Published by RunningPoint on Tuesday, 25 Mar 2014 08:24 EDT
I have been a long time fan, supporter, and promoter of Xero Shoes (originally Invisible Shoes). My first pair of truly minimal shoes was the 4mm Vibram Cherry DIY kit, which I still run in on occasion, and the 4mm Connect & 6mm Contact have become my “go to” road (4mm) and trail (6mm) shoe. I have logged easily 95% of all my running mileage (literally thousands of miles) wearing a Xero Shoes product over the last 4 years, taking breaks from them only to test and review other products. Why go on and on and on about the past? Because you, the reader, need to understand that I know this product, I LOVE this product, I live this product. When there is a fundamental shift in design of such a simple, effective product, it is a big deal to those of us who have a history of not only using the product, but also reviewing and promoting it. Now with that out of the way, let's get to the fun stuff.
Published by RunningPoint on Monday, 21 Nov 2011 11:46 EST
Stem Footwear is one of those companies that caught my eye while their product was in the very early phases of development. I was reading an article one day and saw them mentioned and something compelled me to click on the link and check them out. What I found was a rarity in today's market, a company who put just as much (possibly more) effort into promoting their philosophy and values as they did promoting their product. After a thorough reading, I was convinced that Stem was on track to join the list (which I hold close to my heart and take very seriously) of shoe companies where I genuinely admire both the product and the people behind the product.
I contacted them immediately, but they were so early on in the design process that there was no product to test yet. I was completely blown away when I contacted them a second time after the product had launched and they actually remembered me from many months ago and offered to send me the shoe of my choice to test and review. I chose the Survival Origins because I liked the brown color (color is the only difference between all 5 models that Stem offers). They worked closely with me to make sure that I would have a shoe that fit me perfectly, even to the extent of sending me two different sizes to ensure that I would have the best experience possible. I was excited when I got the shipment notice and I thought to myself “If the shoes are even half as good as the customer service, I am in for a treat”.
Published by RunningPoint on Friday, 11 Nov 2011 15:28 EST
New Balance has released some more info on their upcoming NB Minimus Zero Road and Trail shoes. This time they walk through the design process for the uppers and chronicle some of the challenges they had to overcome. Check out the article on the New Balance site, A Brighter Geometry: Inside the New NB Minimus Zero Uppers
Published by RunningPoint on Wednesday, 21 Sep 2011 08:14 EDT
New Balance has released yet another little taste of what is to come from the new Minimus Zero line. Their latest blog post outlines the process they went through while researching and developing the sole design and material for both the NB Minimus Zero Road and Trail. It's fascinating to see how such a large company actually cares about feedback from the people who will run in these shoes. If every big shoe manufacturer took the time and care that New Balance (along with an extremely few other companies) does developing minimal shoes, the market surely wouldn't be flooded with some of the junk that it is today.
Published by RunningPoint on Tuesday, 06 Sep 2011 13:07 EDT
Just to let all you guys know, Altra's minimal running shoes the Adam and the Eve are finally available!
The Adam is a minimal shoe with maximum versatility–Finally giving men a sensitive side, allowing you to do more with less. Throw in the various optional insoles for the most versatile and performance minimalist shoe on the market! A near barefoot running shoe, the true zero drop™, foot shape design allowing you the feeling of running barefoot with a shoe still on.
I'm excited to get the chance to test and review this shoe! Altra was one of the first companies to talk to us when we started RunningPoint and we have been watching the entire line of Altra running shoes evolve and take the market by storm. Well done Gentlemen, you are an inspiration to all us little guys out there who have a dream!
Published by RunningPoint on Tuesday, 09 Aug 2011 10:26 EDT
When I heard that Somnio was introducing the Nada, a minimal shoe, to their line of footwear I was immediately perplexed. For those of you unfamiliar with Somnio, their claim to fame is producing a biomechanic running shoe with interchangeable footbeds, heel padding, and forefoot padding designed to allow each runner to customize the shoe and to put his/her body in perfect alignment so that stresses and injuries are reduced. The engineer side of me is completely fascinated by the science behind their design philosophy, but the minimal runner in me knows that my body responds amazingly to putting my two bare feet on the ground and just running pure.
So here's the question that popped in my mind when Somnio offered to send us a pair of their Nada's to test and review, “What are these guys doing making a minimal shoe?”. Answer: Somnio markets the Nada as “A supplemental training shoe that is meant for strengthening, tuning and stretching. The Nada is designed for a runner who wants to incorporate barefoot methodology into their routine.” With this fact in mind, I set out to view the Nada as if I were still transitioning from a traditional shoe to a more minimal shoe.
Published by RunningPoint on Tuesday, 02 Aug 2011 11:15 EDT
New Balance has supplied us with some new details about their exciting NB Minimus Zero line that will be released in early 2012. I read through the information that they supplied and picked out the especially interesting parts as quoted below (There are actually 9 points of interest but I focused on the ones that intrigued me most):
It looks to me like Merrell has listened yet again to the people who run in their shoes and have implemented a road specific, flat soled , zero drop shoe into the Barefoot line with the Road Glove for men (top) and the Dash Glove for women (bottom). ***All images via Barefoot Running University (if you couldn't already figure that out)***
Published by RunningPoint on Wednesday, 20 Jul 2011 11:29 EDT
Congrats to our friends at Altra Running!!! They just had their zero drop road shoe, the Instinct, featured in Popular Science Magazine as one of the new tools to have if you are training for a marathon. What a great example this is for small upstart companies, make a product that you feel is right and people will notice.
Published by RunningPoint on Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011 15:56 EDT
I have been interested in trying out some VIVOBAREFOOT shoes for quite some time, but have been wary to blindly order shoes on the internet since there is no place close for me to try their shoes on before I purchase. When VIVOBAREFOOT offered to send me a pair of shoes to test and review I was very excited. I decided that since they were nice enough to send me a free pair of shoes, I should go for a model that I normally would not purchase. I love to run in sandals but the idea of a zero drop, fully molded foam, waterproof running shoe quite frankly piqued my interest so I jumped on the chance to get a pair of the VIVOBAREFOOT Ultra. After a great initial impression, I set out to take the Ultras through the paces of daily life with me which involves standing for 40+ hours a week at work, chasing kids after work and on the weekends, and of course running in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
