Lots of promises out there from various shoe companies. Everyone seems to be latching on, at least a little bit, to this minimalist craze. Looks like we'll have a few start-ups producing very interesting minimalist shoes, plus a few big companies jumping on the band wagon too. The New Balance Minimus Trail is pictured on the left--
more photos on Flickr here. Currently, that's my favorite of the new crop of shoes coming out--I liked their NB 790 trail shoe and this Minimus Trail should be even better. For Spring 2011 (February-April?), I have hopes for the following new minimalist shoes:
New Balance Minimus Trail
Altra Adam
Skora
Terra Plana Neo
Merrell Barefoot Collection
I can't believe Nike is letting these other companies get a head start on them...I would expect them to already have 1-2 models ready to go...maybe they are waiting for the right timing? Anyway, if these other shoes sell well, Nike will be all over it within no time. With a plethora of new barefoot books and now several new minimalist shoes, this spring is going to be fantastic!
4 comments:
Chris, Nike has the very popular free's. And even though they aren't truly minimalist, they are marketed as so and most people who buy them think they are. I see so many Free's at my university's gym. And this is what Nike is great at - marketing.
I have had 2 pairs of the Nike Frees and had to chop off the heel to maker them usable. My cobbler did it very quickly and only charged me $5. They are definitely not minimalist. If they have a Nike Free 1.0 model lurking out there it could work well. I like the soft stretchy upper and flexible sole. Just too much cushioning and too much heel.
Chris,
I was wondering what you run trails in during the winter? Have you zero dropped a GTX shoe? Do you use something else?
John
I run trails in all of my shoes---VFFs, Mizuno Wave Universe, Nike Free, Feelmax Osma, and NB 790. The NB is my go-to shoe for tougher trails and colder running. It's not zero-dropped, but never had a big heel.
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