New Balance Men's MT10v2 Minimus Trail Running Shoe

This is probably the most comfortable shoe I have owned. It is also the lightest and most flexible shoe I have owned as well. When I first tried it on I thought it was a little tight on the forefoot but the shoe flexed and broke in over the next few hours of walking. I have never had a shoe break in so fast. Now I would describe the shoes as comfortable as wearing a sock.Performance: The shoe is lightweight and has good traction for trails. The shoes did slip a couple times on wet pavement though. If you are used to running barefoot the 4mm rise in the heel will be noticeable, but is no where near as ridiculous as conventional running shoes with their high heels. If you have proper running form you should be able to run in these without heel striking. However, if you are a barefoot purist you will be bothered by the 4mm differential.How they compare to the Merrell trail glove 3: The trail gloves are 0mm drop so they are easier to run in. The tg has better traction on trail and cement but has a stiffer sole. The tg also has arch support, so your foot may or may not fit it making it a possible comfort issue. The minimus shoe has no arch support so in that respect it makes it more of a barefoot shoe than the tg3.I started out with a tg3 but had to return them because my foot did not fit the solid arch. Having a size 14 shoe my options were limited so I settled for a NB minimus despite the 4mm differential.Conclusion: If you are choosing between a tg3 and a minimus if the tg3 fits your foot it is a superior shoe, if it doesn't the minimus is a superior shoe because of its incredible comfort.

I would probably actually make it 4-1/2 stars because it should come with the elastic/stretch laces. There are the 5-toe shoes but I always felt they were a bit thin on the sole so I tried the first version of these in the trail running shoes because I needed something more stable for working out in the gym. Typically for running I use the Mizuno Wave Creation shoes, which I find really good and will get another set for long distance running to mix use with these. I got this pair as a second pair of Minimus for running because I was needing some new running shoes. My first run where I needed to really use them was very good. I was really pleased and it felt like I had plenty of flexibility for the whole foot and finally gave my calves a good workout. You know that annoying part where you want to use the whole roll of your foot from mid to toes without striking your heel (if you are a lot younger then you probably wont understand the shock of striking heels and feeling every jolt in your knees or hips). But don't fear because if you have to stretch out those toes a few strides and bring down your heel, there feels to be enough cushioning. I walk around in my old pair a lot too so not so bad in that case either.If you are new to mid foot or what we used to call running on the balls of your feet (not landing on your toes but in reality using the front half of your foot). Then start off small. Maybe go for a run, a good run with appropriate effort of maybe somewhere from a couple hundred meters to a half mile. If you go for a 5 mile run and have always struck your heal, you might have some issues walking for the next few days.To compare Trail to Road I would personally recommend Trail on and off paths. To me the road version seems a bit too thin, not the totally too thin but as in the segments making up the tread feel loosely tied together and you can feel a lot through them. The trail give you a stronger feel for the shoe. I would recommend the road shoes if you either have thick skin on the soles of your feet or you run on well groomed paved paths or clean cement running paths.

I already own 2 pair of the MT10's, the first version, and those were the best shoes I have EVER owned. I wear them to work during my 12 hour shifts as a nurse. These shoes are washable and clean up very nicely. They are the only shoes that do not make my feet, knees, and back ache. Because my older version MT10's are beginning to show signs of wear and they are no longer sold, I had to find a replacement. I'm always a little reluctant to invest in "upgrades" or the next version, simply because when it's done right the first time, there seems to be no need for improvement and second versions tend to be nothing more than a crappy version of perfection. Well, I was wrong! These shoes, the MT10V2 are truly perfect. New Balance has done it again. These shoes feel like nothing on my feet. There is nothing rubbing anywhere on my feet and the flexibilty is suprisingly a tad more flexible than my old MT10's. And nothing aches. I am female and I wear a size 8.5 wide or 9 wide. I prefer mens New Balance mostly because of the colors offered and the heel has a nicer more snug fit. In men's size I wear an 8.5D.

I have lumbar spondylosis, my bottom two vertebrae are both slipped. This causes sciatica, lower back pain and sometimes pain down my leg into my right knee. After sustaining a further back injury at work over a year ago I couldn't run without pain. I was recommended by a physio to adopt the barefoot running style, and given a DVD on the Pose method of running.I started running barefoot style using regular Brooks running shoe's, and after the initial month the post run lower leg muscle aches were gone. I also no longer suffered any back pain while running, and I could run for longer.14 months on and I bought these New Balance minimus. There was a warning that they'd need to be gradually incorporated into your training to avoid injury. I ignored this as I'd been running barefoot style for over a year. However, after my first 30 minutes run with these I was left with my legs in agony! Clearly these put a lot more emphasis on the lower muscles of the lower leg than the Brooks did with their much more cushioned sole. This meant that over the last six weeks I did have to gradually introduce them. The last five days I've ran daily with these and there's no muscle ache at all, but it did take about four weeks to build the muscles up to running with only these shoes.Once you are up and running, excuse the pun, these are incredibly comfy to run. They are perfect for a barefoot running style, and I love the light weight. You don't want to step on any stones with these though, as much like the very leftfield Vibram toe footwear the soul is very thin.One other thing, I had to send my first pair back as they were too small, so I'd recommend getting a half size larger than what you normally wear. I'm an 8.5 and ordered a 9 which fit perfectly.

These a barefoot running shoes so take caution before heading straight out on a run with these. You need to build your legs up to ensure the extra stretch the muscle is subject to can be sustained unlike normal trainers with a heel. Even after I believed I had fully conditioned my legs to withstand this, after running 5k, my legs felt extremely tight. I no longer use these for running.

It's about three years since I made a serious attempt to stop pounding my heels and get up on my toes; only when I was seeing all the wear on my conventional Saucony trainers across the front of my foot did I start looking at "barefoot" running shoes. These were a revelation; they just felt so light and fast. It should have been fairly obvious that with barefoot shoes you don't wear socks but it took a couple of bruised toenails for me to make the connection. Anyway, that saves on buying running socks every few months. My one moan about them is that I managed to wear a hole through the sole after just over six months running about four miles a day mainly on country roads. I can recommend these but I am switching for my next pair just to explore what is available. Good running to you all.

I'm new to the running world so had no running style to adapt, which I appreciate can be an issue if you're converting from a more traditional soled shoe. We live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, so there are plenty of tracks to run down rather than being confined to pavements so I wanted a shoe that could cope with both. This does just that and has proven comfy and sturdy for a bit of off-roading. The tread is clearly quite shallow, so it can be a bit interesting in some of the deeper mud I've come across, and they are designed to let water out and therefore also in, so you do have to accept wet feet until they dry out (being thin this is done fairly quickly). I've used them a few times when away with work on a hotel gym treadmill with no ill effect, but I'm sure a thicker sole would be better for me if that was my everyday running environment. They've lasted well over their first few months use and have a bit of style about them, so, again when away with work mostly, they can double up as a 'normal' trainer to wear with jeans occasionally.So that's a definite thumbs up from me :-)

Couple years back I ordered a pair for myself for general use, walking, running and also going to the gym.I find these do exactly what it says, gives the barefoot feel, you realize you use muscles you have never used before!, your body quickly adapts to the "natural" way of walking, originally I brought these to give myself the natural feel when deadlifting and also squatting and it does make a massive difference, along with increased flexibility in my ankles and an improvement in my calf muscles just by general walking.My brother who I have brought this for has nothing but great things to say, as he has already experienced first hand the benefits of it from me.Would highly recommend this product for any fitness enthusiast.