Customer Reviews Merrell Barefoot Pace Glove

I love these shoes. I've been using cross country racing flats for a couple of years now for my regular running, and I wondered why I'd want to pay twice the money for basically a similar type of shoe. Once I tried them on though, I realized that the vibram soles offered something that the other shoes don't - excellent traction for regular running conditions. I just used them for Bay to Breakers and I ran my best race ever. Added plus - I didn't have to buy them in bright pink and baby blue.

Love the glove! Gave these a 4 star for the two straps, but then followed others' advice and removed them. Once I did, they definitely fit like a glove. I used an Xacto knife and cut the stitching on the top, pulled the threads through, and the web straps pulled right off without damaging the surrounding area or leaving "strap stubs" in. Not sure why these were even put on as they make it really hard to slip on and off, squish your feet unnecessarily, and really serve no purpose. Maybe they should be stretchy or Velcro so that you can adjust them. I have "fat feet" (bunions) and so need a very roomy toe box. This one delivers that and more. Light, comfy, great walking-through-the-woods shoes for summer. Thanks for another great item and, of course, your legendary service, Zappos!

Oh my aching heels! I miss my gel soles, but these shoes do give my feet a work out. Way less goofy looking than the toe barefoot shoes, but the same sensory connection to your trail. You should try them.

These shoes are great for a workout and they are really cute! I have a high arch, so I wouldn't consider running in them! :)

I really wanted this shoe to work. I didn't listen to the reviews and ordered my regular size 8.5. It does run 1/2 size small--my toes nearly hit the end. I sent it back because I don't think the 9 will fit me because the heel already seemed to slip a little in the 8.5. It probably won't be a problem for most people. I have a narrow heel and a wide-ish forefoot so shoe hunting can be troublesome sometimes. It's not that this shoe is wide or narrow. It's a good med width all the way through. The toe box was avg on me but the heel was too wide. My feet's problem not the shoe. I'm still tempted to try the 9 because I like the shoe otherwise, but can't handle my heel slipping in a shoe I'd use for athletic activities so still deciding. Also, I found the arch to be intrusive, especially for a shoe designed to be barefoot style and it hit me to far forward on my foot, so I'm afraid a 9 would be worse. Well, at least I know I could try it with no problem, because Zappos is so awesome about returns.

Great buy. I have serious bunions and other toe-problems. These shoes were comfortable from day one. Have received compliments on the style. They are enjoyably lightweight. Gave moderate rating for arch support because there is more than nothing - but it's minimal. I have flat feet - so no problem. On city streets, you may wish for more cushion. After 4-5 hours of walking, some toes start to cramp and I wish for more cushion. Bottom line: most people will be comfortable in this shoe.

I bought the Merrell Barefoot Pace Glove because I wanted a good all-around cross-training workout shoe. I do a lot of walking as I live in a city and walk more than 1 mile each way to and from work, and work out at the gym 4-5 times per week. I am too committed to my Asics Kayanos to switch for actual running, but I wear the Merrells for all other cardio. First of all I will say they are fairly comfortable. After a long walk (more than 3 miles) they start to make my heels hurt because there is very little heel padding and I haven't changed my walking stride. But under all other circumstances they've been just fine. Sizing - I have a fairly wide foot and normally wear a size 7, so I ordered the 7. However, after walking around a bit I noticed that my feet slid forward until my toes hit the front end, and the front of the ankle opening was rubbing uncomfortably on my ankle bone. I replaced them with a 6.5, which fits better. My toes hit the front more than I would like, and the tread that is meant to be beneath the ball of my foot is clearly shifted back too far but the ankle rubbing was eliminated. Basically, I believe this shoe is designed for a person with longer toes than I have. But over time the tread wore a bit and I can't feel the misaligned tread anymore. And my toes hitting the end of the shoe doesn't bother me much either, even after a long walk. But I still can't rate the comfort as perfect. Style - to say this is a "cute shoe" is a bit of an overstatement. They're certainly much better looking than the Vibram 5-finger, but would I wear these as a fashion shoe? No way. They basically look like a fancy aqua sock. I guess I would say for a comfortable sneaker, they're pretty cute, but I would not choose these if I was looking strictly for fashion. In summary - I do like this shoe. They're not perfect, but overall they're comfortable and fairly stylish and I would recommend them to others.

Great cross training shoe, love to hike in them, lots of tread. Lacking arch support & therefore make my feet cramp. Can wear with socks & without. Gets dirt/small rocks in them easily though. Seem to withstand exterior damage well. Extremely light weight. Bit of a thin sole, can feel rocks right through them. Initially the edge rubbed on & irritated my ankle.

Let me start by saying I really do like this shoe. I started thinking about minimalist running after hurting my IT band in a marathon last October. I transitioned to a midfoot strike over the winter in my regular running shoes as I healed, but was searching for the perfect minimalist shoe. I've (mostly) found it in the pace glove. My only complaint is that the footbed is not as wide as I had hoped, considering all the other comments about so much room for toe splay, etc. I have a fairly wide midfoot (I usually wear a women's wide or a men's running shoe to compensate) so I was hoping this Merrell shoe would be different, but again my foot doesn't fit neatly in the footbed. That being said, I have run in them twice so far (3 and 5 miles) and gone hiking in them and I have experienced no chafing or blisters as I have in the past with others shoes that were too narrow. They are actually quite comfortable and I look forward to wearing them for many miles to come. Next pair, however, I believe I will buy a men's trail glove to compensate for my wider midfoot.

Fits like, well, a glove. Fits close. I can't wear thicker socks with it. The barefoot foot feeling is terrific, and I did the lighter trails at Big Bend last week with these shoes with no problem and the sticky quality of the soles was great for footing on rock, almost like a climbing shoe.

Wow I wish I could keep these, amazingly designed to fit like a glove, totally light and airy and the grey/yellow is cute. However while the toebox is designed to provide ample wiggle room. It also has a sharp angle towards the big toe instead of a flat or rounded end, this means that if you don't have a big big toe or you have a slightly longer second toe you will need to order a half size up, which I can't because I'm already in an 11. :( If you have perfectly angled toes or can go with the 1/2 size up these shoes would be amazing.

These are super light and airy. very flexible. They are not especially arch-supportive; I wear orthopedic soles anyway so that's not an issue for me. I've had them for a while now and they seem to be wearing very well.

Ran today in these for the 1st time and really like them. They have a nice wide foot box so that you can spread your toes, very minimal padding, super soft. My calves feel stiff after a 2 1/2 mile run because my stride naturally changed with these, but I'm sure that will work itself out after a few runs.

These have a relatively solid but thin, supportive sole that would almost give you arch support. They do fit like a glove, which can be a problem. The inside is not super soft and there are no measures to prevent chaffing. After 5 minutes of wearing these with no socks I had several red chaffed areas from my heels to the top of my tall feet. I ordered a size up as I always do for my wide feet and they are just the right length- so order up a size, they are a bit short. I needed a workout shoe that was relatively lightweight and had a wide toe area, wide overall but somewhat narrow heel. Keens have started making their shoes too narrow so I am looking for a new kind of shoe. My feet swell up a bit, and I hoped the lightweight mesh on these Barefoot Merrells would stretch to accommodate my duck feet and let them breathe to avoid too much swelling. They fit all these criteria. If I wear them with socks there are still snug, but fit. Smartwool socks will prevent or slow down the blisters. If you needed to feel and flex your feet for physical therapy, ballet, or whatever they are good shoes: lightweight and flexible with some protection. Wear blister preventing socks for your first few uses. One other strange feature: the "shock absorption" in the ball of the foot is hard and noticeable, like a foreign object is in under the shoe. So for my sensitive, wide feet that have a tendency to swell up, they miss the mark. As another reviewer stated, the elastic back of the heel comes in a little to tight. Unless you have heel callouses built up you can expect blisters.

I wear size 7, narrow to medium width, and I have long toes. These shoes are not a good fit for me. They seem to be right on the width in the arch (which means too tight for many people), but super wide at the toe area, resembling a little clown's shoes. The front of the shoe would change its shape and look unappealing with each step. I could see how they'd be very comfortable for someone else though: super light, flexible sole, the heel is stretchable. But I am returning mine.

I am 6¾, but the 6¾ is too short. My toes hit the end. I actually run in Teva sandals so I am used to minimal, but these had what felt like a lump under the ball of my foot. Maybe that was intentional but...

These are great shoes but are very small in length. I bought a full size bigger than my regular size and they still crunch my toes on one foot. Overall they good for running though I can feel every pebble or twig.

I am not a runner, but I travel a lot and want something ultra light and packable to take on the road so I can work out. These are perfect. They weigh almost nothing and squash down to almost nothing. So, I like them. I have to say that the price is an absurd amount for something that is probably super cheap to manufacture, though. It is not like they are really high tech or use a lot of materials. These should be much cheaper.

Avoid these shoes if you have narrow feet. They looked like they would fit fine, but when I put them on and tied the laces as tight as I could they were still loose (and this also made the material bunch and pull in weird ways). I can't go down a half size because I need a little extra space for my toes when running. I'm returning them and will get another pair of New Balance Minimus instead.

This shoe has a couple of bands across the instep that make the shoe too tight if you have a wide foot or high instep. I don't usually have to order a wide when I purchase lace up shoes, but these hurt my feet.

Definitely not like barefoot. They promote this shoe as being a barefoot shoe, but it has arch support which is quite painful after wearing for awhile. Bare feet do not have support under the arch - the arch is supposed to support itself, that's what keeps it strong. People looking for a truly minimalist shoe because they find supportive shoes cause them pain should probably steer clear of this shoe. Wish Merrell would get a clue.

I like the minimalistic style of this shoe which is what bought them for, but am very disappointed in wearing them as a walking shoe. I walked a mile in them on an indoor track and my feet ached for too long after I got home. There is no padding of any kind in the footbed. These shoes are not worth the price.

These shoes are very short. I read the reviews and ordered 1/2 size larger but am returning them and getting a whole size bigger than my usual size.