Brooks Mach 9 work for me, and they are cheap. Work well on the trail too.

Have you considered the Nike Free line of shoes? I have the 5.0 and love them for short runs. Never gone more than 6 miles with them though.

Vive la France!

Ok, that had to be said today, now on topic: there has been a good thread about barefoot running.
Just get the flattest flat you can find. I think Brooks has a very flat flat.
Forget Nike Free, heel too high.

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

have you tried any of the spikeless XC flats like the nike zoom waffle, asics xcs, saucony kilkenny, adidas neptune, or mizuno kaze? there's certainly NOT a lot there so if you plan on running on paved surfaces they may not have adequate cushioning.

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Michael in Fresno
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man" V. Corleone

Nike Free is not a good shoe. It's better than the other beefed ones but doesn't even live up to its own philosophy (hello big heel). I'd consider it a lightweight trainer, like the asics speedstar or similar (and that shoe is by no means a minimalist one).

Asics has their lightest flat they've ever made now called the piranha. I've not tried it, but going by its weight I bet it's close to what you want.

Anyone know why these cross country shoes are so much damn cheaper than "running flats"?

Spikeless shoes are OK and get better the more miles you run in them but they tend to have poorly shaped lasts and still have some issues because of how "shaped" the outsoles can be.

If you're really looking for a true barefoot feel, just take a pair of your best fitting trainers to a shoe repair shop, have them grind off the midsole and then attach a flat rubber outsole.

Be careful to tell them about any gel or air or whatever that could gunk up their equipment.

Go for something thin and soft. the shop guys will be used to working on boots and such so they wont think that the soft stuff will last long, but they'll be fine. The harder rubber can tend to feel like a soccer boot. flat treadless rubber is great too. I just got a cool white boat shoe outsole done on a pair of brooks Z1 spikes that I LOVE. very smooth on the road.

Should cost about 40-50 bucks. I've never paid more than 50. They'll last a thousand miles or more so well worth it and it really the best way to get a flexible, good fitting trainer that has the best barefoot feel.

NB spike with a very good road vibrum outsole.
http://s6.photobucket.com/...&current=nbs.jpg

Brooks spike with a trail vibrum. This one was not as good for the road, but ive run for 5 years in these as my trail/mtn shoe.
http://s6.photobucket.com/...current=Shoes004.jpg

Sorry, no pics of my Adidas flats (race day) or my new brooks...

I have a pair of Addidas spikeless cross country flats that I do most of my training in- mainly for the reasons you mention. I got them online for cheap- like $39. They're super ugly but they do the job. You might also try Vibram 5 fingers. I purchased a pair of the KSO's two months ago and have been building up from walks, to hikes, to short runs. I Just completed a track workout on them the other night with no issues. Using these two items have completely changed my running gait for the better.

3 pairs of watershoes for $25, so even if they're wrong you can't go wrong.

3 pairs because in true 'Peaceful Warrior' style right leg is a tad longer than left.

3 soles in left, 1 in right- Problem solved.

makes t2 a snap also.

Regards,

- Jeff

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It might be worth having a look at Inov8s. Their theory is to build the shoe on a very minimal mid-sole and structure. Mostly they are designed to be trail running shoes but I see they do Parkour shoes now that might be good for road running. They've got heaps of different models.

Vibram 5 fingers?

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+1 for Vibram 5 fingers. Infinitely closer to replicating bare feet than any of the shoes suggested above.