A fine English shoe for fine English weather: Inov-8 Bare-Grip 200 Review

In the past six months or so I have made a transition to more minimal shoes for all of my running; trails, treadmills, and roads.  After accumulating a collection of traditional thick-heeled running shoes (most all of them from Brooks), I had to retool my running shoe arsenal from the ground up.  This created a lot of fun for me, frustration for Moira, and probably record profits for the companies who had a designer nutty enough to propose shoes that simulate not wearing shoes to his board of directors.

At any rate, it is a great time to be a minimalist runner.  From what I understand, the “barefoot” shoe category is growing at a rate twice as rapid as the rest of the running shoe market.  It is still a niche product, but catching on fast and (I feel) likely to become mainstream any day now.  Given the many questions I receive from running friends, people at the local REI, the guy in line at Whole Foods, my readers, etc., I figured it was time to start detailing my experiences with some of these unique tools. I am confident Moira will be pleased, because up until now she has had to endure my long-winded diatribes about the various benefits and challenges of things like a midfoot running gait, the effective difference between 4mm of cushioning and 8mm of cushioning, etc.  So thank, you, Moira…you can now retire that glazed-over look you acquire when I start a conversation with: “So, I was looking at the Running Warehouse website today and…”

On to the Inov-8 Bare-Grip 200

Outside of the left shoe.  What looks like a small heel lift is actually just a wrap around the outside of your heel, to keep it from sliding around.  This is a truly flat shoe.

In short, to me a minimalist shoe has to be very, very flexible, have no arch support, have width in the toe box, and have zero to 3 or 4 millimeters of heel lift (the difference between the heel and toes...most traditional running shoes have 10-12 mm of lift, which almost ensures a heel strike....you can learn more about heel striking and make up your own mind on whether it is good or bad by reading HERE, HERE, and especially  HERE).

You may not have ever heard of Inov-8.  They are an English brand based in a rural area nearly along the Scotland Border.  All you really need to know is that they are one of the earliest manufacturers that really promoted natural running.  Getting to know Inov-8, they quickly became one of my favorite companies when their chief designer, Matt Brown, engaged me directly on Twitter answering questions and letting me in on some upcoming products.  Nice guys, down to earth.   They also make shoes unlike anything else on the market, including other minimalist shoe manufacturers.  Learn more about Inov-8’s unique commitment to the environment HERE, their dedication to natural running HERE, and their position on transitioning from a traditional heel-strike to natural running form HERE.

You can easily see here, on the arch side, how the heel and forefoot are level and while the sole dips in at the arch, there is zero arch support.  They are flexible as a pair of thick socks, no lie.

So soft they easily pass the obligatory "can you roll it up in a ball?" minimalist test

The Bare-Grip will most likely end up as a "sometimes" shoe for most owners. This is unfortunate, because it is one of the very best, most pure concept minimalist running shoes I’ve come across.  The reason is that is has the gnarliest, most aggressive shred-your-face-off tread of any trail shoe, traditional or minimalist, that I have come across.  I really wanted to like this shoe for everyday trail running.  It looks cool, is plenty roomy, has no heel lift or added padding, and has the most flexible sole of any shoe I own (it really lets the foot work naturally, as if you were barefoot).  Unfortunately, that tread excels at the loose, muddy stuff, but gets in the way on smooth hard pack.  In fact, you can feel every one of those lugs with your feel when you trot across pavement or hard pack.  Of course, it isn’t uncomfortable, and the big soft rubber treads actually provide some bouncy cushioning in and of themselves, but you can tell that it just isn’t what these were designed to so.

I can't make my mid up on the sole.  Awesome in the muddy areas and loose gravel, but not quite smooth on harder pack trails or even dirt roads.

That said, when conditions turn rough, I have no other shoe that compares.  The lugs bite like a shark into the muckiest terrain.  They were really designed by a bunch of English guys for English weather on English trails and hills.  In other words, mucky, rainy, rough places.  Kind of like Michigan, in fact.  Having lived in Ireland, I can tell you there is a lot of similarity between the British Isles and the Mitten State in that regard.  I bet these would be awesome in snow as well, but could be slick when it gets icy.

The 200s in their natural environment...mud and rocks. This picture was taken about an hour after I had received them.  Obviously, this was a FUN run. You can see in this photo (my right foot) how they have no heel cushion or lift at all. That is their best feature.

In hot conditions, the shoes shine.  The upper is a very soft mesh that easily flexes and allows my foot to really spread out.  I think the shape is deceiving.  They have a more traditional race-flat pointed nose than many minimalist shoes, but in my size 11 I had extra room in front of my toes as a result.  This was good in that they never hit the front on steep downhills.  The lacing system is bonded to these plastic strips (in black) along the body of the shoe and they do a good job of preventing side-to-side slipping while allowing the foot to flex naturally.  That soft meshy upper really does allow toe splay, then.  Honestly, even though it looks narrow, mine measure out as wide as my New Balance Minimus Trail (review forthcoming) in the widest part of my foot, so no issues there.

Softer than an aquasock.  Lets the foot move and flex, but keeps you centered on the sole. It will be cool in hot weather, too...but be sure to wear wool socks in cold wet conditions as they allow weather and water to go right through them (by design). 

All the meshy breathable goodness allows the weather and water to make their way right through the shoe, too.  That is a good thing in my opinion. Just wear some thin, black, wool socks from Smartwool or Point 6 when you run in the slop and you are all set.  You can also run sockless in these without worry (the inner lining is soft and foot-friendly).  They drain fast, dry out super quick, and clean up easily.  That green will never get back to factory brightness after the first dunking in mud though, so be warned...they will LOOK like well loved gnarly trail shoes as well as act like them.

Be warned, too, that if you have not transitioned to a more minimal shoe or to a strong midfoot/forefoot gait, the lack of all cushioning, heel lift, and arch support in the Bare-Grip may cause you some issues.  Any transition to minimalist and barefoot running should be done with some care and moderation.  This is a really unique niche shoe for the minimalist trail runner.

Opinions vary widely on how fast someone should dip into minimal running or whether it is the right thing to do at all.  In my experience (and that is all I pretend to know about!) it took about 6 months and it WAS the absolute right thing to do.  Wearing minimal shoes alone is not a transition, even if they feel good for 20-30 miles.  A true change in FORM is what matters...moving from a heel strike to a true midfoot/forfoot strike.  I will talk a bit more about the minimalist running debate and point you to some more already established bloggers and academic resources in future posts.

Conclusion

I would like to see a more anatomical shape to these in the future, and I would love to see a version just like this with a less aggressive tread design so I could wear it in all conditions and on dry trails.  I have another shoe from Inov-8 called the F-Lite 195 that is an excellent hard pack and road shoe (also being reviewed soon), but it has a 3mm foam heel and more cushioning than the Bare-Grip. Inov-8 is also coming out with a new road line called Road-X, which will have several zero-drop options, but there is still no zero-drop, midsole-free hard trail shoe in the cards as far as I know.  If you have seen the New Balance MT101 or Minimus Trail, something about that aggressive on this shoe (with a slightly more anatomical last) would be 100% my go-to all-day every day shoe.  For now, I can savor the muddy rocky days by pulling out the Bare-Grip 200s and letting them rip as they were intended!

For manufacturers...feel free to CONTACT ME to discuss reviewing your running product.