Product review:Newton Momentus trail shoe

I reviewed the Newton Gravity trainer back in September last year and I must admit, I have become a huge fan! So when I received the Newton Momentus trail shoe, I was very excited. And as you can see from the picture, the colour of the trainer is simply stunning (well, in my eyes anyway!).

The Momentus is the first shoe in the Newton range that is designed for off-road. There have been some complaints in the past about the other models in the range, stating that they weren't hard wearing enough to use on tracks and trails, well, this is the answer. Even though it is billed as a trail/offroad shoe, I think that is a little misleading, the reason I say that is because it is great on the road too. Most Newtons have an upper with an open mesh (great for ventilation), therefore they aren't great for colder days, but these are a real good outdoor hard wearing shoe, offering greater traction and durability over some of the others in the range.

Without getting too technical, the Newton range offers a more natural running style by having a very small heel to toe drop (making them effectively flat), the drop on the Momentus is about 3% (some of the more performance Newton's are nearer 1.3%), with most other brands having a far greater drop. This low heel to toe drop makes the shoe almost flat (i.e. natural), therefore is closer to a more natural running style, i.e. barefoot.

What's the deal with those crazy lugs? Again, I won't go into too much of the science, but suffice to say they are there for a reason. The raised lugs (ridges on the forefoot) act independently from each other, compressing into a rubber membrane on impact, this effectively reduces impact shock by up to 44%. The lugs then return that stored energy (a bit like a coiled spring) which reduces fatigue and allows for reduced occurrence of injury.

Bottom line is, I love 'em! I am very much into the whole natural running philosophy and these shoes definitely help you transition to a more natural running style. I want people to run faster, more efficiently and with less injuries, and in my opinion, the Newton Momentus will definitely help with that.