New Balance 101 for rocky trails?

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The updated versions of the 101 is the new balance minimus with a 4mm toe vs 10mm of the 101. I run in a mt100 and mt101 with part of the heel removed for "zero toe drop" (about 20 dollars at a shoe repair store). The rock plate offers plenty of protection for your toes but there isnt much in the heel area.

If you are going to wear a lightweight shoe like this, it would be best your try and change your form from "heel striking" to "toe striking".

Thanks Scott, I appreciate that advice. I'm looking for a good transition shoe since I've only recently started working on my toe-strike. So considering what you say about the Minimus, maybe I need to try them out and take it slow until my technique improves.

Maybe someone knows a shoe with low drop that still has some decent rock protection?

I don't think you can go wrong with the MT101. They are a little on the narrow side though. What size do you wear? I'm a 13…I know you're a big dude too; borrow mine for some runs if they fit.

I'm loving the Minimus but I'm not sure it's the first shoe you want to be running rocky trails in. I'd make sure you've got a good/light footstrike first. That said, I think they're great. I ran ~12 miles of trail in them on Saturday morning…~3700 foot gain, no socks, not a single blister or hot spot…Lovin' them!

Thanks craig, im a 14 or id be all over that. So maybe the 101 is a better transition shoe while the minimus is good if i want to jump into this with both feet? (pun so intended). I dont like narrow shoes though. Is the 101 narrow in the toes? That would be a no-go for me.

I think it's on the narrow to average side. Don't know if a size 14 compensates though.
The Minimus is really a glorified aqua sock with laces and a thicker sole/tread- you'll feel sharp stuff, but not nearly as bad as VFFs.

NB Minimus or ?… Posted 03/28/2011 17:52:47 MDT by Adan Lopez (Lopez)
Maybe someone knows a shoe with low drop that still has some decent rock protection?

Hi Adan, I've been using Soft Star Runamocks, for the past six months or so and just recently got a couple pairs of the new Merrill Barefoots (Trail Glove and Tough Gloves.)

As far as rock protection goes, I think the Merrills are better, but the Runamocs feel flatter if that makes sense. I wish SoftStar would use the same material on the insoles, as Merrill, because they have less slip.

They both allow you to feel the ground, rocks included, but as your feet toughen up, I think it gets better. Sometimes the balls of my feet are a little sore afterwards, but it seems to go away faster, the more I use these minimal shoes. I would say it's definately possible to bruise your foot, if you pound too hard on rocks and specially, if you do a heel strike, which neither of these shoes are designed for. It takes a while to get used to running with midfoot strike, if you've never done it and probably the best way to learn, is to do it barefoot first. Good luck.

Both the 101 and minimus will not allow you to heel strike as there is not enough padding to protect your feet. I think it would be easier to start with the minimus because its flatter than the 101, and therefore probably easier to come down on your toe instead of heel.

Learning can be done in any shoe imo. Just pay attention to what your are doing. The 101 or minimus should have plenty of ground feedback and you will know when your are doing it right or wrong. I learned to toe strike in a 11 oz. motion control shoe, but perfected my form much more when I switched to the mt100 (old mt101).

Check out newton running. They have padded shoes with zero or near zero drop to promote good form. Alta running will also have a slightly padded trail shoe with rock plate coming soon (zero drop also).

The rock guard on the 101 is plenty to protect your foot if you are light. It is quite thin though, not sure how well it would work for a bigger guy.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll definitely look into your suggestions. Looking forward to this.

Adan,

The 101's are a good tool for rocky terrain, assuming you've oiled and fueled the machine first by conditioning your lower legs and feet for running on rocky trail. If you've relied on a heavily built and structured hiking/running shoe like the Vasque Velocity to stabilize your strike and take the edge off of rocky trails, you'll most likely find the MT101 to be pretty sparse out of the box- proceed with care. The lack of a 'Rockplate' and a continuous surfaced rubber outsole leaves the Minimus mildly vulnerable to rock penetration if you're not selectively gentle and deliberate in your foot strikes- your metatarsals will hand it to you.

No rock-plate in the minimus? I just assumed they would put one in there, had no idea they left it out…

i too run in the 101s as well as a pair of vasque transistors for longer runs and i recently picked up a pair of vasque mindbenders for races greater than 25 miles. i'm new to long distance running (>25 miles) and racing in general. i love the 101s for fast runs in the 6 mile range on rocky central colorado trails. they have a decent rock plate and i've found that i can get away w/ a bit of heel strike but i'm mostly a forefoot striker. i've heard that the minimus isn't that great on sharp rocky trails and that the merrell trail glove is better since it has a rock plate.

It's looking like the MT101 may be what I'm looking for. A transition shoe from normal hiking shoes to more minimal shoes. It appears alot of folks also like these for backpacking. I hope to put some miles on these before my trips this summer.

1 vote for the Saucony Peregrine over the MT101. 4mm heel to forefoot drop, more cushioning for long miles, burlier tread for wet/technical terrain and no exposed internal seams to slice your pinky toe open. For reference I have run around 100 miles in each so these are just my initial findings.

The Peregrine looks like a very interesting option. I like the low drop combined with good tread. One thing though, in pics the toe seems to taper alot. Usually my toes touch if the toe box looks like that. I'm not sure if the MT101 is wide enough or if they offer different widths in either one though.

I have the 101s and while I like them a lot, I really wish there was more to the tread. It doesn't do a very good job of digging in on wet leaves/mud/snow, which was a combo I slipped and fell down on this past weekend on a steep downhill. The peregrine appears to have better tread but I've never used them.

Yea in my experience both the Peregrine and the MT101 both taper starting around the pinky toe area. If it was not for that darn seam in the NB I would have better things to say about them. That and the fact the tread is really not the best for the wet technical trails I run locally. All that being said they are a blast to run in. The Peregrines seem to have a higher quality fit and finish, but the MT's will make you "WHOOP" out loud when running down the trail.

Speaking of minimal shoes how about those Merrell Trail Gloves??? Bought a pair with my REI dividend and have been pretty pleased with them. That said I do not dare hike or run any kind of real distance in them for fear of cracking a meta…

I have the Peregrines and I find that they are – for me – overkill on most runs. If it's not muddy, the tall lugs hurt more than they help IMO, by reducing trail feedback.

I love them for hiking though. Perfect balance of lightness and structure.

On the rockplate, there is definitely one in MT101 and not one in the Minimus. You can definitely feel the sharper stuff in the Minimus. I have been running in both for a couple hundred miles of run training, and my lower legs definitely felt the first longer, faster run I did in the Minimus, while I had no problem jumping right in with the MT101 (I have done some running in reduced shoes before). At the NB store where I picked up the minimus, they mentioned that they have different widths (NB has always offered varying widths in their other shoes too), so maybe there are varying widths for the MT101?

Another option that I would consider if you have burlier terrain would be Inov8. They offer varying levels of cushioning/heel-toe ratio (they use arrow(s) on the back of the shoe to signify amount of cushioning) and some of their shoes have some sticky rubber and significant treads. I've run in the flyroc 310 forever, and am looking at some of the f-lites. Good luck.

(just realized this thread was resurrected from 4 months ago, but maybe someone can find it helpful)

Can anyone comment on the lifespan of the NB Minimus Trail? I've been using MT101's so far this season, but after only about 150-200 miles of hiking, the shoe is pretty much done. On both shoes, the upper is tearing away from the sole on the outside of my heel. I may try the Minimus Trail's next. The MT101's have been great but they just didn't last long enough.

Odd, I've gone through a few pairs of 101's, every pair held up very well, my first pair of 101's has about 300+ miles on them, rocky desert trail miles, wore them in 3 ultras and 2 backpacking trips , they're in my closet and I wouldn't hesitate to pull them out for a short run or hike now. The uppers are fine, outsole near the forefoot is shot, worn smooth. You might have gotten a bad pair. The 100's, the predecessor to the 101 definitely had horrible uppers in terms of durability.

The MT10's are fair in terms of durability, there are several overlay areas that are weak points, particularly the toe rand. Mesh trail shoes don't last, comes with the territory, I just accept a certain amount of wear and degredation, fit and function over life of the shoe personally. The durability of the MT10 coincides with the minimal barely there design, don't expect a typical off the shelf trail runner lifespan.

Hiking and backpacking in minimlist footwear puts more wear and tear than running in my experience, not sure why.

On un boxing, this thing is a serious BEAST! With REAL tread. And yes, it is flat AND stiff with firm cushioning. NOT minimalist/barefoot. It does taper a bit in the toe but nothing like the Inov 8 X Talon 212 or Bare Grip 200 which are quite pointy even when up-sized. I am going to wait a day or so for a 1/2 size larger in the Peregrine.

In the last couple of weeks, I've tried on most of the shoes mentioned in this thread. Some, I took to the treadmill. A few got as far as the trail. I order them from places that will take them back after you use them [I generally use — Road Runner Sports (join VIP) for 3 months, backcountry.com forever and of course REI aka Return Equipment Indefinitely (note RRS only has only a few Inov 8s. I resorted to Zappos for Inov 8 212s which I didn't like and didn't hit the trail in — Zappos does not advertise a liberal return policy!) but I don't want to send 10 pair back after a single trail run or backpack test each! Backcountry.com and roadrunnersports.com both have Peregrines.

Peregrine is much more of a BEAST! Clearly, this is more shoe than I want to run in. I am looking at it for tramping.

Re: NB Trail Minimus — I wore these for several trail runs. They are little ballet slippers. They are very snug with no insole. They will stop any heel striking instantly! Obviously, that is more a running issue. (BTW, toe striking is not the answer!) There is some decoration on the sole but no real tread.

PS. I saw Joel's post after I wrote this! HA!
PPS. Eugene, I agree with the wear and tear comment!!

I've found the 101sclassic to be suprisingly durable. thing thats given 1st is the heel cuff has torn after many days of outdoor street bball (but this is a pretty far cry from there intended function ;)

just fyi, my merrells have gone about 4-500 miles on rocky terrain and are still kicking.