These shoes are my first attempt at the minimalist style.  Normally I wear a size 12 but I had to get a 13 in these so I thought they ran small (12.5 was also too small for me).  Luckily Amazon has free return shipping on these so I was able to get it right!  They have a solid base and seem pretty sturdy. I also like there look!  I'm not much of a long-distance runner but I like them for the gym and short running stints so that's all I can attest for as of now.  But so far I really like them!!