Those who love running barefoot, but don’t want to deal with actually running without shoes, have quite a few more reasons to be excited in 2011. Some of your favorite shoe brands like Inov-8, Vibram, and New Balance have released information for their upcoming 2011 barefoot shoe models. This means if you wanted to get into barefoot running but didn’t like your shoe options you now have more options to and styles to choose from.
Enjoy the sneak preview of what’s hot and what’s new for the minimalists who enjoys a regular dose of the outdoor, exercise and just hanging around with barefoot running shoes.
Vibrams Five Finger Shoes
Vibrams Five Fingers is coming up with three barefoot running shoes models for 2011. These are the Jaya, Komodo Sport and Bilika LS.
All three models’ aesthetics have been much enhance especially the Komodo. However, it seems that from the looks of it, the shoes’ foot pads may be thicker than the original KSOs.
Inov-8 Shoes
There have been some rumors going around about the barefoot running shoes that Inov-8 will release for their 2011 shoe line-up. These are:
Evoskin – made of silicon, this “foot glove” shoes is like a second skin that features individual spaces for each of your toes.
Bare-Grip 200 – No midsole plus zero cushioning and differential! This awesome looking pair of barefoot running shoes boasts of an aggressive grip that would be great for the wet, swampy, muddy and roughest trail conditions.
Road-X – the Road-X series of road shoes are going to be neutral shoes that boast of innovative anatomical last and no support. Perhaps the Road-X range was made to provide a gradual transition to very little cushioning and from cushioning with a little differential which will, in the end, lead you to the Evoskin.
New Balance Shoes
New Balance MT101 Men’s / New Balance WT101 Women’s – these are the successors to the popular New Balance 100 trail racing shoes that featured improved stream-lined uppers that securely holds feet even while running downhill. It’s also constructed with a minimal number of seams that helps prevent irritation when worn without socks. Aiming to provide runners with a smooth yet responsive run on various terrains, the New Balance 101’s outsole contains a thin protective ROCKSTOP that shields your feet from stabs but still preserves the feel of running barefoot. You can also check out our Post on New Balance 101 shoes.
New Balance Minimus – ‘Light+Right’ is the new path that is being pursued by New Balance. The ‘Light+Right’ formula has paved the way for amazing minimal footwear that wasn’t stripped off of the essence that should be found in a pair of shoes. The 8.5-ounce light NB Minimus strives to provide your foot with a neutral position that delivers a better feel of the ground and an interior that is compatible with bare feet, this means lesser seams and highly breathable. Check out some New Balance Minimus early photos.
Merrell Barefoot Shoes
Merrell has partnered with Vibrams to launch Merrell Barefoot with their 2011 Spring Collection which is composed of 6 minimalist styles for both men and women. Merrell Barefoot wants to leverage Vibrams’ technology and yet make their shoes relatively different to cater to a potentially different set of audience.
Some of the different aspects of Merrell Barefoot are: mono-toed shoes, more cushioned forefoot, narrower last, padded heel and tongue, lightweight upper materials and of course, the proprietary Omni-Fit lacing system of Merrell on most of their shoe styles.
Conclusion
There you go. 2011 is looking to shape up as the year of barefoot shoes. More companies are jumping in which is great for consumers like us. The more competition the more you can bet the companies are going to go all out on improving the quality of these shoes.
I would really like to purchase a pair of women’s bikila shoes. However, I refuse to purchase the ugly magenta/organge shoes and these are the only ones that are in stock in any of the many online stores that I have visited. I feel insulted that the marketers believe that women’s shoes have to be pink and that women have such bad taste that they will actually wear such an atrocious color combination. Why can’t you give us reasonable color combinations just as you do for the men. $99 is a lot of money to pay to someone who thinks we are stupid.
@Carla, It is kind of condescending how companies think they understand their target markets. It’s been when they think…oh you’re a woman? You’ll love this pink shoe! Luckily I don’t have to deal with that as much (as a guy), but hopefully Vibram will get the message and start making more neutral color combinations.