With the frequent inclement climate the place I stay in Colorado, I discovered myself in want of footwear that might be appropriate for street working, as our trails have a tendency to shut very often, forcing me to run on bike paths and roads. The Merrell Morphlite ($100), a road-to-trail shoe, was first on my listing to check for a possible hybrid-type shoe.
True to its meant objective, the Merrell Morphlite is gentle shoe with a snug higher and midsole that performs admirably on roads and lightweight trails. Additionally true to that meant objective, it fell quick when hitting extra technical trails. That is positively a road-to-trail shoe and an excellent one at that.
The Merrell Morphlite additionally lives as much as its identify, with a svelte precise weight of 8.6 ounces (243 grams) for a males’s U.S. measurement 9, a claimed stack top of 26.5 millimeters on the heel and 20 millimeters on the toe, and a 6.5-millimeter drop.
We additionally respect the tremendous cheap price ticket on the Merrell Morphlite, in a market at present overfilled with excessive worth fashions.
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The Merrell Morphlite. All pictures: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Merrell Morphlite Higher
The Merrell Morphlite boasts a Jacquard higher, engineered with a tighter weave and a built-in bootie development. This design function ensures a locked-in match, offering stability and assist, particularly on gentle trails. The important thing level is “on gentle trails.” I don’t advocate taking this shoe on technical trails. Merrell advertises this shoe as a road-to-trail shoe, so there isn’t a shock that it isn’t the shoe you’ll seize if you happen to’re headed to the mountains.
I discovered the higher to be very comfy and cushty when working on the roads, however after I ventured onto a technical path, “accidentally,” the shoe lacked the locked-in and steady really feel of a real path working shoe. On sharp turns and rocky sections, my foot felt prefer it was far and wide. That being stated, I used to be testing it outdoors of its meant use. Sooner or later, I’ll simply stick with roads, gravel, good paths, and clean singletrack.
One factor to notice — the laces. I wanted to cinch them right down to get a comfortable match. They tended to return unfastened on runs — however not whereas strolling, curiously. So, the repair for that was merely double knotting them. I may nonetheless tuck them into the lace keeper when double-knotted.
A lateral view of the Merrell Morphlite.
Merrell Morphlite Midsole
Outfitted with FloatPro Foam, the midsole of the Merrell Morphlite affords distinctive light-weight consolation. This materials not solely reduces the general weight of the shoe, but additionally gives lasting cushioning for prolonged distances of as much as 25 kilometers, as really useful by Merrell.
The lightness of the shoe is actually spectacular. Taking a look at pictures, I believed it could be considerably heavier than it’s, however it’s deceptively gentle. It seems street and hybrid footwear simply don’t want all these heavy lugs that true path footwear do.
The medium cushioning strikes a steadiness between responsiveness and influence absorption, ideally suited for numerous terrains encountered when going from street to gentle trails.
The shoe has a 6.5-millimeter drop, which is a bit steeper than I usually run in — 4 millimeters is my candy spot — however that didn’t trigger any opposed results to my working or gait. The shoe has a bigger foam heel, which does present some stabilizing qualities, whereas not being overly corrective.
A medial view of the Merrell Morphlite.
Merrell Morphlite Outsole
The Merrell Morphlite encompasses a sticky rubber outsole, guaranteeing sturdy traction on completely different surfaces. The three-millimeter lug depth gives enough grip with out being overly aggressive, making it appropriate for gentle path working. You’ll discover quite a lot of uncovered midsole there, too. Once more, it’s a road-to-trail shoe, so it additionally performs nicely on paved roads the place traction isn’t fairly as huge of a deal.
The outsole’s design and materials composition provide dependable traction the place and when it’s wanted, offering confidence and stability throughout runs. The outsole on this shoe was an ideal resolution to the explanation that I wasn’t sporting my path footwear on roads — it destroys the lugs and shortens the lifetime of these footwear. The outsole held up nicely on the roads and bike paths in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the lugs are nonetheless in fine condition after a month and a half of working and strolling in them.
The outsole of the Merrell Morphlite.
Merrell Morphlite Total Impressions
The Merrell Morphlite is a light-weight and versatile shoe designed for gentle path use and street working. Its Jacquard higher development gives a comfortable and cozy match for its meant use. For me, this shoe is a superb winter coach. I are likely to run much more miles on the roads, because the snow and dirt in Colorado tends to intrude with constant path working.
The FloatPro Foam midsole delivers lasting consolation with out compromising on responsiveness, whereas the sticky rubber outsole affords sturdy traction on numerous surfaces. This shoe is a strong selection for runners in search of a mix of light-weight consolation and lightweight path capabilities. We’re stoked on its cheap worth level as nicely. I like to recommend this shoe as a winter coaching shoe, a shoe for people dabbling in gentle path working, and even simply as an off-the-cuff shoe.
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Name for Feedback
- Have you ever tried the Merrell Morphlite? What have been your ideas?
- How does this shoe evaluate to different hybrid footwear?
- What different footwear would you advocate for road-to-trail use?
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A prime view of the Merrell Morphlite.
