New Balance Minimus Zeros Released for Sale!

For all of you eagerly awaiting the first "zero drop," neutral-from-heel-to-toe minimalist/barefoot running shoes to arrive from New Balance, I'm happy to announce that the NB Minimus Zero Road (MR00 and WR00) and NB Minimus Zero Trail (MT00 or WT00) have been released for sale — you can find both for $110 over at ShopNewBalance.com, and word on the street is that they are starting to show up in your local running store, too.  Oh and we have a few (four!) Minimus giveaway winners ... you'll have to read to the bottom to find out if you won!

If you're an online shopper, you can grab the Zeros over at ShopNewBalance.com via these links:

• Minimus Zero Road (men's and women's) — $110
• Minimus Zero Trail (men's and women's) — $110

We've done some fairly exhaustive coverage on the Minimus Zero Trails and Roads having done a group, three-way review of both Trail and Road Zeros and covered the Road Zeros in wide (2E) and Trail Zeros in wide (4E).  If you've been living under a pair of old Nike Frees and this is the first you're hearing of the new Minimus Zeros, here's a quick overview:

• Biggest development is that both Road and Trial Zeros are zero-dropped having no differential in stack height at the heel to the forefoot/ball of the foot (the original Minimus shoes all had a 4mm drop). Total stack height is about 10mm.
• The Minimus Trail Zeros are insanely light (less than 5 oz for the men's) with a welded upper that is basically a thin piece of unique fabric (read all about it in the review) that breathes very well, provides structure to the shoe, and is somewhat translucent.  The sole of the Trail Zeros is a cored out foam with pods and only the slightest bit of Vibram rubber capping the spots most in contact with the ground.
• The Minimus Road Zeros are also super light but have a flat foam base with a Vibram rubber specialized outsole.  The upper materials of the Road Zero make it about 50% heavier than the Trail Zeros, but that's still < 7 oz.  The upper is super soft and seamless to the barefoot.  Both Road and Trail Zeros are available in wide varietals, though the Road Zeros only go to 2E and the sole is the same in both D and 2E; the Trail Zeros are available in D and 4E and the sole of the 4E is actually larger (see the linked reviews for more).

In all cases, I think New Balance is bringing some interesting products to the minimalist footwear market — and major reloads of their original Minimus Trail and Road running shoes.  My personal favorite between the two is the Trail Zero for it's incredibly lightweight build and truly unusual design — it's just a very unique shoe in my view.  That said, I've a hunch there will be a lot of fans of the Minimus Road because it's so comfy on the inside.

As for the colorways available, below are some photos!

Minimus Trail Zero

First two colorways and last colorway are men's; third from the right colorway is women's

Minimus Road Zero

First three colorways are men's; furthest right two colorways are women's

If you end up picking up a pair, let me know which ones you got and why in the comments!

Giveaway winners!

A lot of people were eligible to win, but only four could be selected!  Two for each model.  I'll be contacting the winners via email (or twitter!) so they can claim their prize!

Trail Zero winners! @benkmeans and lentg@aol.com (asterisks to hide the full email address for privacy reasons)
Road Zero winnres! lorin@yahoo.com and da*****omer@aol.com