Looking for Trail Glove Replacements, good customer relations from NB

ElyDave

ElyDave

Barefooters
May 28, 2011
530
129
43
Ely, Cambridge, UK, and the rest of the world
#1
as the title says, I'm looking for a repalcement for my Merrel Trail gloves to use in a non-BF friendly 70-miler and HM in July. Also my feet are non-BF friendly for that distance.

Choices so far are

1) another pair of trail gloves - easy option, they're a known quantity, but with drawback of the relatively soft rubber and uneven wear
2) Altra Adam or Sampson - an unknown, but everything I've read is good. Only drawback is no apparent UK supplier. I've e-mailed them, but no reply as yet.
3) New Balance Minimus road or trail 00. I'm leaning more towards the trail, as although I run roads a lot when away from home, I try and run trails at home, and some of my races are on trails. Reviews and looking at the shoes suggest that they may have thoought more about the obvious wear spots than Merrell. They're also cheaper than the trail glove. I also got this great reply (my bolding) from NB when I asked if their 30-day no quibble return period basically gave you a free trial
"Dear Mr. Neilson,

Thank you for writing. At New Balance UK we have a 30-day, No Questions Asked Return Policy. We encourage you to take our trainers out for a run. Even if they have been used, we are happy to pay for the return shipping within 30-days of the date you receive the order, so you can easily send them back for refund if you receive an improper fit.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send me an e-mail. Have a nice evening, Mr. Neilson."

Now is that confidence in your product or what?

 
#2
With NB Minimus zero make sure to note they run a little narrow so you may need to get the 2E for width when you may not normally. I don't really run trails so I don't have any other suggestions other than what you have listed unless you want to try Luna's trail models of sandals.
 
#3
You can't beat that NB return guarantee, so give them a try. I just can't get over the toe shape on them. Does anybody have feet shaped like this?
images

Altra has been the only shoe to fit the shape of my foot, other than custom huaraches. I have the Lone Peak, but it is way too heavy to run in.
 
#4
I ran most of the winter in a pair of Adams and I really enjoy them. The ground feel is similar to KSO, they are extremely flexible, I find them totally non-confining and they don't stink after a few outings. The only minor drawback is that I have to wear socks with them as the insides are not very barefoot friendly.
I got a pair of Samson last week and have only got about 18 miles on them so far but initial impressions are good: As wide as the Adams, a little more substance to the sole giving a ground feel more like Bikilas, they are fine to wear without socks and, after my two, sockless, outings the odour coming from the linings is pleasantly reminiscent of honey rather than the noxious stink I get from my VFFs.
 
#5
Thanks Chris - do you think either of those would work for 70 miles

Nick, Rick, for some reason the 2E width does not seem to be available in the UK, just the standard D
 
#6
ElyDave said:
Thanks Chris - do you think either of those would work for 70 miles
Click to expand...
What's the surface? I did 8 miles of moderate gravel in the Samsons last Friday with no problem, I've done endless loops on the same surface in the Adams with no problem. They both have siped soles so they are a little tricky on inclined wet soil. They would not be good on 2 - 3" crushed rock - but I doubt you'll be running on that :D
 
#7
Chris, it's a looped 10-mile route with about 50% tarmac, 30% hard packed trails and 20% grass. There was one short stretch I remember that was half-1" rock and cinders.

Sounds like the Altras are not going to be man-enough for the job, even if I could get them.
 
#8
My "trail" run gives me 2 x 30 yard stretches of 1" gravel each circuit. Both models of Altra handle that fine. The rest of your route as described should not provide a problem.
I sent you a PM.
 
#9
Dave, I found the NB Minimus Zero range in a store in Canada and thought I'd try them on. They're unbelievably light and the road shoe looks like something I might want. Unfortunately, despite trying the 2E, my little toes were seriously cramped. I spent all my time in Vivo shoes which have a gigantic toebox and my VFFs which actually separate your toes, so maybe I'm just used to that luxury, but I couldn't live with them so I put them back on the shelf =(

I'd really love to try some Skora Base shoes, but there's nowhere to try them on, even in the US!? Can't justify $125 if I have no idea what size I am and they don't pay return delivery outside the US =( Does anyone know anything more about these shoes?
 
#10
If you're in the UK you should take a look at Inov-8. I would also say the Samson is a great pick but Inov-8 is a British company and they have a wide range to offer from gnarly trail shoes to very thin minimal shoes. I'm thinking they probably have something that would get you through the race. I'm currently testing a pair of the Bare-X Lite 150's and outside of being a little tight in the midstep they are pretty nice.
 
#11
Hey Jimmy, thanks for the reply.

I looked at the Inov8's, but their tread pattern looks like it would be useless off road and the bare grips look great for a seriosu train, but way OTT for just a dirt track. Have you found the bare-X any good off road?
 
#12
I have the Inov8 Road-x lite 155 and love them(except for that ugly yellow color). They are terrible for anything that is not concrete or man made. I slipped on pine needles on the sidewalk the other day in them. They do make a great product and a lot of their shoes are more minimal than a lot of people know though.
 
#13
I would put in my two cents for the Vivobarefoot Neo Trail, although I don't have much experience with the other shoes for comparison. The Neo Trail feels light and roomy to me, excellent off-road and it has a water-resistant upper fabric. The drawbacks would be a wonky insole (that can be removed) and an aggressive tread pattern, which I found to be distracting on pavement. These are my go-to shoes for snow/cold/rough trail conditions. Not that we had much snow in Massachusetts this year.
 
#15
Jimmy, how do you get on with the 3mm heel-toe drop vs a zero drop shoe? Do you notice it at all?

I think I looked at those before I bought the Trail Gloves last year
 
#16
It's there but 3mm isn't all that noticeable if they do it right. The 195 is basically a wedge so the drop is just a linear line where as some shoes do a quick "waterfall" kind of drop through the midfoot which is traditional in shoes. I can't stand that one and feel like it's all I notice in a shoe. Inov-8 actually did that second style more in the 155 that was mentioned before and it really made what should have been a great shoe, less than great. The 195 is a nice feeling shoe even though for me it's a little narrow. It has a nice firm feel underneath and does a good job of being smooth.
 
#17
The 195's are pretty narrow in the toes unfortunately. Those were the first Inov8's that I tried before I ended up with the 155's. For me the 3mm drop isn't bad, but it is a little weird at first.
 
#18
Jimmy I do notice the weirdness you described in the 155's with the drop, but for me that is tolerable because the rest of the shoe is wide enough for my feet.
 
#20
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