New Balance Men's MT10v2 Minimus Trail Running Shoe

I started minimalist running with Merrell's line of "Tru Glove" shoes and loved running in them despite seeming to be designed for very wide feet.My wife loves the women's version of these New Balances, so when my first pair of Merrell "tru gloves" started to wear through the sole, I decided to try them.They definitely fit my feet better, although there is so little material in the tongue that it is easy to pull the laces a little too tight resulting in bruising on the top of my foot.The bottoms of the shoes had me worried when I bought them because the carbon rubber only covers a small portion of the sole in a honey-comb pattern. The rest is recessed EVA foam which is not as durable and not as protective against sharp rocks, etc. Despite my worries I have not had a problem with the soles. They have held up well and protection has not been an issue so far.All of this skimping on material adds up to a very light shoe, and this is definitely a good thing. My only problem is that, as a result, the shoe seems to be falling apart faster than I would like. The stitching is coming undone along the seems and the toe cap on each shoe has started to come off. This is all despite my having not run in them nearly as much as I would have liked due to injury.I bought these as an open-box return for around $50, which is more than 30% less than I have seen the Merrells that I like on discount. For that I would expect them to not last quite as long as the more expensive shoe, but from what I've seen, they will only last a very small fraction of that time with similar use. That might be more to your liking if you're buying them for a race, as they are lighter, but I am more interested in longevity.edit: Okay, so it says it has a 4mm drop, but I can't tell the difference.

I would probably actually make it 4-1/2 stars because it should come with the elastic/stretch laces. There are the 5-toe shoes but I always felt they were a bit thin on the sole so I tried the first version of these in the trail running shoes because I needed something more stable for working out in the gym. Typically for running I use the Mizuno Wave Creation shoes, which I find really good and will get another set for long distance running to mix use with these. I got this pair as a second pair of Minimus for running because I was needing some new running shoes. My first run where I needed to really use them was very good. I was really pleased and it felt like I had plenty of flexibility for the whole foot and finally gave my calves a good workout. You know that annoying part where you want to use the whole roll of your foot from mid to toes without striking your heel (if you are a lot younger then you probably wont understand the shock of striking heels and feeling every jolt in your knees or hips). But don't fear because if you have to stretch out those toes a few strides and bring down your heel, there feels to be enough cushioning. I walk around in my old pair a lot too so not so bad in that case either.If you are new to mid foot or what we used to call running on the balls of your feet (not landing on your toes but in reality using the front half of your foot). Then start off small. Maybe go for a run, a good run with appropriate effort of maybe somewhere from a couple hundred meters to a half mile. If you go for a 5 mile run and have always struck your heal, you might have some issues walking for the next few days.To compare Trail to Road I would personally recommend Trail on and off paths. To me the road version seems a bit too thin, not the totally too thin but as in the segments making up the tread feel loosely tied together and you can feel a lot through them. The trail give you a stronger feel for the shoe. I would recommend the road shoes if you either have thick skin on the soles of your feet or you run on well groomed paved paths or clean cement running paths.

I've used the NB MT101 for several years. I ran my first two Marathons in them. The wife and I just signed up for another Marathon and I figured it was time to pick up some new shoes for training. After reading the reviews, I saw many complained about the shoes being smaller than previous, so I DID opt for bigger shoes. I previously wore size 10 D in the MT101. I purchased size 10.5 2E for these MT10 V2.When they arrived I tried them on right away, largest foot first. The shoe was quite snug. I'm concerned about how much foot swelling might lead to constriction. In the past my MT101 did stretch a little and would be somewhat loose after 1 month of training. So, I think I'll give these a shot and see how they work.I will update my review after a couple of runs. But, my current suggestion is, if you were a fan of the MT101 buy 2 (half)sizes bigger at least, they really do run as small as other people claim they do.Update 1: Took them out for a 2 mile jog. They performed better than I thought they would and I ended up not feeling the snugness I was worried about. After these 2 miles I may actually have the right size, but we'll see how they perform as they break-in. I'll update again in a month after I've put a lot more mileage on them. Maybe MT10v2 just feel different from MT101 but perform similar? I guess I'll find out.Update 2: Bumped my review to 4 stars, so far the shoes are performing far better than expected. I'll give a thorough analysis in about 3 weeks.

After transitioning to Vibram 5 Fingers (I know, they look daft…) I got injured through overtraining/too much too soon etc etc but was really loving the more minimal running so I thought I would try these.I tend to run on roads/concrete paths but chose these trail shoes over the road version because they just felt more comfortable. I am already on my second pair, absolutely love them, light and fast and look great. My distances tend to be 15k/25k but have just killed a marathon in them.Will be buying another pair in due course.

I am not some hardcore runner by any stretch of the imagination. Having got back into running again in 2013 - I usually clock up around 13 miles a week both trail and road running. I wanted to try some barefoot running shoes to mix-up my training and gave these a go. These are a very lightweight shoe, and slightly oversized (I bought a 9 but normally wear a 10). They've proved great shoes. My only criticism being thorns easily pierce the soles (painful) and after clocking up 70 miles in them they are showing a lot of sole wear. But I like them and will continue to use them.

I bought these because I needed a decent pair of running shoes, I prefer walking barefoot or in low shoes so this I thought was a perfect choice... I was correct. The shoes are very light and wearing socks seems to make them feel a bit clunky so I forgo socks and have not had one blister or abrasion from them of any kind. I have a rather wide foot and the shoe seems to fit it quite well with more than ample room in the toe area.They do lose grip slightly when wet so don't go over any massive rocks or logs in the damp however for general usage on tracks and trails they work very well.

Recent developments have put the whole idea of minimalist running into doubt.. and it shouldn't be. I have a couple of pairs of minimalist shoes and when used correctly they preform very well but they are limited so think carefully about what activities you will be using them for. These shoes have the least amount of impact protection other than Vibram Five Fingers you can buy. I feel that to get the most from these shoes you will be doing a lot of cardio at the Gym, cross training, running on turf in the summer and just around town to build up resilience(although this last one might be dubious) You can do very short runs on hard surfaces such as roads(think sprinting) but there might be a price to pay if you push too far. What surprised me was how suitable they are for relatively fast long walks, I think this is due to the fact you don't need much impact protection for this type of exercise but you do need a stable and tactile platform. I did see New Balance market this as a mountain running shoe which for me is ridiculous. I wouldn't go anywhere near a mountain in these(think debris/jagged rocks slicing the bottom of your feet!

Received these the day before a scheduled trail run so I managed 11 miles in them easily without breaking them in. Minimal feel with little to no cushioning so you can feel exactly what you're running on. Traction was very good on rock, stones and even wet grass. Mud however was the only thing these shoes don't like. I had no traction at all on mud, but then again this is the same for most shoes I've had. These shoes let in water easily but drain just as fast. I waded through water a foot deep and was able to keep on running with ease. Excellent shoe and size is spot on.