Xero Shoes Amuri Cloud! - Review

Moku

Barefooters
Jun 28, 2013
20
3
3
62
Amuri Cloud Review


I have to start by apologizing to the group, this review is long over due.

Once I decided on the size and color Xero Shoes was very quick to ship me my sandals. Customer service was excellent as always! Steve was kind enough to answer a few questions before ordering. Try that with a mall shoe manufacturer.

I’ve always felt uncomfortable ordering shoes and sandals on line. I feel like I’m ordering the wrong size or the I won’t like the fit. Then there’s the hassle of sending something back and paying the return shipping (sometimes). This is not the case with Xero.

Steve and the gang at Xero have made it easy to order the sandals. Measure your foot or step on a printed sheet of paper and see if it fits. Fairly straight forward. In my case I did this with the Ventures and was not happy with the size, it always seemed to big and floppy. I could have sent them back and I’m sure Xero would have been more than accommodating but I decided to keep them as part of a little experiment. (More on that later.) With the Amuri I did things a little differently and I’m pleased with the results.

You see I’ve been a life long cyclist and runner but have always had nagging injuries. Knees, tendons, shoulder… Part of this I’m sure was passing the 50 year mark a few years ago. The other part was doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same result (insanity?).

A few years ago I was watching a Golf game on TV, in preparation for a nap, and the announcer was talking about some player changing their swing. It occurred to me that for years I was always tweaking my position on the bike yet when it came to running I would just strap on some running shoes and go out for a run expecting my performance to improve. Insanity?

After reading the classics in barefoot running and reading a few blogs/forums I took the plunge into minimal / barefoot running. I found “Invisible Shoes” and the rest as they say is history.
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My collection of Xero’s

It’s been 2 ½ years and I haven’t looked back. I’ve improved my form and cadence by running every other day in the Xero’s averaging anywhere from 10 to 25 miles a week in them. Injuries have gone down (more on that later) and I’m a more conscious runner. I tend to notice flaws in my form and make corrections actively rather than waiting for an injury to occur.

I guess I should start the review…

After ordering the wrong size Ventures I came up with a brilliant idea! Take the sandals I custom fit and use them to determine the right size. This turned out to be the 10’s. After a quick email to Steve my new Amuri’s were on the way.

I have to say I was surprised at the packaging. I half expected a pair of sandals to be stuffed into a envelope and sent to me. What arrived were two sandals that had tissue paper and foam inserts ( I wonder if I could make a pair of sandals out of the inserts? Hmmm…) for protection and a great little tag showing me how to fit and adjust the straps.

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The fit was perfect for me. I like to have a close fit with very little overhang. The “barefoam” felt great! The barefoam did compress out after a few hours of wearing them but they still feel great after a few months of daily wear.
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These have become my goto sandals for every day wear. I do have to say that they are not my favorite for running. My feet tend to sweat a lot and the rubber toe post gets very grippy and causes blisters between my toes. I’ll stick with my original Xero’s for running.

Overall I’m very pleased with the Amuri. It’s another tool in the box that I can go to strengthen my feet and running form. Next on the agenda will be to glue a leather footbed to my Ventures and make a new pair of daily sandals. I’ve also been increasing my miles (30+ a week) and need something more substantial under me. 90% of my runs are on the trail and a few have considerable elevation change. Up is fine in minimalist shoes, but down in a killer. I know that there are many people doing ultras and marathons in Xeros but its to much for me. The Xeros have a place in my training rotation for shorter runs and tweaking my form but for Ultra’s with 14,000 foot elevation changes I need some cushy shoes. :)


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Running in Xero’s makes me better in those :)


Cheers everyone!

Thanks Steve for creating a great company. I wish you continued success!
 
Sorry, none of your pictures showed up.
 

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