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Best Natural Trainer (my opinion, of course)

Published by
Maximus   Apr 1st 2013, 10:23pm
Comments

by Max on January 20, 2013

Now here is a shoe that I’ve been waiting for for a long time: a truly great trainer that combines a good amount of cushion with a lot of flexibility and a minimal, but well fitting upper in a natural running shoe package. Even if you run in “minimal” shoes, some days your legs just feel beat up from the miles, and a little cushion is what you really need for a recovery run. Keep the flexibility and feel of the more minimal but add in some cushion to absorb a little impact. That’s the idea behind the Montrail Fluid Flex.

 

Fluid Flex in action (sort of, not really action I guess)


Yes, I run in pretty, what you would call, minimal shoes for the most part, but over the past couple years I’ve been looking for something like the Fluid Flex. In Dec I got an advance pair and have been running in them since.

 

First off, any shoe has to have a great fit. That automatically rules out many other attempts in this category. The Fluid Flex has an upper that hugs my foot from heel to metatarsals then begins to open up with a more forgiving toe box. That’s a good thing. I’ll also tell you that I have a pretty normal foot, aside from being short of course.

Second, it’s got to have a low heel-to-toe drop (4mm or less) by the very nature of having a natural running shoe. As I’ve tested more shoes out, I’m now more sensitive to how high the drop of a shoe is. The lower drops have now become my preferred choice because of my running gait. I’m a forefoot striker so it’s obviously a personal thing. If you don’t land on your heel, why would it need to be built up. Pretty obvious. If you’re trying to work on your foot strike, having some cushion with a lower drop can be beneficial too. The Fluid Flex comes in at 4mm.

Fluid Flex Men's

Fluid Flex Women's

Third, for it to really be in that natural category it has to have that low drop but my second requirement is a flat foot bed. There is another shoe out there, and it’s “pure” coincidence, but it has a very similar feel to the Fluid Flex but the foot bed has a very contoured feel. For that natural feel, I believe that contour can feel good at first but can really have some negative affects later. For me, I can’t do the contour, just feels too weird. The Fluid Flex is flat, and flat is good.

Fluid Foam Midsole

The rest of the package combines the Fluid Foam midsole, an EVA foam that is more durable than traditional EVA and light weight (Mens 9 is at 7.6oz, Womens 8 is 6.1oz), with great flex grooves that let the shoe flex with the foot rather than your foot having to work with the shoe. The outsole is designed to save weight by minimizing rubber to high abrasion areas, but to still give traction in semi-off road terrain. It’s a great hybrid outsole that is at home on both road and easier trail. Is it great for really technical stuff, no, not really but it’s not meant to be.

Fluid Flex Out Sole

For me, the Fluid Flex is one of the best all around training shoes on the market, and trust me I’ve been through a lot of shoes to find the ones that work. Check your local specialty running store Feb 1st for the Fluid Flex hitting the shelves.


 

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