Simple Shoes is one of the many brands in Deckers Outdoor Corporation portfolio. Deckers is a leading designer, producer, marketer, and brand manager of innovative, high-quality footwear and accessories, primarily under two proprietary brands: UGG and Teva. Simple Shoes produces a line of casual and sustainable lifestyle sneakers and accessories. Simple is your stereotypical, anti-stereotype…
Author: Nicholas P, Chief Reviewer
Nicholas Pang is a competitive Northern California track & field athlete, runner, and Editor-in-Chief of the most comprehensive minimalist shoes and running accessories review site, Minimalist Running Shoes. He is also the author of 'The Minimalist Runner' and 'Wear Tested', books focusing on how to transition to barefoot-inspired minimal shoes and developing good running form. Nick is a member of the USA Track & Field organization.
OeTZI 3300 300GMS Coarse Linen
I wrote about an up and coming company, OeTZI3330, a few months back when I reviewed their OTZ-1 collection. They have recently introduced their Spring/Summer 2011 300GMS collection with a new footbed technology, CORKlite. CORKlite is a sandwich of cork and perforated EVA. The CORKlite footbed is much lighter than the CORKfit with a little…
Saucony Peregrine
The more trails I run, the more I enjoy running. But minimalist running trail shoes are usually designed for a specific type of terrain like hard packed trail, mud, loose trail, off the beaten path, or just soft trails. I’ve been running with the Merrell Trail Glove and VIVBAREFOOT Neo for most trail surfaces and…
Nike Free Run+ 2
Nike came out with the first Free in 2004. Nike Running is all about natural motion and trying to enable the athlete to run as smoothly as possible. This system is very natural and allowing it to move with your body. But the added benefit here is that it’s strengthening your foot and reducing injuries…
New Balance Minimus Training
Coming soon in July from New Balance, Minimus Training, designed for serious athletes looking to maximize performance and efficiency in the gym. With a low stack height of 13.5mm and no insert, this 4mm drop shoes also have an anatomically correct natural last. The shoe conforms to the foot and flexes in every direction, allowing…
Cushe Wild Run & Baja Mocc WP
I wrote about Cushe a few weeks back on their Coastal Supremacy collection and this is another installment covering their Universal Traveller collection. This collection is a rugged, robust and hardwearing range designed for outdoor sports (including on snow) and in transit (travel). Inspired by the outdoors and adventure travel, Cushe uses premium, rich full…
Saucony Hattori Shoe Review
The Saucony Hattori is Saucony’s latest entry into the minimalist zero-drop racing flat category. It’s also Saucony’s lightest and most minimal shoe that is designed to be like an extension of your feet. I have written about Saucony’s transition to minimalist shoes recently and this is their first zero drop shoe. Saucony is the first…
Teva Zilch Review
Teva’s Skinny Dip Collection is made up of the thinnest, lightest, and most minimalistic shoes. According to Teva, “Flexing and moving naturally with your foot makes you feel like you’re wearing nothing at all, giving you an amazing connection to the earth beneath you.” Currently, the Skinny Dip Collection is made up of the Teva…
Cushe Shucoon Mocc & Shucoon Slide
I first noticed Cushe (pronounced “Cushy”) at a recent footwear trade show and was so impressed with their shoes that I wanted to test them out as soon as possible. They look like a brand that is very hip and encouraging an active outdoor lifestyle even though their logo featured a laid back and relaxed…
Transitioning To Minimalist Shoes – The Saucony Way
Recently, I’ve written about how many footwear manufacturers have been publishing educational materials to help runners transition safely from traditional running shoes to minimalist running shoes and natural running form. Inov-8 published their ‘Making The Transition To Natural Running‘ booklet last month. Newton Running have tons of articles on their web site on natural running….
RecoFIT Full Leg Compressor
I had tested RecoFIT Sports compression calf sleeves before and they performed very well in our tests. And even months later, I’m still wearing them for all my runs! And RecoFIT is launching a new product in the next few weeks, a full-leg compression unit, the RecoFIT Compressors. The full leg unit offers gradient compression…
VIVOBAREFOOT Neo
From Terra Plana VIVOBAREFOOT comes the latest ‘retro infused’ barefoot cross-trainer with all the performance hallmarks of the Evo and Evo II. It is a different kind of running shoe that is more sneaker like, trendy, retro, but still has the same technology as the Evo and Evo II but fits wider (I love it!)…
Barefoot In America by Phil Maffetone
Internationally renowned researcher, educator, clinician, best-selling author, coach of the year. Now add singer and song writer to the list of accomplishments by Phil Maffetone! Debut music video, ‘Barefoot In America’, destined to become the global anthem for barefoot runners worldwide.
Barefoot Running Style
Learn. Run. Evolve!
Injinji Performance Micro Sock Liner
Injinji, the renowned maker of toe socks, just released their new Performance Sock Liner in micro length. Already available in crew and mini-crew lengths, the Injinji lightweight performance sock liner is designed to be worn as the base layer toe sock which can interface with your favorite traditional outer sock, or worn alone for those…
Sneak Peek: Brooks Pure Connect & Pure Grit
Brooks Running finally announced their Pure Project line of minimalist shoes – all 4mm drop, anatomical last, and weighing between 7 and under 10 ounces. Pure Connect (roads) and Pure Grit (trails) are the two true neutral minimalist running shoes. The Pure Flow is a cushioned shoes whereas the Pure Cadence has motion control features….
Sneak Peek: Nike Free Run+ 2
Just released – this may be the closest to a minimalist running shoe from Nike. Available in many eye-catching colors, it has a full inner-sleeve construction providing a sock-like fit that hugs the foot. The Phylite midsole provides a resilient ride and enough durability to double as an outsole, dramatically reducing overall weight to under 9 ounces….
On-Running Cloud Surfer Review
I was aware of On-Running shoes at last year’s The Running Event in Austin, TX. Their ‘Run like on clouds’ tagline sort of turned me off as I was more interested in minimal shoes with less cushioning. I did not pursue them for more details at the event because of that. But after reading about…
Sneak Peek: Inov-8 Bare-X Lite 150
Inov-8 lightest and most radical zero drop minimalist racer. The Bare-X Lite 150 has a 7mm midsole, anatomical fit, and weighs less than 6 ounces. The one piece upper has a tongue-less construction but features a stretchy material on the top of the foot to ensure a secure, comfortable fit. The new Fusion sole consists…
PROPRIOCEPTION: Making Sense Of Barefoot Running
The definitive barefoot running guide, which features glowing forewords from Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run and Harvard University Professor Daniel Lieberman, aims to put an end to the detrimental effects of jogging and inspire injury free running. Breaking through the myths and misinformation, the eBook delivers a free step-by-step guide to reducing injury…
Crocs Hover – Slip On & Lace Up
I’ve never worn Crocs before but my family has with both the original Crocs and flip flops. Most of you have probably have guessed that sooner or later, Crocs will be venturing out into other designs. There are modified original Crocs out there by do-it-yourselfers but what Crocs has done with the Hover is perfect…
GoLite Jam Lite Recovery Shoe Review
What recovery shoes do you wear after running? Most of the time, I can wear my STEM Primal Origins or New Balance Minimus Wellness if I’m not testing a pair of new running shoes. When testing running shoes with narrower toe boxes than desired, even when I anticipate that I might get blisters by tapping…
Sneak Peek: VIVOBAREFOOT Neo Trail
Saw this recently at a trade show. Awesome looking and VIVOBAREFOOT is definitely getting serious about trail running. They have a hydro-phobic mesh (think water repellent) and a new outsole. Everything else look similar to the current Neo model. The VIVOBAREFOOT Neo Trail is available for Men’s in 5 colors: Black, Royal Blue, Grey/Red, Olive,…
Inov-8 Transitioning Booklet
Inov-8 recently published their ‘Making The Transition To Natural Running‘ booklet to help runners transition to minimalist shoes gradually thus avoiding injury. A quick and easy read with just the facts needed. You can download the booklet here.