Thursday 31 March 2011

Inov-8 Bare Grip 200 Review

The style of ‘bare foot’ running is now really starting to catch-on in the UK having worked its way across the pond; as is often the case, the British company, Inov-8, are at the cutting edge of this science.




These shoes are seriously minimalistic in their design; essentially the very lightweight upper is attached to the aggressively studded rubber sole and there is not much in between, just a standard footbed but no mid-sole.
So what does this mean……it means that your feet are really in touch with the ground and no energy is lost or absorbed through a layer of mid-sole. This is only a first impressions comment as I have only had the opportunity to wear them the once whilst marshalling the Helm Hill Runners Uphill race last Saturday on Yarlside in the Howgills.





This is ideal terrain for the Inov-8 Bare Grip 200's, steep grassy hillsides. The grip was truly awesome, as was the feel of being in touch with the ground – they are so precise. The fit is standard Inov-8 sizing and, as the ‘200’ in the name implies, they are very light (just 200g per shoe). They just want to make you run faster and further, that can’t be bad.




I was out again on Sunday, this time covering mixed trail terrain on a part of the Lakes Ultra 100 route (Ambleside to Coniston and back again) but was not brave enough to wear the Baregrips (instead preferring the inclusion of a midsole in the Inov-8 Roclite 295’s) but did see one or two runners wearing them. For mixed terrain, they will take some getting use to, there is no cushioning so rocks, scree and tarmac will not be comfortable but don’t let this detract from how good these shoes are in the right terrain.

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