Comments on: Recommended Zero Drop, Barefoot-Style, and Transitional Road and Trail Running Shoes: Runblogger’s Virtual Shoe Wall

By: David

David — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

A quick question that I've always wondered: What differentiates a racing flat from a road shoe? Is it cushion? Weight? I've always wondered....

By: Ashwyn Gray

Ashwyn Gray — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to dogrunner.

If the 245 was too narrow for your foot, dogrunner, then, I'm sorry to say, that the 235 will feel narrow, too. They fit exactly the same.

By: angie

angie — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Love some advice please, of the shoes you have reviewed Any thoughts on which of the running shoes fit shorter/wide feet? I also have a high arch. thanks.

By: Pete Larson

Pete Larson — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Trigrandmatry.

Good catch, I should put those up.

By: dan

dan — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

i've had my eye on those inov-8's for a while, but they inexplicably went up in price on rw. looking forward to the review!

By: dogrunner

dogrunner — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Ashwyn Gray.

I would like to see a review of the 235 (0 drop) much more than a review of the 245. I tried on the latter and (a) it was too snug for my wide feet, and (b) the heel drop was more noticeable than I was expecting. Returned.
The NB 1010 gave me medial knee pain - not sure if it was the 4mm drop, or the mismatch between its shape (triangular forefoot) and my foot shape.

By: Pete Larson

Pete Larson — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Johnny.

Just posted a review of the A5's - toebox is like the Kinvara - not super wide, but I went a half size up and there's plenty of room for my foot.

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By: Robert Osfield

Robert Osfield — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’m sure my pair of Vivobarefoot Neo Trails would qualify as a zero drop trail shoe.

I also just purchased a pair of Trailroc 245’s and while not zero drop come in at 3mm with pretty modest cushioning. I posted my first thoughts up on my blog: http://trossachstrailrunner.bl…

And a follow up on a problem in the upper that caused a blister:
http://trossachstrailrunner.bl…

I’ve done a little shoe surgery on the shoe since the above write ups and have logged a further 50 miles on the Trailroc, along with wearing socks haven’t had any more blister problems. Still waiting for my blister to heel before I venture out in them without socks.

By: Ashwyn Gray

Ashwyn Gray — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Pete Larson.

You'll be doing yourself a diservice if you don't compare it to the Trailroc 235 at the same time. ;-)

By: Juha

Juha — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

You could add category for barefoot-style shoes with ground feel.. Like vb ultra, vff sprint, altra adam (without insole)..

By: Raj

Raj — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Excellent blog post! I started my barefoot running in VFF Bakila but found it to be hard on my calves and achilles heels. Looking for a more cushioned shoe, I settled on Sauconi Hattori which had more cushioning while being zero-drop. Oh, the price was awesome too! But am now looking for an even more cushioned shoe with moderate to mild drop as a transitional shoe. I have noticed that heel striking works different parts of legs compared to mid-foot/fore-foot strike. That's one more reason why I am looking for transitional shoes. Will check out the ones that you have listed but I know that there are many more models from different companies now available in the market. Though its hard to find all of them in a single store (even the so called "running stores" which just plain sucks! And I am also surprised that companies don't post "stack height" information in their products' description. They only specify the heel-to-toe difference or drop. I wish it was easier to select the right shoes but there are hundreds of them with a variety of parameters that are either not reported or are different that those in manufacturers' specifications.

As somebody asked, a comprehensive excel file would be great to track the fit, feel, ride and specs of all the shoes that you have reviewed.

By: dogrunner

dogrunner — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Ashwyn Gray.

Right, both anatomic last. My continued interest is more about the upper. Is that the same too? I find a soft stretchy upper (MWU4 is a good example) works for me as long as the sole is wide enough while standing on it. My feet fit in the Inov8 245 after I took out the insole, but my toes were pressing on the inside of the upper even while sitting/standing, so there was no room for toe splay on footstrike. The MWU4 upper is soft and stretchy so that does not bother me in those, but I am a longtime Inov8 wearer (many models), always sizing up for a little more width, always having my toes squeezed and ending up with sore feet and weird calluses. The anatomic last is a step in the right direction, but if the upper is stiff, ungiving material, they are still not quite wide enough for me.