where a wide foot wants room, across the midfoot and around the eyestay, so the material that would normally relax with wear is not the material sitting on the pressure point. Expect a small amount of break-in, but do not expect the suede to open up half a size on its own.
The TRUSSTIC unit. The TRUSSTIC support system in the midfoot is there to stop the shoe twisting. It also stiffens that section, so the shoe does not flex outward the way an unsupported retro runner might.
Narrower platform, low-give upper, firm midfoot. On a normal foot that is a locked-in feel. On a wide foot it is a half size.
Decision table: what to order by foot type
| Your foot | What to order in the GEL-1130 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow | Your usual UK size | The snug midfoot works in your favour. Sizing up would leave heel slip. |
| Normal width, normal instep | Your usual UK size | This is the fit Tempo lists and the fit the shoe is lasted for. |
| Wide forefoot | Half a size up | The extra volume through the midfoot and toe box removes the pinch without the shoe going sloppy. |
| High instep or high arch | Half a size up | Height over the midfoot is the tightest dimension in a suede upper. |
| Between two sizes | The larger size | Complaints about the 1130 are about tightness, never about room. |
| Wearing thick socks year round | Half a size up | A thick sock adds width as well as warmth. See the socks note below. |
Measure your foot properly before you order
Most sizing mistakes come from ordering the size you wore in a different brand five years ago. Take ten minutes and measure.
- Do it in the evening. Feet swell through the day and you want the larger measurement.
- Stand on a sheet of paper against a wall, heel touching the wall, wearing the socks you will wear with the trainers.
- Mark the tip of your longest toe. That is not always the big toe.
- Measure heel to mark in centimetres. Do both feet and use the longer one.
- Trace around the widest part of the forefoot while you are there. If that width looks broad relative to the length, treat yourself as wide for the table above.
Then compare the length against our trainer size chart. If your measurement lands close to the top of a size band, that is your "between sizes" signal and you go up. If it lands in the middle, order that size.
All ASICS trainers at Tempo are men's UK sizing, so do not convert from a US size by guesswork. And the 1130 has half sizes, so use them.
Sizes stocked by colourway
The three colourways do not all run the same size range, which matters if you are a UK 11.
- Sharkskin Gel-1130, grey suede and mesh, £169.99, UK 7 to 11.
- White Silver Gel-1130, tonal white with silver, £149.99, UK 7 to 11.
- Cream Black Gel-1130, cream with black, £139.99, UK 7 to 10.5.
Prices correct at time of writing. Nothing below a UK 7 in any colourway, and Cream Black tops out at 10.5. So if you are a wide-footed UK 10.5 who should be sizing up to 11, Cream Black is off the table and you are choosing between Sharkskin and White Silver. If the colour decision is the harder one for you, our Sharkskin vs White Silver vs Cream Black comparison goes through them in detail.
GEL-1130 vs Gel-Kayano 14 vs GEL-NYC on fit
Kayano 14. True to size, and the roomiest of the three. It has a wider footbed and more arch support, and its taller chunky midsole gives the upper more base to sit on. Same size in the 1130 will feel a touch closer. If your Kayano 14 is already snug, size up. Full detail in our Gel-Kayano 14 sizing guide.
GEL-NYC. Also true to size for narrow-to-normal feet, but its pressure point is different. The NYC toe box runs tight in both height and width, whereas the 1130 is tightest through the midfoot. Wide feet go half up in both. If the NYC pinched your toes but you got away with true to size, the 1130 will probably be fine at true to size too, because the 1130's toe box is not the problem area. Our GEL-NYC sizing breakdown covers the toe box question properly.
Ranked from most room to least through the midfoot: Kayano 14, then GEL-NYC, then GEL-1130. Ranked by toe box: Kayano 14, then GEL-1130, then GEL-NYC.
Thick socks and how you actually wear them
A chunky sports sock adds enough width to turn a comfortable true-to-size 1130 into a tight one, particularly across the suede. If you wear thick socks most of the year, size as if you had a slightly wider foot. If you swap between thin and thick, size for the thin ones.
If you are buying the trainers to go with an ASICS set, the apparel is a separate sizing question, and our ASICS set sizing guide handles the apparel side so you can order both in one go.
If the GEL-1130 does not fit
Try them on indoors on a clean floor and walk around for a few minutes. Keep the box intact. If the midfoot is genuinely pinching rather than just feeling snug, or your toe is at the end, swap them rather than hope they break in. Suede does not stretch enough to rescue a shoe that is a half size out.
Details of how exchanges and refunds work are on our refund policy page. If you are unsure before you order, or unsure after you have tried them, get in touch and tell us your foot measurement and what you normally wear. We would rather help you get the right size first time than process an exchange.
Quick answers
Does the ASICS GEL-1130 run small?
Not in length. It runs slightly narrow through the midfoot. Normal and narrow feet should take their usual size. Wide feet and high insteps should go half a size up.
Should I size up in the GEL-1130 if I am between sizes?
Yes. The shoe's known issue is tightness, so the larger of your two sizes is the safer order.
Is the GEL-1130 the same fit as the Gel-Kayano 14?
Both are listed true to size, but the Kayano 14 has a wider footbed and more room overall. Same size in both works for normal feet. If the Kayano is already snug on you, size up in the 1130.
Will the suede stretch?
A little. The mesh sections relax more than the suede does. Do not rely on stretch to fix a shoe that is tight on the first try-on.
Order the GEL-1130 in the right size
You now know which row of the table you sit in. Check your measurement against the size guide one more time, then browse the full ASICS trainers range to pick your colourway. The grey Sharkskin pair is the one most people ask about first. Free UK delivery on orders over £100, same day dispatch on orders placed before 2PM, and Klarna and Clearpay at checkout. Still weighing it up? Read our full GEL-1130 review for the comfort and build side of the decision.