Anyone tried Vibram Fivefingers ?

[giantcanopy]

Painful, how so? As in the rougher terrain really cuts into your sole?
What surfaces have you been running on anyway? The track and pavement?

The sole is pretty thin it is like a midblowing foot message everytime I step on the natural trails in Macritchie ( all the little pebbles and twigs come alive ) . Probably i am not used to it yet.

I run on pavement

( still waiting for my bikila to ship )

Ryan

 

[Zichar]

Free foot reflexology session! Heh
The delivery guy just dropped by with my Treks
Tried them on, very comfy, glad I got the size right

 

[Zichar]

Thought I'd update this thread:
The Treks are as reported on many other user reviews - the top feels rather tight
The leather upper may be less stretchy (hopefully it might after awhile) compared to the Classics I once wore
I doubt I could do much further though, the size is as close as possible, checking toe length
Initially tried them on with my Injinjis but bravado took over and donned them barefooted
Have a tiny cut on right foot now, webbing in between big toe and second. Can't see any, but it stings when there's water/sweat so it must be there...
Finishing is as I remember them, can be a bit rough - the glue and rubber trimmings do leave little to be desired
Ran a few quick sprints with them, pavement
Feels great, there's a natural inclination to lean a bit forward
Because of how the Treks' soles are, I find myself resting more on the balls of my feet; hoping that will help with my overpronation, time will tell
The soles are much thicker, I can just about feel the ridges on the metal manhole coverings, very grippy though

 

[NedKelly]

"And I thought the local stores were trying to do a ripoff on customers for the Injinji.
They cost slightly more than 23 bucks per pair of socks locally. . I got 3 pairs and i can feel the heartache. But they are pretty comfortable. And they are ultra thin enough to give a snug fit with my feet and the shoes.

I am still dreaming of the Bikila. I will need a second pair of VFF when i am washing my KSO right?

Ryan "

but ksos dry out pretty fast.
bikila is nice but there are a couple of review that seems to say that they tear quite easily compared to the ksos

 

[bayusuputra]

whoa.. VFF breaks in to CS also! Woohooo!!! in the TNF100 las oct i saw quite a number of participants using them for the 50km route, which was super demanding.. but the idea of landing with the ball of the foot will ease of knee pain as landing this way will force your calves muscles to act as shock absorber instead of the force going straight from the heels to the knees (heel landing relies completely on the mercy of the shoe heel cushioning).. and actually, cushioning in shoes "eats" some of the propelling energy we exert, so makes running less effective compared to barefoot.. these minimalist shoes have been in the uprising as runners nowadays find more benefits using them than relying on artificial cushioning, which makes the muscles "lazy".. the Tarahumaras (which are great ultra runners) inspire the design iirc.. and for those who wants to know the feeling, it is like running barefoot on grass field, at least that is what some of the TNF runners told me.. i wanted to buy a pair, but find it too expensive here compare to outside.. after you break in to the shoes, you can practically take it anywhere, walking or running..

 

[giantcanopy]

The soles are much thicker, I can just about feel the ridges on the metal manhole coverings, very grippy though

Urs is the KSOTrek ? how does it do on uneven rocky trails ? hehe
I always have a small phobia the metal drain covers catch my little toe when running hahaha.
( i nearly tripped once when my right big toe brushed against it )

but ksos dry out pretty fast.
bikila is nice but there are a couple of review that seems to say that they tear quite easily compared to the ksos

Yup. KSOs dry very fast. On a non rainy day it can become bone dry in a morning of basking under the sun .. it looks so bare minimal and the materials are so thin. My top of the VVF KSO still in one piece after all my running so far. My bikilas still somewhere in flight. Design wise they do look more wearable in public !

whoa.. VFF breaks in to CS also! Woohooo!!! in the TNF100 las oct i saw quite a number of participants using them for the 50km route, which was super demanding.. but the idea of landing with the ball of the foot will ease of knee pain as landing this way will force your calves muscles to act as shock absorber instead of the force going straight from the heels to the knees (heel landing relies completely on the mercy of the shoe heel cushioning).. and actually, cushioning in shoes "eats" some of the propelling energy we exert, so makes running less effective compared to barefoot.. these minimalist shoes have been in the uprising as runners nowadays find more benefits using them than relying on artificial cushioning, which makes the muscles "lazy".. the Tarahumaras (which are great ultra runners) inspire the design iirc.. and for those who wants to know the feeling, it is like running barefoot on grass field, at least that is what some of the TNF runners told me.. i wanted to buy a pair, but find it too expensive here compare to outside.. after you break in to the shoes, you can practically take it anywhere, walking or running..

But sometimes i still yearn for that comfortable extra heel padding
....
After running with VFF for a while, I start to find running in my Asics pretty heavy hah

Ryan

 

[Zichar]

Haha yes KSO Trek, I'm not sure about rocky trails
Might need to lose some weight before bouncing around surfaces like that!
Must admit that the leather uppers make them very warm though (blessing or a curse, depends)
Would have chosen the Treksports if the black toe tips weren't glossy
Then again, the lycra mesh upper for that would probably disintegrate considering my less than gentle usage

 

[hongjone]

I've tried the Bikila and is tempted to buy. Seems like quite good, but still thinking. Anyway, I happened to see this beginner's guide. Just sharing....
http://bit.ly/hWo10p

 

[chewraisins]

Hi Bros.. I'm interested to try out the Treksport / Bikila for running.. but I'd really need to wear socks as my leg tends to sweat a lot. Anyone tried these shoes with normal toe socks before? I'm thinking it might be too thick and might cause fitting to be too tight. Anyone with experience? I'm asking this coz I've got some Hush Puppies toe socks back home. I wonder how it compares to Injinji socks.

Btw Giantcanopy.. where do you order your Vibrams from? I've checked a few online retailers and found that it costs almost the same after including shipping charges. Any pointers will be greatly appreciated..

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[zhapchit]

how about this? http://birthdayshoes.com/review-fila-skele-toes-four-toed-shoes

 

[giantcanopy]

Hi Bros.. I'm interested to try out the Treksport / Bikila for running.. but I'd really need to wear socks as my leg tends to sweat a lot. Anyone tried these shoes with normal toe socks before? I'm thinking it might be too thick and might cause fitting to be too tight. Anyone with experience? I'm asking this coz I've got some Hush Puppies toe socks back home. I wonder how it compares to Injinji socks.

Btw Giantcanopy.. where do you order your Vibrams from? I've checked a few online retailers and found that it costs almost the same after including shipping charges. Any pointers will be greatly appreciated..

Cheers,
Andrew

My wife bought me 3 pairs of 2 dollar white relatively thin toe socks from Vivo Daiso
Not very stretchable but fitted my toes. No polarity, each sock can be a right or left. There is no extra girth catered for heels unlike the injinji
BUT. After wearing for a while, it will stretch out where it should be. No difference in feel after wearing the VVF on.

If u r planning to use ur existing toe socks, u can always don them and try out in the local VVF stores first to get a better sizing
Sun and Ski. Also from VVF USA site as well via vpost concierge

Ryan

 

[Zichar]

Went wandering in Colorado with them a couple of weeks back
And I must report that they were great! even when it was rocky (though I need to see where my feet are landing when descending)
Very grippy, even on wet rocks and such. Felt quite confident prancing around
And after lots and lots of walking and hiking, no sores, injuries; the next morning I was raring to go
Also had plenty of folk stopping me on the street enquiring about them

Things fell apart when it started getting cold, freak snowstorm plus we were venturing up in the mountains in the middle of mud season
Managed to stretch to put on two pairs of Injinjis and thought I was warm and safe. Boy was I wrong
Walking in wet snow brrr. I remember reading the Treks were water-repellent, but in all seriousness, they got wet fast!
At one point, I thought my toes fell off! Kept flexing and I couldn't quite feel them
On the plus side, they do dry off very fast; my Injinjis were still soaked, nothing worse than walking in wet socks (googled, there's no waterproof toe socks on the market, bah!)
End of the trip, the caked mud and all, looked like they've been through the Paris-Dakar. A brief tumble in the washer and they're like brand new now

*Another drawback was when I noticed the cuffs on my jeans kept brushing the floor
I have low profile sneakers and they're already tailored to that length, any shorter and I'd look like a dork ;p