I got me some new workout shoes! (New Balance Minimus 20v3)

d3ck5

long story short, my 6 month old adidas running shoes just werent cutting it with Insanity.

the side cushioning was collapsing and the inner cushion was still rigid and causing me to overpronate more than usual. all this with a near perfect outer sole. i never wore these outdoors.

after reading some articles I decided to go minimal (im a home workout guy and not a runner) and discovered vibrams. 2 pairs were quickly bought and sold with the realisation that my toes were simply too long for these puppies (yes, different sizes up and down were tried).

i gambled on the New Balance Minimus 20v3 and here are my initial thoughts after my first workout.

i bought these in black and are so unassuming you could wear these with a shirt and toe and barely raise an eyebrow. aside from the "vibram" and "minimus" logo's theyre all black! The NB on the tongue is white also. these things are so damn comfy walking around that if i didnt have an retro shoe fetish, i would be rockin these 24/7.

the sizing is close to true. Im a wide footed US9. I ordered the US9D (which is considered the normal width) and the length is spot on but the width is surprisingly wide. The 2E i would imagine would be too wide for me. I wear thin toe socks and the toe box is still roomy. It's not wide so that space is noticable, but wide in that there is very little support keeping your toes together.

there is a little inner foot cushioning which some others have reported, but coming from a running shoe, this didnt annoy me one bit.

its super light (again, compared to the runner) and I found doing kicks and jumps easier, faster and more precise. jumping up was easier, landing will need to be modified slightly (more knees now).

its constructed well enough (i mean, how much can you build into a minimal shoe before it compromises weight?) and considering I'll only wear these indoors on floorboards I imagine it would last a while. in the wild on gravel, concrete, however, these wouldn't be my first choice for durability. given the materials used and "breathability" these shoes are for indoor or outdoor use minus rain only!

surprisingly, these are made in the USA. I think they only shoe I have ever owned that can boast that tag.

the sole seems perfect for my environment (polished timber floors) with excellent grip even through some damp areas. they would do "ok" outdoors, but given the height of the sole (4mm), I couldnt image these shoes lasting too long without wearing the sole.

after the first workout I can safely say these shoes are for me! lateral movement has improved out of sight, as has grip (though i never rolled my ankle with the running shoe, I could see my foot rolling ever so close to doing so). ventilation is excellent all around the shoe as you could imagine but my balance is now off as I found I was relying on the high inner cushioning of the runner. Single leg balances are now oddly difficult.

i bought these from Amazon for $100AUD landed (i think they were about $65USD with free shipping) which makes these an absolute bargain!