*A 1 word review of my new mix masters:*

YESSSSSS!    ;)

They got me through Grindstone without issues... but I had to wear socks.
The shoes would be infinitely better if they were made on an anatomical
last.

I love 'em, perfect as they are don't even notice the drop.  Much better
than MT110.  Will use as my all purpose mountain shoe from now on.

Did you take out the insole Jason?  I almost left mine in, the fit was
really good, but I prefer a lower stack so whipped 'em out.  The material
inside the shoe under the insole has a very strange feel to it compared to
any other shoe I've worn, almost rubbery.  It freaked me out a bit when I
first tried them un-socked, but with socks on - no problem.  It's sock
season now anyway.  

No, I left them in. I took the insole out of the original MMs I had and it
caused significant blistering on my arch in a 50k. I was sockless, though.
I also wanted the extra protection... GS was rocky as Hell. I did enough
training on the course to acclimate to the stack height, but there was a
definite learning curve compared to the Trail Glove stack height.

I love mine too but on a long paved downhill (yuck!) they really made my ITB buggy.  But overall it's the closest all terrain shoe I've found.

/Sean

On Oct 10, 2012, at 7:47 PM, Nick J <nick.je...@gmail.com> wrote:

Jason,
sorry if this is a silly question but what do you mean by 'an anotomical
last'?
cheers brendan

It usually means it is shaped like the foot, but various by manufacturer.

Yeah, the MM2 isn't really shaped like a foot (compared to Merrell's
Barefoot lineup). The MM2 uses a decent last, but I'd prefer the BF version.

I'm thinking of giving the MM2 a go, sizing down half a size (12 to
11.5US) and forgoing the insole or replacing it with thinner one.

Can those that run in these give their opinion on whether this might
work or fail miserably?

What's the goal of sizing down?

It's not an actual goal. Sizing down or up needlessly is not at all
ideal.

I just found an ok deal for the MM2 half a size down.

I hope you mind the ensuing rant.

In my tiny little speck of earth (Portugal), there are quite a few
Merrell stores and for some reason it's Merrell policy not to carry
the TG above a 11 and the MM Aeroblock above a 10.5. I've complained
once or twice before to Merrell and they very nicely advised me to
look for online retailers.

To add insult to injury, my local Decathlon, which is large chain of
sporting goods stores, currently have the TG on sale for 40 Eur
(~52USD, that's down from 109 Euro which is odd but alright with me)
but only up to size 11.5 which is a no go. Anyhow, such a sweet deal,
dear Jesus save me!

Yes I realize this is probably a non issue in the US.

But I hate Merrell's dainty fruity smug elitist guts and I'm at this
moment masterminding a terrorist attack on Merrell headquarters, where
I show up bare chested Bruce Lee style with a bandanna Rambo style and
crusty putrid funk cheddar cheese ridden bare feet and roundhouse kick
everyone in sight, mercilessly hard and in the face.

Crap, wasn't supposed to give that one away :O)

Snoxu,

Where I live in the Pyrenees there is a decathlon and they have nothing
except Salomon and well, that's it, they have a few other brands but
nothing notable.  I have to mail order anything that I consider worth
having and use wiggle.co.uk who ship to France for free in 5-7 days.  I
think that they ship free to the whole of Europe.  They certainly have the
mix master in your size.

I would advise not sizing down in the Mix Master unless your feet are a bit
in between sizes.  The UK10 fit's me well.  If I went down a half size It'd
be a proper toe cruncher.  As they are they are near perfect in toe dept -
much better than the MT110's and a much better shoe for fast rocky downhill
bombs.

I've only got praise for them at the moment.  Time will tell though.

I know Wiggle but they don't carry size 12US/11.5UK. They seem to
carry every other size above and below.

I don't really mind mail ordering, just my rant on sizing policy that
Merrell and distribution seem to have here. I would much prefer to go
to a B&M store, like everyone else.