First off: I am a huge fan of the Trail Gloves. I loved my first pair so much I bought another. Not because they wore out or anything, but just because I wanted a pair to get muddy and another pair to keep clean(ish). I've convinced five or six of my friends to purchase pairs of their own. I love love love me some Trail Glove.
So, naturally I was ecstatic to find out about the Road Gloves. A version of the Trail Glove that I love, optimized for the road? Yes sir, sign me up, sight unseen, immediately.
They arrived today -I tried them on and immediately got very confused. There appeared to be some kind of hard lump situated underneath my arch. I took the shoes off and put them back on again. The lump was still there. I went and got my (week-old) pair of Trail Gloves to compare. I even put one Road Glove on one foot and one Trail Glove on the other foot, and then did the same with the opposite feet. The difference is honestly ASTOUNDING. The Trail Glove feels like a crazy ninja ballet slipper. The Road Glove feels like . . . a heavier slipper with a stiff awkward lump in the middle.
Merrell dudes and ladies, if you're reading this, seriously please try the following:
A.) Take a brand new pair of Trail Gloves and bend them in half. I.e. make the top of the toe touch the back of the heel. (This is what I show off to my friends while shopping when I am trying to get them to buy a pair of your shoes. Awesome selling trick.)
B.) Now try the same with a brand new pair of Road Gloves.
The Trail Gloves roll right up like a burrito. The Road Gloves, well, don't.
Now to be fair -if I hadn't spent the past few years running in various minimalist footwear, the Road Gloves would probably be blowing my mind right now. They'd probably still be great. Maybe they're intended to be a 'transition' shoe, like the Saucony Kinvara or Nike Free or something. I don't know. What I DO know, however, is that I'm going to be returning these (after less than an hour owning them), and that I'm going to be buying more Trail Gloves.
To sum up: if you like the Trail Gloves, don't get these shoes. If you wished the Trail Gloves were stiffer, heavier, and had arch support, get these shoes.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Got these in the other day, and they work AWESOME!! I'm currently deployed and I run on a huge dirt/rocky track that encompasses my base, and they are killer. I think they are a wonderful transition running shoe for us who have never gone with a "barefoot" shoe before. Yes, there is an arch support in the middle, but it doesn't bother me a bit, and I'm glad I have it there actually. The switch from conventional shoes, to this one, has been minimal, largely because the type of day-to-day shoes I wear are "European" style, low-flat soles. I think my next purchase will be the trail glove, but till then these are awesome.
Best Deals on Merrell Men's Barefoot Road Glove Running Shoe
I need to add the caveat that I'm not a "real" barefoot runner; Merrell barefoot shoes are the closest I've come to barefoot running...so far. Like a previous reviewer, I am also a big fan of the trail gloves (I'm ashamed to admit, but I own 4 pairs!). In agreement with a previous reviewer, the road glove does have a more noticeable feel of an arch than the trail gloves.
The one thing I don't like about the trail gloves is...running on the road. When road running with them, the "pounding" I feel on my feet is much more pronounced than when running on trails that's probably why they're called "trail" gloves. The road glove solves that problem! The different fit of the road glove (i.e. the arch "support") has made road running a much more enjoyable experience for me. I don't know how, or why it works, but it does...at least for me. And for me, the arch is quite comfortable.
The shoes aren't as obnoxious looking in person as they are in the pictures. My shoe size is the same for both models.
Honest reviews on Merrell Men's Barefoot Road Glove Running Shoe
The order page for this item on Amazon lists it as "Barefoot Road Glove 2" but many of the shoes that can be ordered from that page are actually the first Barefoot Road Glove, not the 2. I can tell the difference from the appearance of the shoe so I knew what I was getting, but other buyers may think they are ordering a Road Glove 2 but actually get the Road Glove 1 based on the color they chose. Great shoes either way, but wanted to point this out to potential buyers.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Merrell Men's Barefoot Road Glove Running Shoe
I got these shoes because I wanted something that was very breathable and allowed me to walk around "barefoot", but was a closed toe shoe that would protect my feet from the sharp/jagged rocks I'm constantly walking on. These perfectly fit the bill. My feet were starting to develop some form of athletes foot, and knew that I needed to wear something besides boots to keep them healthy. Unfortunately my running shoes just weren't breathing enough, and besides, they were starting to make my knees hurt. I had heard about the advantages of "barefoot running" (or walking, in my case), and decided to give these a try.
Originally I was going to buy the Vibram Five-finger shoes, but was afraid that they would be too "radical" for my office. After talking to some friends (who suggested the Merrell boots), and doing some research, I came across these bad-boys. Let me start off by saying I'm loving them. I've been wearing them for about a week now, and couldn't be happier. At first, because "barefoot shoes" work different muscles in your legs and body, it was a little fatiguing on the feet and legs; but after a week, I feel fine (in fact my legs, and more importantly my knees, feel great).
I've had knee pain and problems for six years (ever since basic training in the military), and this is the first time that I actually feel like it's getting better. My knees still ache every once in a while, but I think that's just residual pain which I expect/hope to go away over time. I've been reading that barefoot running is better for your body, because it encourages you to run properly (something that the military, for some reason, doesn't teach you), and I'm starting to believe it. If nothing else, these are some very comfortable shoes, that are extremely light weight and breathable, that look really good at the same time (one of my friends said they're thinking about getting a pair just because they liked mine so much).
All in all, a solid shoe (though for the price, I would expect as much) that is performing as expected. I'll update later if that changes, but as for now, I'm a new fan of Merrell shoes.
