The international athletic juggernaut that is Adidas has acquired Five Ten, a Redlands, Calif., brand known most for its rock climbing shoes. For $25 million, Adidas snapped up the small, core company to bolster its place in the outdoor industry, which it hopes to dominate by 2015.
Equipped with five tiny rubber pads on the sole said to align with the foot’s metatarsal bones, the MV2 from Newton Running is a different beast. The new model, released this month, is also lightweight, flexible, and made to appeal to runners in search of a fast, minimal shoe.
Footwear giant Adidas launched a “toe shoe” this week and subsequently jumped into the ring with Vibram FiveFingers in a weird niche of a market that continues to gain momentum.
So, did you hear the one about the penguin who wears a custom shoe developed by Teva? No joke. See the video here for the story of a custom piece of footwear Teva made for a compromised little water bird named Lucky at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
“It’s not a sock, it’s a foot-cover!” That’s the tagline for Puretoes, a new sock-like product with holes for toes and grip material on the soles.
Vibram has announced a line of “lifestyle” models for spring 2012, including FiveFingers shoes made for daily wear and two small toe-shoe models for kids.
A mesh upper, a split-toe design, and “octopus tentacle”-inspired detailing on the sole make the to-be-released Maliko from OluKai Inc. one of the most unique water shoes we’ve ever seen.
In another example of the main-streaming of the toe-shoe genre, this week Fila USA signed Alex Puccio, a rising bouldering star, to a multi-year endorsement agreement.
It won’t be for sale until 2012. But the just-announced Vertical K shoe from La Sportiva undoubtedly has fanatics of running steep mountain trails drooling already.
This built-for-backpacking shoe offers a zip-in-half option for maximum packability. Gear Junkie takes the modular footwear, which converts to a “shoe pod” during transit, on a trail test.
The phenomenon of shoes with articulated toes is one of the strangest product trends in recent years, if not ever. This article provides a baseline look at the small industry surrounding the growing genre of footwear made with slots for toes.
Five-toed shoes are a strange phenomenon in the outdoors space. But for Vibram, the Italian maker of FiveFingers, articulated “foot gloves” are big business, and, as demonstrated this week with Fila, copycats will be taken to court.
Good-looking and minimal, a new company, Kigo Footwear, makes an attempt to distinguish itself from the myriad barefoot-style options now for sale. Gear Junkie tests the shoe running and gets back only mediocre results.
From minimalist trail shoes to full-leather boots, Gear Junkie offers a roundup of some of this year’s most intriguing footwear makes. Pick out your optimal shoe and lace up to hit the trail!
A thin sole, a footbed, and Velcro straps are the totality of the design. This sandal promises flip-flop weight with “sport sandal” performance and fit. Gear Junkie gives it a wear test.
Last summer, Gear Junkie put a made-for-the-mountains running shoe to the test on the 15-mile Jupiter Peak Steeplechase race in Utah. The shoe, La Sportiva’s Crosslite model, has since proved its worth in a variety of trail-running environments.
Last night, at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, amid dinosaur bones and live stingrays undulating in a shallow pool, Columbia Sportswear previewed its spring 2012 product line. Gear Junkie gives a run-down of the ceremonies and the company’s unique new wares.
Are you fed up with diet and exercise? Do you want to lose weight and fast? Adventure footwear brand Teva has a solution. This promotional video explains the rest!
New Balance’s light and flexible new trail runner, the Minimus Trail, is so different from most of the market that it regularly gets mistaken as an aqua sock. Gear Junkie gives a complete review.
A waterproof liner, Vibram’s “Mutant” soles, and a spinning rubber disc in the heel area of the boot make the Fulcrums from Wolverine among the more interesting hiking boot introductions of late. Our writer gave the to-be-released boots an out of the box test on a backpacking trip this month.
Running shoes designed with aid from a British military unit and rated to go 1,000 miles? That’s the claim from UK Gear with its PT-1000 running shoes. Our writer puts some miles down for a test.
A new entry into the shoes-with-toes niche, the Evoskin from Inov-8 Ltd., is a direct vie for Vibram FiveFingers advocates. The pure-silicone shoe offers an experience that is “akin to running without shoes on,” our reviewer cites.
Touted to have oversize geometry, copious cushioning, and a 30-percent bigger footprint overall, Tecnica’s new line of jumbo trail-running shoes turns the current “minimalist” footwear trend on its head. Gear Junkie gave the company’s Diablo Max model a thorough run test.
Time to cook your shoes! Shimano shoes that heat-mold onto your foot — that’s the shtick with the M240L shoes, a mid-level mtb model that cost $250 a pair. Our writer gets his feet baked for a test.
U.K.-based shoemaker known for its trail runners now has a line of shoes made for the road. Gear Junkie gets on a test, including a 26.2-mile race in the unique new smooth-sole shoes.
In its next issue, due on newsstands at the end of this month, Outside magazine will announce the Summer 2011 winners of its Gear of the Year awards. Here’s a sneak peek. . .
Athletics behemoth adidas AG is entering the U.S. outdoor marketplace with footwear, apparel, outerwear, and optics. Gear Junkie gets a Q&A with an adidas managing director for a peek at the company’s ambitious plans.
The made-in-Italy Nalini Black Rocks are touted as “winterized” mountain biking shoes. T.C. Worley gives them a month-long test in the depths of a Minnesota winter to mostly disappointing results.
Merrell’s go at the barefoot-footwear game includes six new models in its “Glove” line of shoes. Gear Junkie got an early pair of the trail model to test.
The incredibly light weight — and incredibly small! — Inov-8 X-Talon 160s are made for kids or shorter adults. Our pint-size tester gave the shoes a thorough test.
After decades of lingering in the back alleys of fashion, winter boots made for women have hit a stride as of late with form as well as function. Our reviewer tromped in three pairs this winter for a test.
No, thanks.
