New Balance Minimus Road or Trail?

The reason you only saw reviews from recreational runners is probably due to the fact that only recreational runners wear them. I don't think there is a single competitive 800 runner trying to wear minimus/vibram type shoes for 50-60mpw. That being said, I can't see a significant difference between the road and trail minimus when the objective for wearing the shoe is to have as little there as possible.

I was excited to see the Minimus line, but when I saw the trail shoe I was like "Hello No" that is an injury waiting to happen(and I am a minimalist convert). I opted for the Minimus Road and have been pleased. I've done trail, road and track workouts in the shoe and it is good. It is more like a racing flat, with a wider toe box and great support in the heel.

For those who dare to go with the Trail...be careful, stay on soft ground and rotate in some shoes with support and a little cushioning every few days.

I have the Minimus Trail shoes and love them. They feel like a less cushioned NB 790, but with much better traction. Plenty of rock protection, light, great general traction, and are low-to-the-ground for stability. I'd wear them without worry for an ultra up to 50 miles. They inspire speed and are very sure-footed. I plan on racing in these in the future. Sizing is critical in these, however, because of the strap at the mid-foot which could pinch if you go too small, or overtighten your laces. They are more comfortable than my Inov8 Xtalon 190's which I raced a 40 mile trail race in. Not too minimal at all.

from a runner, not tree hugger perspective, both shoes are excellent for their intended purposes, road and trail as noted. road version feels similar to free 3.0, and trail is a slightly beefed up vibram 5 fingers bikila, with closed toe area. slight heel/toe drop in the trail unlike bikila. nb will be coming out with a trail with a zero drop in the future but will keep the original trail in line as well. road is true to size and trail go up 1/2 size for perfect fit. i wear everything, and both are good shoes.

this past weekend i raced a muddy 50-miler in the NB trail minimus and was mostly, although not entirely, pleased with them. i had had them for only two weeks and had done one 21-mile run in them prerace, along with shorter runs. during and after the training runs, i had felt some discomfort of the extensor digitorum longus tendon extending to my pinky toe, due to a bit of a lump where the tongue attaches to the body of the shoe on that side of the foot -- the problem is only in the right shoe, but the left is fine. i didn't think it would be too much of a problem, but following the race i have been experiencing extreme tenderness, a "crunchy" feeling in the tendon, and tingling all down the associated toe. for three days post-race, the balls of my feet have also felt sore and bruised, but that's better now. the good news is that i have had zero problems with my shins or hamstrings, which have been problematic for several months -- until i started wearing the NB minimuses (minimi?). a little history: my go-to shoes have been NB 100 and NB 790 for trails and nike free 3.0 for road; for what it's worth, i'm a small woman (about 5' and 93 lb).

anyone else have updated opinions on the NB minimus?

I use the NB MT101 for trail shoes (I wish I could find the exact same thing, but in a road shoe) and I decided to try the Minimus Road.

It seems like a lot of shoe for me. It has a fair amount of arch support, too much for my taste. They also don't feel really neutral to me. They feel like the cause me to supinate a bit.

Whenever I try to run in a shoe with too much support, I start getting a little bit of PF. I normally train in Asics Pirahna's, but would like to get something with a little more cushion for easy/recovery days, but haven't found anything I really like yet.

@gibberer - have you looked at the Minimus Walking? They're built for everyday / recovery. Same weight, minimal construction, minimal heel to toe drop, more cushioning.

If they don't start making them in 4E I'm gonna go a little nuts.

I tried the minimus road and they were alright but completely fell apart on me after just 30 miles (over 4 runs). The entire inside liner came unglued and pulled out on both shoes. Luckily my local running store took them back. Ironically, the only reason that I tried them was because they stopped carrying Adidas due to, in their words, "quality issues". They said that NB would be much better but I easily get 400-500 miles out of the Adizero Aegis with no problems.