And guess what? Apparently there's no stopping this minimalist shoes train any time soon! Spring and summer running weather is just months away, and there's already a barefoot buzz going on on the runnersworld.com forum and the running news websites. I'd like to share the shoes that seem 'I need to try these on' to me. :)
Inov-8
I'm a huge fan of Inov-8 trail running shoes. You can check my review on the Inov-8 Terroc 308 trail running shoe here.
This Spring the new Inov-8 Evoskin will be available for barefoot junkies all over the world.
Inov-8 Evoskin.Yep, they look like my beloved Vibram FiveFingers. However, they don't have the FiveFinger specific Vibram sole to protect your feet from rocks, glass, etcetera. The Evoskin seems more like something that covers your feet. Actually, it's just a layer of silicon that covers your feet and separates you from the ground. Interesting little shoe, that I would love to try out. Not necessarily to run in, but it might be an airy shoe for summer. I'm a bit worried about the 'sweat'-part, though. I wouldn't be surprised if my feet would sweat like nobody's business in these silicon honeys (okay, that sounds wrong on so many levels...).
Vivobarefoot (Terra Plana)
The Vivobarefoot Evo shoe isn't as 'new' as the Inov-8 Evoskin is, but it is new to me. Looking at it, 'lizard' is the first word that springs to mind. Don't know why... ;)
The Vivobarefoot Evo.It kind of reminds me of the Nike Free 3.0. Kind of. According to their website, the Vivobarefoot has 'a super thin (4 mm) puncture resistant sole...'. The 'puncture resistant' part is something that could very well come in handy for a barefoot running shoe. Ha! Plus, the website states that the shoe 'let's your foot move like it's supposed to'. And the shoe looks comfy. I'm intrigued. Anyone tried this shoe? If so, please share!
Merrell
Good old Merrell. Their hiking shoes are right up there on my 'all time favorites' list. And now they've come up with a barefoot running shoe. Me likey! :)
Like the Vivobarefoot Evo shoe, the Merrell barefoot shoes have been available for a while now.
The Merrell Barefoot Pace GloveThis shoe doesn't look 'weird-ish' like other barefoot running shoes do. It looks like a 'regular' trail running shoe. The shoes have a Vibram trail glove sole and a microfiber and mesh upper. And are super light weight (4.7 ozs per shoe). Plus, you can throw them in the washing machine! Love that. :) I would love to try these out!
8 comments:
Barefoot running still scares me, but I love the idea of minimalist Merrell shoes! I bet those would be great for hiking through wet areas or rivers/waterfalls. Fun!
You're right--the train has left. We'll only see continued growth in this market.
It is amazing what power we have to influence the market. Now if we could also reform fast food restaurants.
I am very curious about Merrells for our summer backpacking trek (some 300+km). There are some things that don't work very well for me in VFFs on longer distances. My right middle toe starts hurting after 10-15km. That is weird and I cannot figure out why that is happening.
Barefoot/minimalist is becoming much more mainstream. I doubt that will change any time soon.
Loves those Merrells!
Just after Christmas I got my first pair of minimalist running shoes. I got the Nike Frees. Love them!
I'd like to try the Vibrams someday.
I like the Inov-8. I want to get one and use it as an aqua shoes as the beach season is fast approaching. I'm currently wearing my customized Vibram Five Fingers. When I meant customized, I changed the colors and added a little bit of designs just to make somewhat like a signature shoes. I wonder if I could also do it with Inov-8 since it's made of silicon. Anyway, check out my customized shoes here.
@ Cynthia: Thanks for sharing! :)
@ Ewa @ Shelly: You're right!
Post a Comment