Dirty, wet fun: and no, I'm not talking about your girlfriend (not this time, anyway). I'm three runs (about 30mi) into my pair of these, after having spent the last 6 months or so in my NB Minimuses (Minimi?). I think the NB is a decent comparison point because it's one of the first minimal runners that got widespread distribution, and because the 4mm drop and rock shield makes for a decent set of training wheels before moving on to an all-out zero-drop mid-sole-less minimalist barnstormer. I particularly look at weight, feel and 'niche aptitude', materials and construction, fit, driability, style (inasmuch as it matters), .
Weight: the empirical is easy, and the news is good. I weighed these myself and a recently calibrated analytical balance accurate to 1/100th of a gram. I've loved the NB's for their lightness, at 230g (8.11oz) my US10.5's are about an ounce heavier than advertised, but maybe their figure was determined with a different size. Still that's a lot less than a regular trail shoe (Brooks lists their Cascadia 6 @ 12.4oz). I was quite surprised to find that the Bare Grip 200's were very closely matched to the NB's: 257g (9.07oz) with the insole and 241g (8.50oz) without the insole. The reason I mention the insole is that, if you really want more feel and care that much about a half-ounce of weight, you may consider running these with socks but no insoles. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't say if it's a good idea or not. Regardless, for the aggressive tread on this shoe, I was very impressed.
Feel: You're not going to feel the trail with these as you would with VFF's or a dedicated minimalist shoe like vivobarefoot's Ultra M. Still, taking into account that Mickey Thompson tread, it's way better than you'd think. This shoe has no midsole, none. Depending on the geology of where you're running, the 7mm lugs may protect your foot from pointy objects or not; it all depends on the size and sharpness of the rocks you're running on. And as obvious as the ears on Obama's head: these are not for the road, nope. Uh-uh. Gravel road? Nyet. For crushed-granite gravel roads, I'll stick to something with a rock plate, however thin. But when it comes to dirt, loose soil, and bad weather, the mud makes these shine. Barrel down muddy, technical descents with zero regard for ground as unstable as an ex-girlfriend; power through switchbacks and corners crooked as politicians with no fear of these succumbing to lateral g's and slipping out from beneath you. The spacing of the lugs is just right, mud will not cake, and rocks will not wedge in between them. The rubber is even slightly sticky, so gliding over smooth, exposed rock is a breeze, even when it's wet. Caveat: watch your toes, these things are a little pointy. You may find yourself catching your toe and tripping were you wouldn't normally in a more blunt-toed shoe. Not that I ever trip or fall, it's just what I've heard, right? (right?). Still, easy enough to overcome, and worth it.
Materials and construction: mine have already been exposed to a fair amount of sharp, exposed rock and appear to be no worse for the wear. No cracked or torn lugs, no abrasions on the fabric, no hint of any kind of de-lamination or loss of adhesion. It's still early, but I'm heartened in that having adhered to the minimalist mindset, Inov-8 hasn't added a lot of unnecessary crap to the shoe. Sometimes, you look at a shoe and can see all the places it will go wrong, even if it hasn't yet. Not here, the materials are good, and the design is effective and KISS-simple. Even the laces are right: small diameter (about that of cooked spaghetti) and tough, they stay tight and tied. One odd thing: dirt gets in, and in surprising quantities. I run in wright socks, and when I take my socks off after a run, I often find fine dirt (almost like sediment) caked around my toenails. With the socks, it doesn't seem to be a problem with abrasion, but I wouldn't go without socks because of this. Also, how bad would that be on any sort of infection around the toenail? Yuck. Better to be like Marshall Ulrich and just get your toenails removed. The dirt issue and driability are the only things holding this back from a full five stars.
Fit: I'm one of those in-betweeners, and I hate it. I'm US10.5 for some companies, US10 for some, and anywhere from EUR42 to EUR44. I got these in a US10 and they're good. Thank god someone makes shoes for narrow feet. It seems like other companies just assume all Americans have fat, flat cow feet and leave those of us with low-volume high-arched feet swimming in toeboxes big enough for a family of undocumented workers. Whereas even the NB's sometimes feel like walking in duck feet, these are sleek, slender and agile.
"Driability"--as I mentioned, the only other criteria holding these back from a full five stars. Get home, rinse them out, sit them in front of a fan, and it seems like they take twice as long as anything else to dry. This carries over during the run. Here in Georgia, it's either raining, or it's so hot that after 5 miles, sweat has completely soaked everything, including your shoes. It may be not as much of an issue in the winter, as the shoe seems to fit close enough that, even if it gets wet, everything is close enough to the skin to still be insulative (like a wet-suit). Hence, I still foresee these being my go-to winter shoes.
Style--inasmuch as it matters: it doesn't. The only people who are going to care are other runners, and it won't be looks they're interested in. A coworker saw mine in my bag and called them "cleats". I didn't bother to correct him.
Final word: these are the best thing going out there for a mud and winter shoe, but not for a first-time minimalist, and not for mixed road/gravel terrain. They are dedicated, and it shows. Get 'em.
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A very minimalistic trail or cross country running shoe. I use these for both trail running and foot strengthing. A little tight in the toe box area, but I get over it. Perform great in grass and mud areas. Tons lighter then the bulky trail shoes out there.
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I have been wearing Vibram for over two years now and have done various mud runs with them but I always had two big issues with slipping and random debris getting stuck in between my toes. Various friends have the Merrell and Vevo trail shoes and they too had slipping issues during mud runs so I knew those shoes only solved half of my problems. I knew about the Inov-8 trail shoes but I wanted a zero drop and truly minimalist trail shoe. The Bare Grip 200 fits that bill and the aggressive lugs sure offer some of the best grip I have ever seen.
I tried the Merrell and Vevo trail shoes at my local shoe store but no one in Dallas carries the Bare Grips so I had to resort to trying the Inov-8 230 shoes which are built on the same platform. Sizing wise I had to drop one half size otherwise I had way too much space in the front of my foot. Having tried those other trail shoes, the first thing you will notice is the narrow fit around the toes of the Bare Grips. Unlike other barefoot/minimalist style shoes, you can't splay your toes as much and this threw me off at first but it wasn't overly constrictive. I read on various blogs that this was done to prevent your foot from rolling past the sole of the shoe and prevent blisters. After a 5 mile trail run on a hilly mountain bike trail, I can say I appreciate the more narrow fit. No blisters which is rare for me since I always walk away with at least one or two blisters while I break in a pair of shoes.
Out on the trail you do feel the lugs even with the insole but it wasn't painful and powering through hills I noticed my feet really using those lugs to grip the floor, no slipping for sure.
If you do have wide feet then yeah these shoes are not for you. I have pretty normal width and I didn't have any issues with cramped toes. I can't wait to try the Spartan Race with these bad boys :-)
Honest reviews on INOV8 Bare-Grip 200 Unisex Running Shoes
It must first be said that I'm a CrossFitter, so I'm pre-conditioned to like Inov-8's already. But this review is totally separate from my CrossFit love for the brand, mainly because I did not buy these shoes and do not use them for CrossFit. I bought these shoes because I like to take my dog trail-running here in Hawaii. I have been trying to go more and more minimal on my shoes to strengthen my feet. I ended up trying to run completely barefoot, but was finding it a little too hard on my feet. I would get cuts and scratches which was no good, and the trails change quickly from mud, to roots, to pine needles, to rock and slate which can be a little hard to grip without causing more damage to your feet. Then I got these shoes!! They are AWESOME. they give you all the flex you could want or need, they grip extremely well and give you great confidence while running without the cleats getting caught on anything (which I was a little worried about), and they are super light and comfortable!! Not to mention they look pretty bad-a$$. I think Inov-8 is a great company that designs stuff for people, not for the biggest market. If you're on the edge about these shoes, get 'em, you'll love 'em. Had mine for a few months now and they're holding up great!!
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Perfict fit for the job! After purchasing and sending back about 4 pairs of shoes I chose the Bare-Grip 200 for my first mud obstacle race. They do run long so I had to order a smaller size to make it work but it was worth the trouble.
The first time I wore the shoes for any length of time was the day of the race, stupid I know but what a pair of shoes!!! I am used to wearing Vibram-five-fingers and am severely flat footed so the Zero-Drop was perfect for me.
The shoes are comfortable and flexible. I took the insole out for the race but leave it in for longer distances >10 miles. They look cool and perform even better! Water runs right through them but sand can be a bit of a pain probably more so for me since I do not wear socks.
I have tried other Innov8 shoes after these but cannot find the right one, but THESE SHOES are a MUST if you are doing Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, or Tough Mudder type runs.
