Some of you who were already running in minimal shoes in the early times of barefoot style running (and now I don't mean caveman running on bare feet) have probably worn Feelmax shoes or read about them. For some unknown reason Feelmax has stopped production some time ago. Feelmax shoes were very light and had very thin and very flexible flat soles. The German distributor of Feelmax decided to start making his own minimal shoes under the name of Sole Runner. The shoes are based on the Feelmax concept. At the moment there are two models: the ankle high T1 Allrounder that reminds a lot to the Feelmax Panka and the FX Trainer which is more flat. The FX Trainer will be available in September. For more information see: http://www.sole-runner.com/produkte.html The soles are a littlebit thicker (1,5mm/0,06in) than the Feelmax soles. The soles are glued instead of sewn as with the Feelmax shoes so they are more waterproof. The uppers are made of 3D mesh. The shoes have a non-removable insole. I don't know the thickness of this. I haven't seen them in real yet. The shoes weight 300-330 grams/10,6-11,6 oz a pair. At the moment they are only being sold in Europe: In Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia and the Netherlands. Sole Runner plans to entry the US market soon. The price of the shoes will be about 80-86 Euro in Europe.
Sole Runner minimal shoes
Huib van der Wal 167
Answers and Replies
Huib van der Wal 167
Damien Tougas 953
These look very intriguing to me. I loved the pair of Niesa's I had before I wore out the sole, and I also have wide feet, so maybe these would work.
Damien Tougas 953
I have added this brand to the directory, if you feel so inclined, please feel free to write a review there of what you tested.
Thanks for your detective work in finding out about this brand!
I ordered a pair for running. The shoes are very wide. Even when tightening the laces very well I thought the shoes were to wide for me. So I returned them to the webshop. But I was able to take a close look at the shoes and I was impressed. The shoes are well made. The sole is made of a much grippier rubber than the old Feelmax Panka's. The insole is glued drectly to the outsole so it can't move. I measured the thickness of the sole and came out to 2,5 to 3mm/0,1-0,12inch. And this includes the soft insole! The 3D mesh is all around. I think Sole Runner should also make a shoe from a more closed material (like a soft shell) for cold and wet weather use. The shoes are also quit large for their size. My Vivobarefoot shoes are in size 45 but size 44 is big enough for me for the Sole Runners. The weight is 340 grams/12 Oz for a pair. The Sole Runners have a sole that is more rigid than the Feelmax sole. I think the reason for this is that at the sides of the sole the material comes up about a centimeter (like a bathtub) and because the insole is glued to the outsole so it is a sandwich construction.