New Balance Minimus Zero Review Posted by Meagan on February 6, 2013 No Responses » Feb 062013 Brand: New Balance Name: Minimus Zero Color Options: Women’s – Teal w/ Black, Fluorescent Yellow, Black w/ Sky Blue, White w/ Silver & Berry, Silver w/ Yellow; Men’s – White w/ Blue & Yellow, Blue w/ Silver, Juniper (Green) w/ Yellow, Red w/ Black Weight: Women’s – 4.4 oz; Men’s – 6.4 oz Drop: 0 mm Other: Odor resistant, welded seams to prevent chafing, deconstructed REVlite midsole provides flexibility and lightweight cushioning, lightweight blown rubber enhances bounce Price: $109.99 (some colorways on sale for $89.99) Continue reading “New Balance Minimus Zero Review” » Technorati Tags: barefoot shoes, minimalist running, minimalist shoes, Minimus, Minimus Xero, New Balance, New Balance Minimus, New Balance Minimus Zero, running, running shoes, shoe review, zero drop
New Balance Minimus Commercial Posted by Steve on March 20, 2012 2 Responses » Mar 202012 Over the weekend, while Meagan and I were enjoying our normal Saturday morning TV show marathon on Hulu, we came across a gem of a commercial from New Balance. We were thrilled to see the first (at least the first we’ve seen) minimalist shoe commercial to finally hit the air. It is great to see that New Balance is putting so much focus on this project considering they are one of the most mainstream players in the minimalist/barefoot shoe market and have the power to bring the knowledge of minimalist runners to the forefront of the sport of running (no, I am not including “minimalish” shoes like the Nike Free). Continue reading “New Balance Minimus Commercial” » Technorati Tags: barefoot shoes, minimalist running, minimalist shoes, New Balance, shoes
New Balance Minimus WT 20 Review Posted by Ally on February 28, 2012 No Responses » Feb 282012 Brand: New Balance Name: Minimus Trail Color Options: Orange/beige, Gray/gray, Black/periwinkle, black/pink, different beige/orange, black/gray, black/teal, blue/white, black/yellow/bright blue Weight: 5.5oz, probably dependent upon shoe size. Drop: 4mm from heel to toe. Other: Comes in WT10 or WT20. The WT20 has a slightly modified upper and less of a “toe spring”. Comes sporting a sole by Vibram. Price: $99.99 Continue reading “New Balance Minimus WT 20 Review” » Technorati Tags: barefoot running, barefoot shoes, minimalist shoes, Minimus, New Balance, shoe review
The Princess and the 4 mm Drop Posted by Meagan on February 2, 2012 2 Responses » Feb 022012 Now there's a zero-drop shoe! Image courtesy of highsnobiety.com. “Heel-toe drop” is a phrase thrown around a lot by minimalist shoe fans and manufacturers. It is defined as the height differential between the thickness of the sole of a shoe under the heel relative to the toe (typically reported in mm). For example, if the sole of a running shoe is 30 mm thick at the heel, and 20 mm thick at the toe, the shoe has a 10 mm drop. On average, traditional running shoes have heel-toe drops of around 12 mm, with larger amounts of fancy padding to offset the effects of heel-striking usually leading to even higher differentials. Minimalist shoes, on the other hand, have much lower, or, preferably, non-existent heel-toe drops (AKA zero-drop). This makes sense, because if you’re trying to mimic the “barefoot experience”, your foot has no natural heel-toe drop, so neither should your shoes! That being said, heel-toe drops of minimalist shoes typically range from 0 mm (e.g., Vibram FiveFingers, Merrell Barefoot, VIVOBAREFOOT) to 4 mm (e.g., New Balance Minimus, Skechers GORun, Brooks PureProject). Continue reading “The Princess and the 4 mm Drop” » Technorati Tags: 4 mm drop, fivefingers, heel-toe drop, minimalist running, minimalist shoes, Minimus, minimus multi-sport, New Balance, Vibram FiveFingers, water-resistant minimus, zero drop
Sketchy Skechers Posted by Meagan on December 27, 2011 No Responses » Dec 272011 When I was finishing up some last-minute Christmas shopping last week, I was surprised to come across the advertisement featured on the right. It seems that the increased attention and interest being paid to the minimalist running movement has prompted even Skechers to come out with their own version of a minimalist shoe: the Skechers GORun. The shoe appears, at first glance, to be very similar to the Nike Free, which was a disappointment to some minimalist fans because of its heel-toe drop of up to 7.2 mm (in the Free Run), its relatively thick sole, and the presence of a significant amount of arch support. However, unlike the Nike Free, the Skechers GORun has a lower heel-toe drop of 4 mm, meant to encourage a more natural stride, and are significantly lighter-weight, so maybe Skechers is taking its cues from the more minimal New Balance Minimus line. That being said, the shoes do appear to have a rather thick sole compared to some of their minimalist counterparts, but I have yet to see the shoe in person, so this may be an illusion created by extending the rubber of the sole up the side of the shoe for style purposes. Continue reading “Sketchy Skechers” » Technorati Tags: GORun, heel strike, midfoot, minimalist shoes, Minimus, New Balance, Nike Free, Shape-Ups, Skechers
Staying Warm and Staying Minimal Posted by Steve on December 18, 2011 No Responses » Dec 182011 For those of you who run in Vibram FiveFingers, and, like Meagan and I, are going to attempt to brave the great outdoors this winter by continuing to run outside, this post is for you! Yesterday was a bit of a reality check for both Meagan and I when we headed to Milwaukee to lock down a DJ for our wedding. We found, to our surprise, when we pulled out of the underground parking garage of our apartment complex, that we had finally received some snow! I didn’t think much of it at first, but as we pulled up to the gas station, I shivered because I realized I was wearing my Vibram FiveFinger Speeds and knew that my toes were going to be soaked in an instant. The second I stepped out of the car, the wet pavement took over my helpless shoes. I knew at that moment that we were going to need something more substantial (but still minimal) to run in during the treacherous winter months of Wisconsin. Continue reading “Staying Warm and Staying Minimal” » Technorati Tags: embark glove, fivefingers, Merrell, minimalist running, minimalist shoes, New Balance, shoes, Vibram, VIVOBAREFOOT, winter
