Vibram FiveFingers - need a primer, please....

[Baz]

Looking to buy a pair.

Would appreciate input - what styles and how to size. Best brands/sources?

Want to use them as you would sneakers - running around town - cycling - maybe even gardening if practical.....

Thanks in advance for your opinions and experience(s)!

[scottmandue]

Why do they call them five FINGERS when they go on your toes!?!?

Gosh didley darn it!

FWIW there is another company making a knock off of these... FILA maybe?

[JavaBrewer]

Have you searched this forum for VFF yet? I started a thread a little over a year ago. My last post there is here.

I am due for an update but bottom line I love my VFF shoes. I still have my original pair of KSOs and they show little wear. I am running about 2-3 miles 3-4x a week in them on a variety of surfaces. I also wear them in the gym and around town. I purchased another pair of green/gray KSOs but my son (15 yr old) has claimed them and runs with them as well.

I don't see how these shoes will work for cycling - unless you are talking about cruising the beach boardwalk. Any serious cycling demands a hard sole shoe.

My advice is to visit a local retailer who carries VFF and try a couple models on. I hear that KSO fit slightly larger than Bikila or the Komodosports. Vibram has released a few new models so I would hit up the following sites for reviews and user feedback.

Birthday shoes MyFiveFingers

The entire minimalist shoe market has exploded with nearly all major brands offering some sort of zero lift shoe. So in that regard you are not limited to Vibrams. I hear the NB Minimus line is excellent if you want a more traditional looking shoe.

Con's to the VFF are smell - I soak them in white vinegar/water before they go in washing machine weekly. This can be avoided by wearing toe socks but I prefer to not wear them. It's been my experience that most people seem intrigued by my VFF and ask where they can get a pair. The VFF shoes go on sale every other month so watch out for that. Avoid buying on Ebay unless you have no problems supporting the Chinese black market.

Remember to take it slowly and let your feet adjust. Good luck.

[masraum]

I LOVE VFF! I wear them exclusively now. I wear the Injinji brand toe socks, so I don't have a problem with smell. I would check out the vibram site and look for authorized retailers in you area to go try them on. The website also has a sizing chart that is based on the length if your foot in inches. I like the KSOs, but I also have some KSO Treks (they have a thicker sole) for when I go off road in an area that might have lots of large rocks, roots, stuff to step on.

You can usually find clearance sales for around half off. I have six pairs now. I paid full price for the first three, then about $40-50 for the next two pairs. The only reason I bought the lsat pair was because the were on clearance for $24. I couldn't pad up that deal. The more brightly or oddly colored ones are the ones that go on sale most often. Check out REI.COM for sales and slickdeals.net for deals. None of mine have been Chinese sales or the copycats made by folks or adidas.

These are the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn.

[Touque]

I bought a pair of the Bikila's last year - really like them. Takes quite a bit of effort to get them on and with my foot shape, the little toes area 'almost' too long for my feet. Takes a while to get used to feeling material between the toes too. They're extremely light.

Don't buy them if you're self-conscious - they do look weird!

There's very little padding in the Bikila model as they're primarily geared towards running. I probably should have bought the Trek or something with a little more padding and aggressive tread.

Yes they do get smelly but you can just throw them in the wash and air-dry. I don't think that's supposed to be a problem with them. Thought about using the toe socks with them as masraum said but I couldn't get everything to fit my foot correctly.

Overall though, as I said, I like them a lot.

[Baz]

Thanks a LOT for the info David, Steve, and Troy.

And for the thread link David - I didn't even look...oops!

Some good info there.

I'm going to get a pair - will provide feedback afterwards....

BTW - there's a TON of YouTube videos on these!!!

[Brando]

I picked up a pair of the Bikilas a couple weeks ago. Definitely good but you have to pace yourself and get used to walking/running in them, or else serious injury may ensue. My brother decided to just get right into running, pulled a calf muscle. I believe his pair now gather dust in the back of his closet. For the last week and a half I have slowly been building up my pace at the gym (treadmill). Last week I was able to do 2.5 miles alternating from running to jogging and hot damn I felt it all the way through Saturday. I can't wait to do it again.

[aigel]

Their website has good tips on how to get used to them. Go very slow - be careful, you could really hurt yourself otherwise!

G