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The [http://go.fellrnr.com/?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=Free3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.roadrunnersports.com%2Frrs%2Fproducts%2FNIK1444%2F Nike Free ] is an ideal running shoe for modification. Instead of a separate cushioning midsole and a hard rubber outsole, the Free combines the two into a single layer. This cushioning is much tougher than a conventional shoe, so it withstands the abrasion without an outer sole. Modifying a conventional shoe requires removing the outsole, cutting away at the midsole, then reattaching the outsole. With the Free, you just remove what you don't want. (Note that I use the Nike Free 3.0.2 as the starting point.)
== Stage One - The Sole ==
Here is an image of the underside of the unmodified shoe, which is my starting point. Notice the deep groves in the shoe and the lack of outsole (other than the small patches that are black).