Xero Shoes: Thank you!

Just a very quick post to say thanks to Xero Shoes UK who sent me a pair of their very cool looking 4mm Huarache style sandles today. I opted for the DIY kit as I fancied finalising them myself. I am really excited to get these fitted when I have a spare moment later this week and give them a go.

Sadly the weather is not great here at the moment for huarache style shoes. We currently have about 4-6 inches of snow! Therefore, give me a few weeks to try these properly and time for the weather to improve and I will review them for you all.

Barefoot shoes for Christmas!

As Christmas is coming around fast, some of you may be hoping for a new pair of shoes to go run in?! I thought I would give my recommendations in case you are undecided on which pairs are best for what. Of course, they will all be bareform or minimalist shoes of some variation, as I thoroughly recommend getting your gait and form back to how we are designed and created to run.

Best for muddy, wet and slippy trails goes to:
Inov-8 Trailroc 235
Reasons:
Fantastic grip from the studs. Sheds mud well. Drains well when wet. Light and comfortable. Removable insole allows quick drying and lacing holds foot well in slippy conditions.

Back to Boots for a day or two

In the past week I have visited a friends farm to help with general farming activities. Not being a fan of welly boots at all due to the painful Achilles heel I get when wearing them, the only other 'suitable' farm footwear was my trusty walking boots. They are a good pair of Meindl leather boots. Pretty expensive when I bought them years ago. Now don't get me wrong, the durability of these boots has been great. I have put them through a whole host of harsh environments in the past, but recently in the past 3 years have sidelined them due to my enthusiasm and dedication to barefoot and bareform movement. But needs-must, and so on they went to tackle the ploughed fields and farm machinery.

Inov-8 Trailroc 150 coming February 2013...

Some of you who have been commenting on the Trailroc 235's have also been asking whether Inov-8 are going to be bringing out an even more minimal version of the 235's? Still with the zero drop and fantastic grip that the current 235's have, the Trailroc 150's are set to arrive around February 2013. Please see the video below from runningshoesvideo to find out more about the 150's.

Inov-8 Trailroc 235 review: an update

Nearly 60 km have elapsed whilst wearing the new Trailroc 235's from Inov-8. Sharing the weekly distances between the Trailroc's, Vibram Fivefingers Spyridon LS and non-LS version I have managed to get a pretty good idea of the pro's and con's of the Trailroc 235's. I have been promising an update along the way, and so far have managed to keep you up to date via the comments section of the Trailroc and Baregrip post I uploaded a few weeks back (http://caveman-clarke.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/inov-8-trailroc-235-and-baregrip-200.html). I thought it is about time I gave a more in-depth follow-up for those of you interested in the new series from Inov-8.

Positives:

Trailroc 235's after another satisfying run

• Zero drop allows natural biomechanics
• Grip on any terrain and in all conditions
• Lacing system holds foot well
• Water drains really quickly
• Foot remains well ventilated
• Comfortable to wear for long distances
• No blisters or hot-spots
• Flexible for a trail shoe
• Correct level of protection for technical trails
• Look sexy!!! Fantastic aesthetics
• Removable insoles for custom fit and preferences 

Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon vs Spyridon LS: a review

Hello everyone! In my busy schedule I have finally managed to bring you the promised Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon vs Spyridon LS review; and what better way than to post my first video on my blog!

Click on the link below to see an extensive review of both trail running specific models from Vibram.

Vibram Fivefinger Spyridon and Spyridon LS Review coming soon

Just to let those of you waiting for the VFF Spyridon Review to appear on my blog know, I have managed to acquire a pair of Spyridon LS too, so I thought I would review them both together at a later date when I have had time to compare them against one-another. I am getting married in less than 2 weeks so it may be a little while until I get the time to properly try them out and get to my PC with enough time to provide you all with a fully comprehensive review. I think my new wife will get a little miffed if I constantly disappear running on our honeymoon!!!

Vibram FiveFingers Review

The now 'world famous' and 'conversation starting' individual toed footwear, that arguably started and has carried forward ever since, the barefoot running craze, definitely deserves a blog post of its own.

You either love or hate these shoes, and I love them with a passion!

Before the Vibram FiveFingers (VFF's) arrived on the scene, shoes had taken us far away from natural movement, encasing our feet in strange shaped, supportive and cushioned structures that ultimately resulted in the weakening of one of the bodies most amazing biomechanical tools; a coffin for the strength and development of the lower legs and feet. Well done and congratulations Vibram for jumping straight in the deep end and giving the world a shoe that allows the user to move as God intended us to.

Vivobarefoot Neo Trail Review

Neo Trails in the snow...perfect!

Upon opening the box it was clear these were a gorgeous looking trail shoe. The aggressive tread in the form of 'V' shaped lugs was unlike any other I had ever seen on a bareform shoe. And that is exactly the reason I had purchased a pair. Couple the grip with the fact that these have a water resistant upper and you can see why I immediately had high hopes for these shoes.

Trying them on I was slightly disappointed. Firstly, the original pair i was sent had a faulty heel section inside the shoe. The stitching was not finished properly and had become undone, leaving a rather untidy mess in the left heel. This is not a good first impression, but i was reassured by Vivobarefoot that this was a one-off. First impressions are lasting though! Thankfully the second pair were absolutely fine. Also, once again as with many shoes I was slightly in between sizes. I knew a size larger would leave me with clown feet so I had to stick with slightly-too-small-but-just-about-OK!. This is not really a moan at the shoe companies, as I suppose it's my feet that are the problem. But on the other hand, shoe companies could easily solve this problem if they were to provide us with half size options like Merrell and New Balance already do??!! This being said, the shoes are still very comfortable.