Montrail Sabino Trail Running Shoe - Women's

jon: didn't see your reply until now - another limitation of the system I guess. Thanks so much for the explanation on the midsole! I have been using the Brooks Adrenaline ASR in the meantime and love it as a hybrid shoe. But as my runs are done more and more on technical trails, I'll give the Sabinos a try and see if they handle better.

catiecoo. Sorry it has taken me so long to realize you asked a follow-up question... a limitation of the system I guess. "Cushion" as you mention could, in my mind, mean possibly two things: how thick the mid-sole is and/or how soft the midsole is. So, I'll tell you both:

EVA (what the mid-sole is made of) softness/hardness is measured in something called Durometer. Durometer is one of several measures of the hardness of a material and hardness may be defined as a material's resistance to permanent indentation. Stick your finger nail in any shoe mid-sole to experience this. This resistance is measured on the Asker C scale and the higher the number the harder the material. Make sense? So, our shoes, as all running shoes that are made with EVA or PU in the mid-sole, are measured this way. An average neutral (no post) running shoe mid-sole typically would measure a 55 on the Asker scale. The Sabino Trail measures a 58 for the mid-sole and a 68 for the post. The increased hardness in the post is what gives runners who over pronate the added support they need to accomplish a neutral gait. A neutral gait is what you want!

Mid-sole thickness in running shoes is typically described as a "ride height". The ride height of the Sabino Trail is 19mm in the heel and 9mm in the forefoot. This "drop" of 10mm from heel to toe is relatively standard throughout the running shoe world. Thickness of mid-soles across the board vary greatly shoe to shoe, design to design, and company to company. 19mm and 9mm is nice and cushy mid-sole ride height!

I hope all this info helps clarify for you and many others and FYI we are turning much more into a running shoe company than a hiking shoe company!
Cheers!

Wow thanks for the wealth of information. Any idea how much cushion this shoe has? (Usually trailing running shoes made by hiking shoe companies seem to have less cushion.)

catieco. The Brooks ASR and the Sabino Trail would be similar from a support stand point. The Sabino's come in a hair lighter weight which is probably due to the ASR's PU medial post. The Sabinos is made with EVA. Here are some other specific details about the Sabinos:

* They have a synthetic leather and nylon mesh upper materials for a lightweight and flexible feel.

* They have a Thermoplastic midfoot shank and forefoot Trail Shield™ which provide torsional ridgidity and underfoot protection.

* As mentioned before, they utilize an EVA Medial post for stability.

* They also have a dual density compression molded EVA midsole for stability and support, with heel and forefoot internal pods for cushioning.

* They have an aggressive Gryptonite™ outsole which provides great traction on wet and dry surfaces.

* And, last but not least... they have a gusseted tongue which keeps out debris from the trail.

As for sizing, I would size them 1/2 size down for the best fit.
I hope all this info helps!