Jason Robillard over at Barefoot Running University just put up a post with a preview of some of the shoes that will be added to the Merrell Barefoot shoe lineup in Spring 2012. As a road runner , the new lineup includes one that I have been waiting for for a long time – the Merrell Barefoot Road Glove:
And here’s the women’s version, called the Dash Glove:
It’s hard to tell for sure from the pictures, but it looks to me like these shoes may have fixed my one big issue with the Trail Glove, which is the cutaway under the lateral arch. I’m hoping the soles on these look more like those on the Merrell Barefoot kids shoes (i.e., flat), which I should be reviewing soon. I asked Jason about this, and he indicated that the soles are indeed “completely flat.” Just what I wanted to hear, and can’t wait to try them out!
For more details on these shoes and several others, including the Edge, Rapid, and Swift Gloves, check out Jason’s post here: http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/2011/07/25/first-look-merrell-barefoot-spring-2012-lineup-insert-favorite-expletive-here/
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About Peter Larson
The Road Glove and the NB Minimus Zero are 2 of my most awaited shoes for 2012.
The Road Glove looks like a nice shoe, but I’ve never owned a pair of Merrell’s in my life, so I have no clue of the quality of shoe (especially a running shoe). I’m also very interested in seeing the sole of the shoe. I’m starting to see a lot of wear and tear on my Hattori’s on the outter edges of the shoe. As a barefoot runner, I tend to over pronate, and for some unknown reason, the Hattori’s have rubber padding on the inner edges. I’m hoping other manufacturer’s don’t make this same mistake.
Man that colour scheme of the Road Glove looks weird. It’s like when your brains interpret a 3D illusion wrong, seeing the background as the foreground and vice versa.
Merrell has always issues with aesthetics, and the Road Glove appears to be no exception. The Trail Glove is one of Merrell’s best-looking shoes, and it is no beauty either. My hope is that what we are seeing is just a draft of what the Road Glove will look like. I am digging the flat sole.
Did anybody notice the lacing? Has Merrell given up on the Omni-Fit lacing? On the Trail Glove, it is ok, but doesn’t really seem to do much out of the ordinary. Pete, you said that the cutaway under the lateral arch of the Trail Glove has been an issue for you. I have had an a problem with that too. I can feel the edge of the shoe and it causes soreness that I have not experienced with any other shoe or from running barefoot. Hopefully the full thickness along the sole of the Road Glove will be the remedy.
This doesn’t seem like a draft and I agree they have some odd shoes. I do think that the road dash shown here is just an unfortunate color, with different color combinations it might look much better.
I was thinking of getting the Trail Glove but since I mostly run on roads I might wait to get these.