Do you know what that means? New shoe time! Oh yeah!
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| New Balance's rebirth of the MT10v1 |
The path to obtaining these shoes was long and difficult. Originally, I was going to go with the Merrell Trail Glove, but they didn't have enough room for the top of my foot. I was about 0.5 mile into my run when I decided to head back and swap them for my Skora Phase. I finished the 6 mile run, but when I took off my sock my foot was actually bruised! Back in the box they went, and my search continued.
A couple weeks went by with me looking at every trail shoe under the sun. Then, I stumbled upon the MT10v1. A scoffed at the 4mm drop. #ZeroDrop4Lyfe! However, the more I read about them the more I wanted them. Review after review, people kept proclaiming how they were the greatest shoe ever, and that they were excited that New Balance brought them back (I wish Skora would come back 😩). The only downside I saw were people complaining about the sizing. "Order a size larger" and "GET THE EE!.
It was done. I ordered a size larger, but didn't get the EE. I have very narrow feet, so it should be perfect. Two days later, they arrived. I opened the box, laced them up, annnnnd they're too narrow. Eff.
Fortunately, I ordered through Amazon Prime. I quickly set up the (free) exchange, and the new pair arrived in my mailbox within three days. That alone is worth the cost of the prime service to me.
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| Originally went with black on black, but glad I switched colors |
I laced them up, and the felt great. A little loose around the ankle, but now I had more wiggle room at the widest part of my foot. The toebox isn't as wide as I would like either, but those are my only major gripes.
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| Low-cut, no wrap around feel. |
Even with the looseness of the ankle, the shoe still fits well. That is mainly because of the strap that goes across the base of the tarsal area. Another strap running from the mid-foot to the heel that does something similar. However, with a plantarflex, it looks a little silly.
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| Plantarflex to show weird strap bulge |
With a bum foot, I decided to take them out for an easy three miles on the roads. The tactile feel was great, and the shoes offered a good amount of protection. In my other shoes (specifically the Skora Phase and Merrell Vapor Glove), I tried to limit chunky stones as much as possible. However, with the MT10v1, I knew the crushed rocks were there, yet they didn't cause any discomfort.
I also enjoyed the weight of the shoe. By no means are they a racing flat, but they hold somewhat true to their "minimalist" claim. I can easily see myself using them for anything from a 5k to a 20 miler.
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| Crappy cellphone picture |
The bottom of the shoe is made by Vibram (woo-hoo!) and is super grippy for the road. I hope this translates well to trail, which it should. The lugs are in a circular honeycomb pattern with a lot of nooks and crannies, aka dog poop catchers. They aren't super deep, but not non-existent either. The raised nubs are a solid rubber that should last long, whereas the recessed portions seem to be a softer, high density foam of some sorts.
On to the pros and cons.
Pros:
- Price - right around $100 depending on size and color
- Feel - They have a "glove" like feel around the foot, but not the ankle. More on that in the cons
- Looks - The sleekness of the shoe and the color choices are simple, but attractive. A+
- Laces - The length of the laces might be a bit excessive, but I enjoy having the extra inches. They also stayed tied for the entirety of my run without double knots.
- Tongue - It's stitched into place, so it won't roll or get smooshed
- Sole - Not removable, which is a good thing because I usually take them out anyways. Thin!
- Outsole - Made by Vibram. Will last a long time.
Cons:
- Low cut - I wish the upper was about 0.5 to 1 inch taller
- Ankle looseness - The rest of the shoe seems to fit great. Maybe I just have small ankles? Maybe I need a half size smaller?
- No double eyelet - I love to lock lace my shoes to get a great wrap-around feel. Unfortunately, I cannot do this with these shoes.
- Toebox - It's a little narrow for me. I am used to a big open space thanks to Skora to splay my feet. Even with the EE, my pinky toe puts a little stress on the outside of the shoe.
With that said, I gladly welcome my new foot friends. I'll probably get another pair to cycle to make Yeti 100 training more consistent.
