vivobarefoot trail: thoughts?

[scedastic]

I'm looking for a trail shoe that covers my feet (not huaraches), has decent protection, is minimal (no padding, thinish), and is WIDE enough for my toes and bunions.
I'm looking at vivobarefoot breatho (the neos seem like they might be too warm?)

Currently, the merrell pace gloves are way too small for my growing feet, and are WAY too narrow.
Anyone want a size nine blue/black of them, btw?
Something about the looks of the NB Minumus bothers me, but I can't say what(maybe still too narrow looking).

I have relatively narrow ankles and wide forefoot which I splay way out while running. Most minimal shoes I try on seem too narrow to me.

 

[chuckcwall]

I have a pair of the Neo Trails, and I like them a lot. They were my go-to shoe for running and walking in snow and cold weather last winter (not that we had much of either in MA). I like the fit, protective but very flexible sole, with good traction. I didn't like the insoles that came with the shoes, but of course those can be removed. I don't think the Neo Trails would be very breathable in hot weather.

 

[Tristan]

I was wondering about the Breatho Trails too. Lots of talk about the Neo's but havent seen much on the Breathos and by looking at the specs it was hard to really see much difference between them. Was thinking about them also for backpacking. Vivobf makes hikers but they get mixed reviews, are waterproof (which I dont want), and seem to run narrow as opposed to all the rest of thier minimalist line.

 

[scedastic]

Tristan: from the online reviews it looks like the breathos have more mesh and are less warm, have the ability to dry quicker after getting wet (which I figure mesh is warm enough---when it gets super cold i'll be in snow and wear my soft stars).

One of my big concerns about the neos and the breathos is that they are HEAVY compared with other 'minimal' shoes.
chuckcwall, did you notice that at all?
Not to be a prima donna about it, but this is just for trails (and speeds) where i'm too sissy for bf and huaraches won't work, so I'm worried about feeling these big thick things on my feet.

 

[SillyC]

Did not notice the weight on my Neo Trails, and they are absolutely my go-to shoe for soupy or slushy weather. I don't have breathos yet, mainly because there are a lot of things that I don't like about the Neo Trails, and I can wear the Merrells. Compared to the pace gloves / trail gloves, the neos (and I would assume the breathos) do not offer as much protection from rocks as the merrells. When I've run in my neos, I've ended up hyperextending my toes while stepping on golf-ball sized rocks. The Merrells have a small rock plate beneath the toe box. It's not noticable, but it provides a TON of protection for the times when you step on a rock with half your toes. Also, the tread on these things is aggressive, and if you are on the road, they feel terrible. They cannot cannot cannot be used on the road. I'm not doing a lot of road running in shoes. However, frequently while on trail runs, I'll need to cover 1/2 mile on roads. These shoes are very uncomfortable for that.

 

[NickW]

I have the Neo's and found them to be too narrow. I looked at the Neo Trails and they are way too thick (upper) and clunky for my tastes (this coming from a temporary shoddie). The Breathos look good but I have no idea about their width. If you have wide feet like I do they may be too narrow for you. Although if you have wide feet the Merrells will be too narrow too. I know Merrell makes a wide size of the Trail Gloves but I can't find anywhere locally (not even the Merrell store) that carries the wide size so I can't say if the wider size is any better and I'm not about to waste my time and money ordering them online. New Balance has some decent shoes and wide sizes available, but from reviews I've heard plus my own experience their shoes really depend on your foot shape. Some people fit them well and some just don't.

 

[scedastic]

I know Merrell makes a wide size of the Trail Gloves but I can't find anywhere locally (not even the Merrell store) that carries the wide size so I can't say if the wider size is any better and I'm not about to waste my time and money ordering them online.

Oooooh. I did not know that they started making wide widths. Good for them.
Maybe if I got the men's in a wide, they would fit my foot, though I would worry about the heel slipping.
My concern about the women's wide is that it just won't be wide enough, since the pace gloves I have now are painfully narrow, not just a bit snug.
Moreover, the toebox shape does not seem right for toe splay.

SillyC, it does seem like the merrells would do well on rough/wet trails, if only they fit. They do have good grip and protection, from the short and not that strenuous trail run I did in them this weekend.
But do any trail shoes ever feel right on a road, even for short distances? Seems like the qualities that make a good trail shoe woudl always make them icky on roads.

 

[Kim-dk]

I used the Neo trials in north european winter conditions - just above or below 0 degrees C (freezing) with a combination of snow and rain- and they are good and waterproof - but take a bit drain if the water enters from above. They have more traction on muddy and slippery surfaces than the trail gloves and is fine for snow/ ice

I find them wide enough form my feet.

 

[NickW]

Oooooh. I did not know that they started making wide widths. Good for them.
Maybe if I got the men's in a wide, they would fit my foot, though I would worry about the heel slipping.
My concern about the women's wide is that it just won't be wide enough, since the pace gloves I have now are painfully narrow, not just a bit snug.
Moreover, the toebox shape does not seem right for toe splay.

They only make wide widths in the Trail Glove and they are extremely hard to find locally, the only place I've been able to find them is online. Normal womens shoes are a C width right? Have you tried mens normal sizes (D width)? I also have a really hard time with Merrell with the narrowness of the midfoot which causes a lot of arch pain for me but I know a lot of people don't seem to have this problem. It could be because I have low arches to go a long with my wide feet.

 

[SillyC]

Oooooh. I did not know that they started making wide widths. Good for them.
Maybe if I got the men's in a wide, they would fit my foot, though I would worry about the heel slipping.
My concern about the women's wide is that it just won't be wide enough, since the pace gloves I have now are painfully narrow, not just a bit snug.
Moreover, the toebox shape does not seem right for toe splay.

SillyC, it does seem like the merrells would do well on rough/wet trails, if only they fit. They do have good grip and protection, from the short and not that strenuous trail run I did in them this weekend.
But do any trail shoes ever feel right on a road, even for short distances? Seems like the qualities that make a good trail shoe woudl always make them icky on roads.

Eh, the pace gloves don't have that aggressive a tread. The Neos have MUCH more tread. If I wasn't clear, the issue with taking the Neos on the road is that you'll feel the tread poking the bottom of your feet. This is not true for the Pace Gloves. I've had no trouble taking the pace gloves on the road.

 

[flammee]

Breathos are bit narrow, they put significant pressure on my pinky toe.. But I fixed that issue with alternate lacing, just otherwise normal lacing but no lace through the last eyelet on outer side. But I didn't like to have so much traction (because of traction they must be tightened too much to prevent foot moving inside them), so I don't use them for running.

 

[Tristan]

Compared to the pace gloves / trail gloves, the neos (and I would assume the breathos) do not offer as much protection from rocks as the merrells. When I've run in my neos, I've ended up hyperextending my toes while stepping on golf-ball sized rocks.

Thanks for that tid bit. Maybe they are better suited to lighter trail use and not running boulder fields. I know my VivoBF Ra's sole is super flexible if they use similar soles I could see rocks being uncomfortable. I'm surprised they are narrow though, my Ra's are so wide I feel like I'm wearing clown shoes.

 

[chuckcwall]

Scedastic, I did not notice much of a weight difference. I do agree with SillyC that the tread on the Neo Trails is very aggressive. Which is great for mud and snow, but the tread pattern is so large that it's distracting when running on pavement.