First thing I noticed when putting on these shoes was a bump in the middle-bottom side of my foot; it's a design to nudge or roll you onto your fore/mid-foot. It almost feels like it has a negative heel (it doesn't), but in spite of this the shoe is very comfortable. The shoe is low to the ground, light weight, and so far durable, so it seems these shoes are great for guiding someone into better running form and technique.
If you've already owned a pair of transition shoes, these may not feel minimalistic enough for you. These are great replacements for the Nike Free v5 that I ran my last marathon in, however these don't come close to the barefoot feel of the NB Minimus trail, or Fivefingers.
For crossfitters and anyone that cares out there, these shoes nudge you forward, even when trying to shift weight back onto your heels. These shoes are not intended for any kind of technical weightlifting. I'm pretty sure this is obvious to most people, but I got away with my Nike Frees during crossfit excercises; these shoes are more specialized than the frees in relation to running, which makes them not so great for other excercises, or at least in regards to weightlifting.
I've worn them for almost two weeks now, and plan to put them through their second 10k tomorrow. These are great running shoes, especially for those looking to transition into minimal running, but don't plan on breaking them in during non-running excercises. If I could afford it, I would have bought two pairs.
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User: mid-range (half-marathons) male runner in his 40s. 175 lbs x 6'0". No experience in minimalist running, but plenty of training/PT focus on good form, stride and mid-sole striking.
Use: I took them out for the first time today on an 8 mile run just to get the feel. The surface was almost entirely asphalt with little or no camber.
Pros:
* feel the road and enforce good foot position
* light-weight
Cons: I don't have complaints about the shoe, per se, but did encounter a few problems that might be shoe related:
* chafing on one heel. I wear pretty low profile socks and the left one slide down enough that the shoe was rubbing directly against the skin on my achilles tendon, leading to a bit of rawness and bleeding. Easily solved, but not something that's ever been a problem for me with other shoes.
* slight tweaking in my right outside knee. My guess is that this is due more to my lapsing in PT exercises on weak abductor muscles. Since these shoes make it so unpleasant to have bad form, they do highlight other places where you might be compensating. (In my case the IT band, which has historically been a problem for me.) Time to get back to those clamshell exercises...
* The red die on in the inside of the tongue bled a bit and my socks picked up some of the red color. Doesn't bother me (and won't go on very long, I assume), but might bother some.
Net/net, these are great shoes to help constantly remind you just where to come down on your feet, because you'll really feel it if you heel strike. I've never tried full-on barefoot shoes, but based on comments in other reviews, these are a nice half-way point to start getting into it. My legs could definitely tell the difference of having less weight to drag around, so that was a cool sensation. I like to mix things up in order to avoid getting into a rut --different shoes, different surfaces, different workouts. These will make a great addition to the rotation.
One sizing comment: I find that New Balance normally runs slightly small for me. In most brands, my shoe size is a 10, but for most New Balance shoes I buy a 10.5. This was not true in the Minimus --a size 10 is a perfect fit. So if you are used to shifting sizes for New Balance, you might want to skip that for these.
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I've been running with these for about 6 months now. After a brief transitional period from my old 5 finger shoes I am quite pleased with them. For people like me who run mostly on pavement they provide adequate protection for your feet but still allow you to get some feel for the ground. I'm looking at buying another pair for when the ones I have get too worn out.
Honest reviews on New Balance Men's MR10 Minimus Running Shoe
A bit about me >
5'9", 165-170 lbs, mid-foot striker but will occasionally heel strike or drag the heel when I get lazy or tired on longer runs (13+ miles). Except when training for events usually run 4 days a week (3@5-8miles and 1@8+miles). Mainly participate in road running and road cycling for enjoyment.
A bit about the use of the shoes >
The shoes have been on the road for 18 months and over 600 miles on the soles. I had to nurse an injury not related to the shoes after the 3 month mark that kept me from running for just over 9 months. So you could say that the shoes have been used for 9 months of running. I shared the 18 months, because I know that some people are proponents or replacing running shoes based on time as well as mileage. About 50% of the miles have been on asphalt, 45% on concrete and 5% on light trail/grass. Shoes are always kept indoors but I do run in all conditions. I take my shoes with me on vacations and work trips. Most of the mileage is in Central Florida, there is a bunch all over the US.
Overall >
Overall these shoes have held up extremely well for such a lightweight shoe. The fit was perfect for my foot. The wide toe box allowed for my toes to splay out during my stride. My foot always felt cradled by the shoe. I did not try to use these shoes without socks. The transition from 12mm to 4mm was relatively easy for me. I usually can be found walking around the house/yard in bare feet and I spend a few hours on my road bike every week. Keeping your shoes flat during the pedal stroke promotes good power transfer and helps to keep your Achilles nice and long. I still broke them in over the course of 3 weeks and gradually increased the distance up to my norm. This is one of the first pairs of shoes that I really want to buy again, but I may not buy them again because of the primary weakness. I want to visit my local running store to take a closer look and test drive the New Balance MR00 and the Brooks Pure Drift before I pull the trigger on my next pair
Strengths >
I am pretty impressed with the grip on the road surface in all conditions. I have only had a few situations where the shoe lost grip (wet grass) and I felt out of control. After the initial tread patterns wore off of the main portion of the sole and the heal portion (approx. 200 miles) the material kept its grip up in wet, freezing and dry conditions. You do need to keep in mind these are road shoes, not trail shoes. There is probably still another 200 miles of surface left on these shoes.
The shoes are still holding up very well. There are a few busted stiches and the eyelets are more of permanent ovals at this point, but no rips or tears that I typically have on my shoes with this number of miles. I did not spend much time with these off-road so that may be a contributing factor. The one thing is you will want to capture the size and width before you wear the shoes. One or two runs and the ink is gone leaving a nice white patch inside of the shoes.
These shoes dry very quickly. If the roads are wet, your feet are going to get wet. The great thing is that the shoes dry very quickly. Even in heavy rain, I did not feel the typical slosh of wet shoes. After many runs my shoes would be dry within an hour or so. None of that fill them with newspaper to dry.
Not only does the construction allow the shoe to dry quickly it keeps your feet cool and well ventilated. This is perfect for those hot summer runs on the black asphalt of Florida. The minimal padding really transfers the temperature of the roadway to your feet quickly. As a side note, when it is really cold out, you do need to choose the appropriate socks to keep your feet warm; these shoes are not going to block much of that biting wind.
The cushioning was just right for the shoe. I realize that a true minimal runner may feel this shoe is too much, it was great for me. After my knee injury, I had packed the weight on to over 195 pounds and the shoe handled it well. I usually replace shoes when the sole is used up, but these are going to be retired because the cushioning has about had it as has the Achilles cut out area. Nothing catastrophic, but enough that I notice it.
These shoes travel really well. You can really slam them into any spot in your bag and they are ready for your run when you get to the hotel. I never felt that the heel cup and support was going to deform from being crushed in a carry on.
Weaknesses >
The primary weakness of these shoes is the styling. I understand and appreciate the work that went into developing these shoes, but they clearly missed on color choices. I am not a fashionista and usually could care less, but New Balance really struck out here. I have the white with blue, but what is up with the current choices of blue with green and black with silver. Bottom line is when you have a high performance running shoe that already looks like it came out of the 1970's don't call it out with bold colors.
The laces are a bit too long for these shoes after they break in. You have to double knot these to keep the laces from dragging on the ground and if you don't tuck them somewhere they slap the upper as you run. I actually thought my knee was cracking as I ran. It was not until I took my shoes off and ran a bit that I realized that it was the laces. I don't even notice it anymore, but it did take some time.
When you catch a rock between the treads you know it. While this is a risk of any minimalist or sub-minimalist shoe, the spacing and the depth of the tread captures and holds rocks. I would have liked to see large gaps in the treads to let some of that go. Sucks to have to stop to pull out pea sized rocks that will not fall out of the tread.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for New Balance Men's MR10 Minimus Running Shoe
This shoe is excellent lightweight, yet supportive and confortable, running shoe.
Specifically:
-The slightly U-shaped outerand mid-sole provide sufficient support without adding unnecessary weight.
-The U-shape also stimulates a midfoot landing, making this shoe specially adequate for those wanting to transition from a heel landing.
-The inner lining is very confortable. I wear this shoe sockless for all types of runs(long, tempo, intervals...), and I haven't gotten any blisters or any other shoe-related pains.
-The toe box is very spacious (or conversely, the heel pocket is narrow). Personally, I like this feature because unlike your heel, your toes tend to spread during your strike. Thus the extra space at the front of the shoe is in line with what naturally happens during the stride.
-The aesthetic design of the shoe is very appealing. It rarely goes unnoticed.
-The only reason I didn't give this shoe 5 stars is sweat management. The uppor sole is just a little too dense, and doesn't breathe as well as it could. I train in hot and humid weather, and I can feel the sweat starting to accumulate inside the shoe after about an hour of training. If it rains, forget about it...
One additional note. Although this shoe is classified as a lightweight shoe (and it is one), it is not the lightest one out there. This isn't a good or a bad thing. It just depends on what you want the shoe to do for you. For example, if you have a perfect stride and are looking for your best 5k time, you're better off with a lighter racing flat. If you have a good stride, but want a little extra support for your training runs, then this shoe makes perfect sense.
