Merrell Men'S Bare Access Xtr Track Shoe

Product Information

With the Bare Access XTR, Merrell retains the characteristic that makes their brand a success: Comfort. This is the initial thing you notice when you lace up the shoe for the first time. Then, the light build of the upper lets your foot breathe perfectly even after a hard interval workout or on a very hot day. This makes the Bare Access a pretty good shoe for summer racing.

Many trail running shoes feature zero (neutral) or minimal drop between the heel and the toe, which encourages a natural running style instead of high-impact heel striking stride, but still have a little bit of a midsole. What you gain here is a little bit of cushioning, and what you loose is some trail or ground ‘feel’. A word of warning Along with just a couple of other companies, VivoBarefoot are known for their foot-shaped shoes; which may leave many readers asking why all shoes aren’t foot-shaped… Sadly many daily wearers of pointy office shoes may be past the point of needing such a healthy human foot shape. But if you’ve ever felt your big toe pushed over by an upper, give Vivo a go. The shape and width give your toes room to splay, becoming more active in the toe-off stage of your gait. Your feet are more part of the shoe’s friction mechanism too, molding around terrain where normal shoes use midsole. This is a powerful and connected sensation but may feel tiring at first as your feet strengthen to this new challenge. Good form is encouraged when wearing these shoes, as heavy heel striking is essentially impossible. They seem well made, and their vegan status and recycled materials will please many environment-conscious runners. A tough eyelet chain and solid welded construction should promote longevity, while smartly placed upper overlays should limit damage caused by big toes. Those with deep mid-foots should note Vivo’s shoes volume is more from width that height. It allows the zero drop and minimalist runner to enjoy fast running on the trails without too much pounding. The RW Takeaway: Lace up the Bare Access XTR for going fast with excellent ground feel on well-groomed to moderate trails.The energy rebound of the midsole is also superb. It makes the XTR one of the most sensitive trail running shoe on the market. For a pinch of stability, the XTR uses a basic TPU film counter that arcs over the heel, and does just enough to keep neutral feet planted. Between the overlays and heel counter, the upper may look pretty substantial at a glance, but it’s actually extremely lightweight. Both the men’s (8 oz) and women’s (6 oz) versions weigh less than Nike’s speedy road racer, the Pegasus Turbo (8.1 oz for men’s, 6.4 oz for women’s).

The best barefoot running shoes – or best natural running shoes / best minimal running shoes, according to your preferred terminology – share certain very specific characteristics, yet, as evidenced here, they can also look very different to one another. If you’ve ever opined that some of the bigger shoe companies spend too much on product styling, you'll appreciate the XeroShoes Mesa Trail. They are aesthetically functional. It’s not really until they’re on your feet that the excitement levels rise. They’ve chosen a subtly foot-shaped last to build these on that will please most runners. The upper is soft and comfortable and the eyelet chain, a mixture of punched holes and webbing, does a great job of securing the mid-foot. A combination of bonded overlays and a stitched toe bumper toughen up the upper where required.The midsole is to the most interesting part of the Bare Access. It uses the flex connect technology, which makes the shoe quite flexible and allows the runner to feel the ground perfectly at each stride.

Donning these huarache-style sandals– inspired by the footwear used by the long-distance runners among the Rarámuri people of the Mexico’s Copper Canyons, as described in Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run – is about as close as you can get to really running barefoot, while minimising the risk of gashing your foot on flint or glass, which would be a really annoying way to put yourself out of action. There is nothing between the soles of your feet and the dirt except 5mm of ‘FeelTrue’ rubber, and the sandal is held on with nylon straps (with silicone grip), which go between your toes and around the Achilles strap. People who are confident wearing these sandals run all sorts of distances (including ultras) in them, across challenging terrain in various conditions. Forefoot strikers will especially like the feeling of running close to the ground. The shoe will highlight the slightest acceleration. The roomy toe box allows your foot to move freely as you run. It gives a very pleasant feeling, especially at tempo pace. Concerning the lacing system, it’s quite simple and works pretty well. You can tighten it up accurately.Compared to most trail running shoes, this one has a very different, and highly noticeable feel. Whether you choose to describe it as comfortable, or not, is a subjective affair. While our head tester didn't feel that this shoe was uncomfortable necessarily, it is also very presently noticeable on the foot at all times. The main culprit in imparting this sensation to the foot is the very high arch combined with a narrow fit through the midfoot. The arch is so pronounced that it feels as if it is designed to control inward pronation, although we find it a bit odd to assume that all runners will want this level of arch support. This narrowness persists toward the front of the shoe, up to the ball of the foot, which feels very snuggly held in place.