By: Adam Graff, Minimal-list

Running shoes often get discussed as if there is one correct direction: less cushioning, lower drop, more ground feel.

I understand the instinct. I spend a lot of time in barefoot and minimalist footwear, and given the choice I usually prefer less shoe. But after wearing both Lems ZENSPEED models side by side, I think the more useful question is simpler:

How much do you actually want to change?

I’ve put roughly 25–26 miles across the ZENSPEED+ and ZENSPEED Lite over the last couple of weeks. I didn’t log the mileage separately by shoe, so I won’t pretend I have a neat split. What I do have is a pretty clear sense of where each one fits.

The ZENSPEED+ is the smaller step away from a conventional cushioned trainer. At 31 mm in the heel and 26 mm in the forefoot, with a 5 mm drop, there is still plenty of cushioning underfoot. The toe box feels roomy, the midfoot and heel hold securely, and the overall ride is familiar enough that someone coming from a standard running shoe isn’t changing everything at once.

The ZENSPEED Lite goes further. At 24/22 mm with a 2 mm drop, it feels lower and more connected to the ground. I notice more of what is happening under me, while still having enough protection that gravel and hard-packed paths don’t turn every step into a negotiation with small stones.

I prefer the Lite. But that doesn’t make it the better shoe for everyone.

Start with what you actually want to change.

If your current running shoe feels too narrow or restrictive, but you still like a generous amount of cushioning, changing the shape and drop may already be enough. In that case, the Plus makes more sense to me.

If you already know you enjoy a lower, more connected ride, the Lite is the more interesting option. That’s where I land because I’m already used to barefoot footwear and don’t need as much cushioning to make a run feel normal.

There is no prize for removing more shoe faster.

Ground feel is useful only if you enjoy it

One reason I like more minimal footwear is feedback. In the Lite, if I let my stride get lazy and reach too far out in front, I notice it sooner. I naturally shorten things up a little.

The Plus softens that signal. For me, that’s a downside. For someone who wants a more forgiving first step away from a conventional trainer, it may be exactly the point.

This is why stack height and drop are useful, but they aren’t a quality ranking. They tell you something about how much shoe sits between you and the ground. Whether that is good depends on what you want from the run.

The job of the shoe matters too

Even as someone who prefers thinner footwear, I don’t always want maximum ground feel.

Sometimes I want to run farther. Sometimes my feet are already tired. Sometimes the surface is rough enough that a little extra protection simply makes the run more enjoyable.

That’s the part of the ZENSPEED range I find useful. Neither model is a true barefoot shoe, and neither needs to be. They sit in the middle ground between a conventional cushioned trainer and very thin minimalist footwear.

For me, the Lite hits the better balance. For someone earlier in that transition, the Plus may be the smarter choice.

If you’re trying to work out which side of that line sounds more like you, I’ve written a full hands-on review of the ZENSPEED+ and a separate review of the ZENSPEED Lite, including fit, ride and where I think each model makes sense.

The useful goal isn’t to own the least shoe possible.

It’s to have enough shoe for the run you want to do, without carrying more of it than you actually want.