Are they all pretty much the same, or are there some that are really easy on bare feet? I won’t use them for anything longer than sprint races, but I will need to train in them for 5+ miles at a shot.
I tried my Mizunos w/o socks… ain’t gonna happen. I’d be blistered to hell, and it just doesn’t feel “good”…
why do you want to run w/o socks?
The Nike Frees are about the softest shoes I’ve ever owned. Feels like slippers when you wear them.
My Vitruvians are the best shoe I have ever run in sockless. But I am only sockless in Tri’s with a run of 10k or shorter. Otherwise the small time investment in a good pair of dry socks is with every second.
Rover
try the brooks t4 racer, super light, still comfortable. i ran a 10k, 5k during triathlons then a 6mile break in run and had no problems at all besides they were a size too small. Ordered another pair and went and ran in them and my feet feel great even without socks.
-I don’t wear socks with mine because the last two T2’s i got out in 33 and 27 seconds by just slipping them on.
Grant
Grant
New Saucony TypeA - designed to be used this way
And the name fits us all 
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I don’t wear socks for running or cycling except in the winter. Never have. I have tried lots of shoes and none were a no entirely but my NB 900 were the most comfortable. They have replaced this with a new shoe but it looks to be mostly the same.
I agree with the poster that recomended Brooks T-4 Racers. They work well with bare feet right out of the box, don’t need much break in time because there’s not much there really. I wouldn’t train in the too much, just enough to know that they’ll work ok for you without socks.
why do you want to run w/o socks?
Later this year (and maybe next?) I’m going to take a crack at sprint course, trying to break a magic time benchmark. Every second will be important. No gots time to do socks, probably not even a wetsuit (thinking it takes longer to off it than the benefit to my swimming).
Okay, I get it.
Best take two seconds to put on a bike helmet, though. 
yeah well i can do that while running with the bike… I still haven’t figured out how to put my feet in with the shoes cliped in.
well actually i know how but i can’t do it any faster then putting them on after i pull off my wet suit. Maybe other shoes are different but the specialized trivent are a pain to get on while they are on the bike.
Honestly coming from hockey i could run in flip flops and my foot would probably feel okay. I don’t think any hockey skates are actually comfortable like runnign shoes.
Grant
If Mizunos work for you, try the Asics racing flats. They make a super light called Tiger Paw (I think) that’s almost as light as the Nike Free. They have others, all the way up to the DS Racer. Mizuno and Asics lasts are fairly similar.
I have the Mizuno racing flats, and they’re not barefoot friendly. I use them for run-only races or halves, where I’m willing to sacrifice the time to put on socks.
tried the asics DS racer- the brooks t4 is significantly more comfortable.
Grant
Okay, I get it.
Best take two seconds to put on a bike helmet, though.
No way, baby. Swim with it already on.
think they are no longer in production, but i use the Nike Silverfish for anything up to 15km. bought 4 pairs of them at a sale recently to save for future use.
and it helps that they are THE lightest racers i have ever worn.
by the way, if you’re swimming with a helmet, best get an aero helmet for added time savings.
The DS Racer is not much of a racer… kinda heavy. I like the others but will make a note to look at the Brooks. I’ve been running in Asics for about 20 years and lately Mizuno just since Asics widened their toe boxes starting with the 2080/1080 about two years ago. Haven’t tried a Brooks shoe since the early 80s. Maybe it’s time.
As to getting your feet into Trivents, I find them a fairly easy shoe to climb into on the bike, except that the strap tends to pull out, so you just sew a button onto the end to prevent that.
Make sure to load them up with talc. I guarantee I can run faster in bare feet, unless the transition area is rocky. Plus now I’m donning my shoes at 20 mph instead of standing still.
then new ds is 6.9 ounces, its as light as the brooks, but no where near as comfortable. Brooks just released thier new trance with “mojo” i guess it lasts longer and is more comfortable then most shoes and it has a guarentee that it is. But they are $120 and its going to be hard for me to justify that on a pair of shoes.
What are your normal times coming out on T1, the last two with pulling my wetsuit off have been 1:19 and 1:16 so i am not overally slow. at least top 1/3 but i would like to do it on the bike if i can get it down… its not that i can’t but it definitly seems like i waste more time trying to get them on then just throwing them on and getting up to speed right from the start.
Grant
In the last two years I’ve been fastest T1 in my AG (55-59 this year, 50-54 last year) and usually beat most of the guys further down as well, except at San Jose two weeks ago when I was 1 second slower than the fastest, but I was limping on a bum knee. I’m also consistently faster in T2, but then I imagine you can do the shoeless dismount (but the trick is to do it without slowing…) Ironically, I’m MOP on the run, so you’d think my transitions would suffer.
It’s a skill move and it takes practice… lots of practice. The thing to remember is that even if you fumble with putting your shoes on after mounting the bike, you’re still cruising at 20+ mph instead of sitting still in T1. It also helps prevent over-revving the engine when you first mount up. Most of us go out too fast on the bike and suffer for it.
Good sockless shoes… very little stitching to create problems.
Pearl Izumi Float and Asics Cumulus.
I’ve used the asics cumulus for 2+ years and found the stiching on the instep side, just in front of the arch, to be a real problem. Every few months I try to break in my feet for sockless running with a short easy run and I get a nasty wound that takes several days to heal. This is with a single ~15-20 minute run. Could be my feet are unusual, but aside from ability to stink up shoes enough to attract skunks at mating time, and shallow arches, they are pretty average. I wouldn’t recommend the cumulus. Like the OP, I’m in the market for a new shoe to run sockless.
Cheers