New Balance mens Minimus 20 V7

Hey friend, do you remember way back in the olden days when New Balance made, y'know, minimalist athletic shoes? Legend is, they used to make the best minimalist shoes anywhere. Well, the Minimus 20 V7 was one of the best minimalist shoes ever. I loved them for weight training, walking, and recreational sports. I even wore them happily on light trails several times. And they looked good...no kidding, dozens of people would stop me in gyms and airports to tell me the shoes looked awesome. The only thing you can never do in these shoes is stand around for long times; pop/rock concerts are a no-go with these. As functional fitness shoes, the Minimus 20V7 were lengendary. Now New Balance only makes chunky, squishy, foam geriatric shoes anymore.

These are probably the most well designed, and definitely my favorite pair of athletic shoes I have ever owned. Very much worth the $99. I bought these for Dance Dance Revolution, as I play competitively and have been searching for the perfect shoe for years. I have finally reached the end of my journey. Every thing from sole up to the ankle of the shoe seems to be high quality and high tech and perfectly crafted for my activity of choice. I'm sure these would be great for minimalist runners too, but I prefer a more plush ride when I'm running. If you are buying these for running and have never ran in a minimalist running shoe, be careful and take it slow at first. Anyways, shoe pros and cons:PROS- Extremely lightweight.- They look very sexy. Neon green with black accents FTW- A simple very flat sole, which is flexible yet firm, made of a light yet durable kind of rubber material. Grips well and looks sharp. Even the color of the sole is great, an off white that doesn't get so dirty looking.- Perfect amount of arch support. Does not feel unatural, just supportive and comfortable.- Perfect width. The wide size fits my foot absolutely perfect. I am 170 lbs and 6'4", male, with a regular shaped size 11 foot, and this is the first shoe I've ever owned that fits the shape of my entire foot very well, including the toe box. No rubbing anywhere, no blisters. Very comfortable yet supportive all the way around the foot.- Very breathable mesh around the whole foot.- The tongue or top of the shoe is perfect. Very light and comfortable.- Durable design. I can't imagine anything starting to rip or wear out until years down the road, at least for what I use them for.CONS- I can't think of any.

Sizing: in order to get the correct size you’ll need to know the length of your foot in cm or inches. I typically wear a US size 6-7 in women’s (depending on the brand) and I bought these in a size 5 2E (wide) and they fit perfectly.I bought these for my gym workouts even though they’re designed as a minimalist trainer. They provide good support when laced properly and I love the lightweight minimalist design. Perfect for the gym and equally great on a treadmill, paved, or trail run.I originally bought these in White and bought a second pair in the Dark Green.Two notes: first, the second pair is more blue than green, despite the color name, but they look just like pictured and are still a good looking shoe. Second, the dark green pair was less form fitting in the heel. I haven’t yet worn them to the gym so I am hoping they will form to my foot once I get some movement in them. I love my first pair so much that I really want to love these equally.*EDIT: after wearing to the gym and out running, the Dark Green fit equally well as the White. I have now worn both pairs in the gym, on the treadmill, and out on mixed runs (paved roads/trail). I am glad I have 2 pairs to rotate.

I have 13 2E feet, loved the Minimus V3, and despised V4, V5, and V6. I complained directly to the company that the departure from V3 made no sense. Reading around the net, many other people feel this way. My old V3s were really starting to wear out, and I had tried and returned all the newer versions, when finally they came out with the V7, which dumps the burrito tongue.This is a good shoe, almost as good as the V3, but the design with the vertical stripes is kinda ugly. As some have said already, the "2E" here may not feel as wide as the 2E on the V3, but I have 2 pairs of V7 so far and they seem to be stretching nicely with a bit of heavy squat loading. Still a bit snug, but all around a good shoe, and light.All in all seems like a consolation prize given that the V3 was perfect, but clearly someone at the company believes in change for change sake, so we had to wait several years to get a comparable design back. I bought two pairs right off the bat in case these wear out and I am stuck with some version of the V8 that has steel shoelaces or some other bizarre modification that nobody really wants.

I have two pairs that i have worn everywhere. I have worn them from the Jungles of South America to the jungles of Eastern Africa and get compliments everywhere. Fun, minimal, and unique. The single piece knit upper is amazingly comfortable without socks, never get smelly, and dry out quickly. Please make the multicolored 20v7 again!!!