Just recently, I decided to hop on the minimal shoe bandwagon and picked up a pair of FiveFingers by Vibram. It’s easy to see why these things are getting popular. Racing to keep up with consumer demands, many running shoe companies have decided to follow with the minimalist shoe design.
With the Minimus, New Balance also joins the bandwagon of barefoot running. The shoes are going to offer a very breathable mesh material on top of a Vibram sole. Vibram, usually a sole maker, has its logo shown quite boldly on the shoe. We’re still not sure if it’s planned competition or some other partnership. And we’re also not sure if the New Balance shoe is going to have five fingers.
The Minimus looks great, and definitely will be worth looking into when the release next March. I’m all for the minimalistic barefoot running idea even after only days with the FiveFingers. Our own waddler-in-chief, John, however, swears by them. Remember, more competition is going to bring down those prices. $80 for a piece of rubber and mesh isn’t exactly bang-for-buck friendly.
If you’re skeptical of the whole thing check out barefootrunner. They have a lot of interesting info about the topic.