I found the shoes to have just the right amount of arch support and cushioning.Those antimicrobial properties keep working: they deal with bacteria reproduction as long as I have them on my feet. Merrell Bare Access Flex features that keep odour to a minimum include breathable mesh that allows the flow of fresh air as the lining breaks down microbes that trigger odour. My feet require constant care to make sure running mates don’t abandon me when we get together socially. But for me, the biggest revelation was yet to come. The Hyperlock TPU heel counter grips your foot so sharp turns and quick descents don’t put your feet at risk of sprains and other injuries. While the Bare Access Flex features traditional lace closures, there’s nothing traditional about the way these shoes are engineered. That’s a fancy way of saying grooves built into the soles grip surfaces like an angry Pit Bull.
It’s the dual directional EVA midsole that controls the action aided by M Select GRIP+. The FLEXconnect system never met a terrain it couldn’t conquer: wet trails, dry trails, endless pavement, uneven terrain. I'm a big fan of how springy they feel, time will tell whether that feeling lasts as they age.I got a pair in blue and no matter where I took them, they performed like champions…but the biggest surprise of all was getting help with my foot odour problem! Who knew a shoe could be this versatile?įeatures I find innovative and compelling Future Usageįor now they are a great general purpose training shoe and doing me well on the weekdays round the local area. With this they feel more appropriate for light woodland trails. The lugs are pretty shallow, I'd be using a different shoe for very technical or muddy terrain. The back of the shoe doesn't feel like it holds your foot well. The heel feels quite loose, I could lace the problem away, but something to be aware of. Drawbacksīeing part of the minimalist Barefoot range does mean they are still not a good choice for marathon + distance, Merrell recently brought out the Rubato range which are a better fit for this, and effectively the exact same shoe with a shed load more foam underfoot. This means they solved the sore metatarsal issues the Trail Gloves us to cause me, whilst that padding also gives the added benefit of an extra spring in your step. Unlike the Trail Gloves (or the even more extreme Vapour Gloves) they come with more substantial foam, making them a little closer to a regular trail shoe, whilst still having those other benefits. FeaturesĪs with all the Merrell Barefoot series, and as I keep banging on about on this blog as my "jam", they are a minimalist shoe with zero drop, a wide toe box and just enough padding underfoot. Christening run through some local woods. I'd been using the Altra Lone Peak 4.5s, which are a fantastic shoe for long technical trail runs, but lacked that hard to define "springiness" under the sole, making them an energy sapping choice for road running.Įnter the Merrell Bare Access XTR shoes, a recommendation from a friend who uses them pretty much exclusively nowadays. When I started to put in more mileage they felt like they were holding me back. Previously I'd used and loved the Merrell Trail Glove series, their barefoot design (zero drop, large toe box, minimalist padding) worked well for me, however they always felt a little bit too minimalist, with a tiny layer of foam that allowed you to connect well with the trail but also meant you had extra pressure on your soul. I was looking for a general purpose, not too expensive trail shoe for weekday training runs, the 5-15k runs across road and light trails that focus on tempos, intervals and recovery runs.
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