IGX

I first heard about these on Chaosnpain's blog.

I was looking for an alternative to Chucks, since the Chucks aren't great for some of the stuff I do in training, and picked a pair up. And to the Vibrams too, since they are just kind of weird looking.

Not bad at all. There's minimal toe drop (but there is some) and they are comfortable to wear around. Haven't run much in them, but they are way better than my old New Balance 790s, which gave me instant plantar fascitis pain.

I've lifted in them, deadlifting and squatting, and there was minimal compression, and they felt fine. I've done kettlebelling and box jumping in them with no problems either.

They are very light. They are not a cheap shoe though.

How do they compare to the vibrams? Been looking at a pair myself.

They have lots of toe room.
They have a 4mm drop from heel to toe.
They don't have toes.
You can wear thin socks with them.
The soles are vibram as well.

How about the overall width of the shoe? My problem with Frees and other "minimalist" shoes in the past has been they're too narrow.

Got a pair of these earlier this week for the trail race series I do in the fall. So far I've been out in a 6 mile training run and a 5k race (first in age group ). I've been running trail in a pair of Asics HyperXC cross country spikes, but wanted something better for pure single track trails than a cross country racing shoe. The Minimus blows XC shoes out of the water for trail racing. Easily the best racing shoe I've ever worn.

The upper is a mesh that fits pretty tight, but is so light it's not constricting. More of just a well fitting feeling. The heel fits tight to prevent slipping but it's cut low so it doesn't dig into the achilles when you run. Even though the tread isn't super aggressive I had no problems on steep descents with loose rock. Plenty of grip and there seemed to be plenty of protection from stones. Haven't tried them in mud yet. I wouldn't call this a "barefoot" shoe. More of a racing flat with a wider toe box and very flexible sole.

baffled wrote:How about the overall width of the shoe? My problem with Frees and other "minimalist" shoes in the past has been they're too narrow.

They're plenty wide enough. Like I said in my review, the upper is a mesh that conforms to your foot. And the sole is wide enough so you won't be hanging off of the sides if you have a wider foot. The only constricting area is the band that runs just at the bottom of the laces over your fore foot. It's there to lock your foot in and it can be as tight as you need. I like it fairly tight to keep my foot from sliding forward on the steep downhills.

Bought a pair. Very short run before the rains started. Although already a pose runner, I can tell I need to warm into these things. Looking forward to hitting some actual trails.

Went to the store to get some Merrills and the sales guy told me to try these. Liked the fit more and they're cheaper.

Worth a comparison if you're looking for lightweight shoes.

I'm heading out to Oregon today, and plan to take my shoes on a full on trail run tomorrow.and then go wine tasting of course. Report to follow.

OK, my run report is posted in my log, but here is the part pertinent to the shoe. I accidentally ended up running 13 miles, 2400 vert feet. This is the third time I've run in them. They were great. I'm more aware of where I am placing my feet so as not to get a stone bruise. Conversely, it is almost impossible to roll your ankle since there is nothing to roll it around. Finally, they fit into a suitcase much better for taking them traveling. From my log...

I ran it wearing my new NB Minimus shoes, and so wasn't planning to do a half-marathon up and down a mountain. But it worked out fine, and my feet feel mostly great, pretty much no different than if I had run it in regular go-fasters. I didn't wear socks, and had to stop a few times to empty out small pebbles. No blisters, but I'd have probably had one if I'd run another few miles. There were some hot spots.

Nafod:
How is the smell after running in them barefoot?
If they do get a 'vibram stink' does it tend to stick around?

Vibram stink is my only problem with barefoot shoes, and the reason I usually end up wearing socks with them.

Mmmmm "go-fasters" - I detect Gyrene perhaps?

They sound pretty nice. I tried the VFF when I was learning Pose about 6 years ago, but I have funky toes (longest is the one next to the "thumb"-toe, and that messes the fit all the hell up). I've been running in NB racing flats (105's I think) but these look like they have potential when I finally wear those out. Thanks for the report.

Turdacious wrote:Nafod:
How is the smell after running in them barefoot?

Too soon to tell. I dump foot powder into all my shoes, as my feet tend to generate some ferocious stench otherwise.

Craw-D, yes AOCS my friend.