“Once we rid ourselves of traditional thinking we can get on with creating the future.” — James Bertrand
Since Teva pioneered the first sport-sandal category nearly 30 years ago, the brand has consistently moved beyond traditional thinking to develop products that enable and encourage your adventure. Teva’s latest development, is no exception. TevaSphere is a collection of outdoor cross-trainers designed with a first-of-its-kind spherical heel and pod-arch system that offering the runner a minimalist feel with maximum stability for an incredible ride over any terrain.
On Performance and Design…
In typical Teva style, the development of TevaSphere footwear meant a different approach, and a break from conventional shoe design. It meant four years of trial, error and extensive research all in the effort to develop a better shoe. The result is TevaSphere. A line of footwear that bridges the gap between minimalism and more traditionally built trail shoes.
The design is not only unique, but striking in appearance. A 4mm drop coupled with a spherical heel, brings you closer to the ground for a more natural impact, while support pods along the arch provide greater stability, particularly over uneven terrain. Combined, these design elements offer the freedom and ground connection of a minimalist shoe without sacrificing support and stability.
The spherical heel design stems from the natural design of the foot. By mimicking the rounded nature of the heel, the TevaSphere shoe creates a more natural point of impact. It also enables a smooth stride no matter where you first hit the ground. According to Teva, the other advantage is that this design also helps reduce deceleration forces on the body caused by shoes with conventional squared off heels.
Both in terms of aesthetics, and performance, the stand-out feature is the pod-arch support. Think of these pods as guide rails that help that gently correct your stride by adding stability without excess weight. This is a huge advantage particularly when the body starts to fatigue and your footfalls aren’t as crisp as they were at the beginning of your run.
But does this first-of-a-kind design work? From our time working with the shoe, the answer is a definitive yes. Not only does the shoe accommodate heel strikers and mid-foot strikers alike, but TevaSphere was the first trail oriented shoe that achieved a perfect score from our review team in terms of fit, comfort and performance.
From the moment we first slipped on the shoe, the difference was evident. The support pods instantly provided a greater sense of stability and let our feet feel firmly planted to the ground. Once we took them to the open trail, the difference was impecible. The arch-support pods provided just the right amount of cushion and support while allowing our team to run as naturally as possible. Moreover, the added stability never detracted from the more natural connection to the ground that our run team craves.
The other details of TevaSphere are standard Teva excellence. An eVent® membrane keeps your feet dry and comfortable whether you’re competing in an adventure race or knocking out long miles under the summer heat. And in the instance you are rummaging through the mud, the comfortable interior of the shoe lets you run sockless.
Non-marking Spider rubber outsole provides exquisite grip in any environment. Whether our runners were pounding out miles on the red clay trails of Georgia, or climbing the steep sea cliffs of Santa Cruz, the reliable Spider 365 rubber outsole never failed, never succombed to the elements. Beyond running and adventure racing, the TevaSphere proved to be a stellar performer on light and fast day hiking outings.
At the end of the day, our team only had one minor qualm with the shoe. Both our male and female tester would like to see a smidge more width in the toebox to better accommodate the natural splay of the toes.
Bottom Line…
Teva rid themselves of traditional thinking so that you could flee from the bondage of convention, and embrace the world of obstacles that lay before you. Simply put, the Tevasphere collection provides unique and stand-out approach to the wilder side of running.
* The new TevaSphere collection consists of the lightweight quick-dry TevaSphere Speed, the waterproofed TevaSphere Trail eVent and TevaSphere Mid eVent (for select international markets) versions.
*Gumption Gear Review received the items featured in this review from Teva at no cost and receives no monetary compensation for this or any related review. The items featured was provided solely in return for our honest views and opinions.