Yes, my audience definitely leans more minimal, likely because that is my own preference and thus is what I most often write about. You’ll rarely see a conventional running shoe reviewed here because I don’t like running in them. By conventional I’m referring more to the 12mm drop stiff soled trainers that most runners wear rather than things like the Hokas or Altras.

Hi everyone, this remark stood out to me after reading this particular post. I was curious if you as readers tend to gravitate towards minimalist shoes for the trail (or the road) – and thus the voting reflects this.

Pete, I was wondering if you have discovered this among readership. Do most readers of Runblogger lean towards more minimal shoes even though companies like Hoka, Altra, and Brooks are moving more towards models with substantially more cushioning (e.g. the Olympus, the Transcend, and any Hoka model)?

I agree, they are very expensive. And, my wife blew out the uppers on two pairs of Bondi’s in less than 50 miles on each pair. Not a good $ to mile ratio!

I’d be really curious too. Depends also on whether sales data are from runners or people who wear them casually or for hiking.

I didn’t look at gender bias, but in looking at the names I’d estimate 80% or more male for the gender breakdown.

Thanks, that all makes sense.

Totally agree. Hokas are good shoes, but I won’t buy more than one pair a year because they are such bad value. The exposed midsole design that makes them so cushy also makes them break down faster, so the price is even harder to justify.

Any idea as to number of women vs. men responding to the survey? I ask because there are 18 votes for the Merrell Trail Glove, but not a single one for the women’s version, the Pace Glove. Do you see any gender bias in the results?

Depends on the trail (and weather conditions), really.

If we’re talking dry, well-groomed, hard-packed trails with not a lot of inclines, I think any “road shoe” would probably work just as well as a trail-specific shoe.

On rocky trails though, and trails that require running on loose earth, in mud, or on wet rock, I find the more pronounced tread patterns and lugs of trail shoes to be very helpful. There’s a fine balance needed to achieve the ideal lug spacing/tread pattern though, it can’t just be “aggressive”–some shoes end up trapping stones, twigs, and other debris between the lugs and in the tread pattern, which can be uncomfortable.

Also, looking at the full list of shoes that received votes, it’s interesting to see so many “non-trail” shoes get nods as trail favorites. I actually had half a mind to put in a vote for the Merrell Bare Access 2 when the poll ran, as it’s performed well for me on groomed, not too-technical trails, but I wasn’t sure if it would count so I passed on voting for it.