I am used to a barefoot platform. In a moment of inspiration, I just grabbed on older pair of mid-drop shoes out of the purgatory bin, took a serrated knife, and shaved the rubber outsole off of the heel. They are close to zero drop now, and possibly negative drop.
I took them outside to jog a block just now, and they feel great. Looking forward to my run tomorrow.
Tylenol and foam roller are ready.
Expectations? Experience?
Have done the same many times. First was the Adidas Cubato a while back. Shaved everything off I thought wasn't necessary. Got them down to just under 4 ounces. A friend raced them once and was able to run the typical performance he would expect to: 25:00ish for 8K.
Adding weight to the heel is counter to how we are built. Notice that nothing extends back from your heel?
Negative drop! Haha!
Negative IQ wrote:
Negative drop! Haha!
Lol. Would that just be called a "rise"? :)
I did that to a pair of white and red DS trainers. Wasn't particularly successful. I just run in XC flats now and have for the past 8 years.
I am about to do this with a discount pair of new shoes. I race in the Mizuno lightest racing shoe ever made and want to duplicate that feel.
Update: the first run went really well… They feel just like zero drop shoes and they give a lot more protection than minimalist shoes.
If you have a pair of clunkers that you never wear, I recommend that you give it a try.
To quote from any female dating/hotness thread:
Pics please
Zero Drop wrote:
Update: the first run went really well… They feel just like zero drop shoes and they give a lot more protection than minimalist shoes.
If you have a pair of clunkers that you never wear, I recommend that you give it a try.
You should keep doing this and then talk others into doing it too. Once you have a following, create your own zero drop shoe and market it with your success stories.
Oh wait..... Altra already did that.
Thinking about super gluing spikes to my bare feet and running?
Thoughts?
Might shave off a few grammes
puddle of sweat wrote:
Zero Drop wrote:Update: the first run went really well… They feel just like zero drop shoes and they give a lot more protection than minimalist shoes.
If you have a pair of clunkers that you never wear, I recommend that you give it a try.
You should keep doing this and then talk others into doing it too. Once you have a following, create your own zero drop shoe and market it with your success stories.
Oh wait..... Altra already did that.
I understand that is actually how Altra started... a couple of guys cutting the soles off of other shoes in a running store.
In response to the snarkiness of your comment: Be kind.
This idea worked much better in the 70's.
The problem now is that many running shoes have midsoles full of air, so when you cut off the bottoms, there's nothing else left.
Also, beware that the midsole material is quite slippery.
This is a good idea but wrote:
This idea worked much better in the 70's.
The problem now is that many running shoes have midsoles full of air, so when you cut off the bottoms, there's nothing else left.
Also, beware that the midsole material is quite slippery.
Good word; appreciated.
This is a model with a lot of exposed midsole already... and HOPEFULLY the part I exposed won't touch the ground too much... but you are right; many thanks :)
What I used to do was to pull of the back of the sole up to the front with a heat gun, gloves and pliers, trim down the midsoles so everything was level, then glue the bottoms back on.
Another way is to cut off all the outsoles from the back and middle, cut off most of the heels, and glue on new heels. I've used rubber heels, rubber from tires, innertubes, wood. Interestingly the wood heels were best as they were extremely responsive, and made a clicking sound that I liked, although it attracted attention.
Zero Drop wrote:
I understand that is actually how Altra started... a couple of guys cutting the soles off of other shoes in a running store.
In response to the snarkiness of your comment: Be kind.
There's just no point to this thread. Why pay for shoes and then mutilate them when you can buy a finished product that accomplishes the same thing?
puddle of sweat wrote:
Zero Drop wrote:I understand that is actually how Altra started... a couple of guys cutting the soles off of other shoes in a running store.
In response to the snarkiness of your comment: Be kind.
There's just no point to this thread. Why pay for shoes and then mutilate them when you can buy a finished product that accomplishes the same thing?
The shoes I mutilated were already paid for and in the "no longer in use" bin. I always liked the fit and feel of the shoes, except that I always felt that there was too much heel. Now, I am getting to use a pair of shoes that I otherwise liked, I am excited about it, and I am passing along that joy to my friends at LRC so that they may be encouraged to breathe new life into tossed-aside kicks.
I agree that is would be silly to buy a NEW pair of shoes and cut them up (although some people do it). However, I disagree that there is a finished product out there that "accomplishes the same thing" as my shoes, as the model shoe that I cut is not available in a zero drop version.
So you're just having the midsole hitting the ground? Isn't that material fairly flimsy and likely to grind down very quickly? Do you still get decent traction? And how did you manage to shave exactly the same amount of material from each shoe? Or is one a bit higher than the other now?
Hey when your calves blow up! Let me know
Those 0 drop and low drop shoes are silly.
Nothing wrong with rolling heal to toe and 11mm drop... i have been adding shims to increase drop to about 11-15mm...
The more drop the better... unless your on the track clicking off miles I wouldn\'t get rid of the drop.
Drop is important wrote:
Hey when your calves blow up! Let me know
Those 0 drop and low drop shoes are silly.
Nothing wrong with rolling heal to toe and 11mm drop... i have been adding shims to increase drop to about 11-15mm...
The more drop the better... unless your on the track clicking off miles I wouldn't get rid of the drop.
Poor boy, he has silly feet that want to heel the LRC wolrd with a Salagait.
It is interesting to read about your experimentation… Thank you…
A few questions:
1) What model(s) shoe did you do this on?
2) What was it about the shoes that led you to decide they were worn out in the first place?
3) How much did you cut off (i.e. the thickness you removed at the heel?
4) How far back from the front of the she did you begin removing material? I assume you then removed a straight, tapered wedge of midsole?
5) What is your main goal for this? Encouraging a fore/mid-foot strike?
It will be interesting to have updates on your experiences.