Minimus 3090 anyone?

I've researched some of these "2nd tier" NB shoes, and I get the impression that they are not as well made as the 1st tier, and therefore may not be a bargain. Not a ripoff, either, just a cheaper version. Maybe worth it for some winter trainers. I may try a pair. I'm a big fan of NB. I just ran a marathon in MT101s and had 1 blister, and it was between 2 toes.

Why the hell would you run a marathon in MT101s? The fact that you did not call it a "trail marathon" leads me to believe that you ran a road marathon in trail shoes. Here is my experience with Minimus or similar shoes from NB:

100 Line

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MT100 - Too much exposure to seams, can rub your foot or especially achilles raw.

MT101 - Same as 100s, slightly less bad.

MT110 - Big improvement, but not super durable (600-ish miles absolutely destroys a pair)

Minimus Trail Line

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Minimus MT10 - Great shoe, best they've done. I have a pair I occasionally still run in that literally has over 2500 miles on it. Sole is obviously worn down, as is the upper, but I wouldn't be surprised if I could get another 1000-1500 out of them. Insane durability for such a light shoe.

Minimus MT20 - Bad version of the 10, less durable, my first pair, the heel cup somehow collapsed into the sole after 100-ish miles, rubbed my foot very badly and gave me insane blisters in a matter of one 2-ish hour run.

Minimus MT00 - I love hyper-light shoes, so this is a great concept for me, except that these are extremely non-durable. I had a mini hole starting to form after 20 miles. I wore them until the upper literally ripped in half, which occurred at about 279 miles.

Minimus Road Line

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Minimus MR10 - OK, best road shoe they've done in the Minimus line, but not perfect. Back of shoe seems to kind of hang off into the middle, doesn't seem like a perfect ride. Hard to describe.

Minimus MR00 - A good concept and more durable than the trail zero, but the frickin insoles won't stay put. The heel isn't stitched in properly, so it quickly came undone and started to bunch up under my foot. Extremely annoying. If they stitched the insole down better, these would be great, but as is, they suck.

Based on having read reviews of the other Minimus, having used quite a few pairs myself, and off of my knowledge of the line in general, I wouldn't suggest getting ANY of their shoes other than MT110 or Minimus MT10. The other models are pretty gimmicky, especially those Ionix 3090 (honestly, how is that a minimalist shoe)? They're also generally overpriced. I think the only 2 shoes worth the price are the MT110, coming in at $85 or even quite a bit less if you know where to look, and the MT10, despite the high $110 price and mostly on the back of the insanely good durability I've found them to have.

[quote]Raptured wrote:

Why the hell would you run a marathon in MT101s? The fact that you did not call it a "trail marathon" leads me to believe that you ran a road marathon in trail shoes.

It was dirt roads. Could have gone either way with shoes.

You run a LOT more miles than I. Thanks for your reviews.