The Shoes

As the title says! This post is all about my Vibrams, Vibram FiveFingers, that is. For those of you that haven’t heard, Vibram FiveFingers (VFF’s) are a newish type of shoe that when worn are supposed to emulate barefoot walking and running. So basically you put them on and then go outside and it is supposed to be as close to being barefooted as possible. This is supposed to be very good for your health because it minimizes injuries from impact etc. They get their names from the fact that the shoe looks more like a padded glove for your feet so your five fingers (toes) are separated on each foot. Also in Italian , Vibram is an Italian Company, the word for toes and fingers are the same. So they did some sort of funny translation and got five  fingers. Anyways let’s get this show on the road! Here is a picture of my 3 pairs of Vibrams.

I really love these damn shoes. As I was going through Southeast Asia, and China they really got me a lot of attention. So basically not only would people stare at me because I am black (African American) they would also stare at my feet. One security guard at Prospect Hill in Beijing actually asked me to take off one of the shoes and he started playing with my shoe! Good times!

Now that I am in Hong Kong I don’t wear them as much because the streets are so crowded and my feet would get stepped on constantly. As you can see these shoes are pretty thin except for the speeds (red and black Vibrams with laces on the right), so getting stepped on would be very bad especially with some of the stylish high heels women wear out here. In the rest of my travels with the exception of Bangkok getting stepped on really wasn’t an issue that I was concerned about.

I still run in them at least 3 times a week though. I need to stay in shape!

Comfort

So people have asked me whether or not these shoes are comfortable. The answer, in short, is yes. The real answer is that they become more comfortable as you learn to walk in them and you get accustomed to them. Unlike normal shoes you can’t just start walking or running miles and miles in them this would hurt! You have to learn how to run/walk on the balls of your feet instead of the heel to toe action that most people use when they walk.

But walking and running on the balls of my feet would make my calves SUPER sore, you say? and the answer to that is also yes. Which is why your first run in them should only be about a half a mile long and your pace should be SLOW. Otherwise you will repeat what I did. I ran 2 miles at a 6 minute mile pace on a treadmill the first time I got in the shoes. I couldn’t walk properly for an entire week. No exaggeration. Now I have put in well over 100 miles wearing VFF’s on my travels no problems. I have also been running 2-3 miles a day 3 times a week for the last month. I have had a slight case of the shin splints but those are going away now. I will be increasing my distances soon I think.

— edit 11/22/10 —

I feel that I need to clarify about my shin splints. I actually had shin splints as well when I was running in normal padded running shoes. My shin splints are not something caused by the VFF’s. Just thought I should add that in.

— end edit —

But yeah, once your used to them they are quite comfortable, as long as you don’t try to go through the entire Forbidden Palace (Now called the Palace Museum) in one day in them. I did that and it was painful, but my feet would have hurt from that if I wore normal shoes.

The one annoying thing is that you can’t wear socks. I don’t find this to be bothersome but some people will. Also the lack of socks means that you have to wash the shoes, due to smells. But they are machine washable so it’s not a bid deal. If you REALLY want to wear socks you can just get the Injinji toe socks but they are $12.00 US per pair. I bought two pairs and I pretty much never wear them because the shoes are great without socks.

But I need Cushion!

No you don’t. When you run properly in these shoes your foot starts to work as a shock absorber. In addition to that the ability to feel the ground forces me to actually run lighter and spend less time on the ground. Since I am aware of the impact I compensate for it. It is, I think, better this way. and seemingly scientists agree. If man started out running through the jungle in Africa barefooted then I don’t think I NEED cushion. I need to just run properly. Anyways, here is the actual website for the Harvard Professor doing research on barefoot and minimal footwear running. Obviously his research is mostly on actual barefoot running but wearing VFF’s is about as close as you are gonna get.

Pricing

Vibram’s are, honestly, completely 100% overpriced. But guess what? people will pay it. I know I did. the brown shoes on the left $125.00, the shoes in the middle $85.00, the shoes on the right $64.00. The shoes on the right with the laces are supposed to be VFF Speeds. Although the build quality is comparable, maybe even better than, the other pairs I own, I am not 100% sure that they are real Vibrams. I bought them off of some eBay seller here in Hong Kong. If I wanted the VFF Speeds in the US then I would have paid upwards of $160 US. They are only available in Europe so you have to tack  super high shipping costs onto the 100 GBP that they cost.

But, as I said, people are willing to pay these crazy prices. Why? it is classic supply and demand. Although this is a niche product the demand is still much larger than the supply. People LOVE the shoes, I know I do. But at the same time it is nearly impossible to find them in your size unless you wear a size 11 or 12 or some other gargantuan size. So the high demand causes the price on the low supply to be much higher than it should be.

The workmanship and materials of the shoe definitely does not justify these high prices. This makes me wonder if supplies are kept low so that Vibram can make higher margins on their products. But who knows, it could just be supply issues. the VFF’s are Vibram’s first foray into the world of complete shoes. Vibram is an Italian company known for making the soles of hiking boots and what not (250 million in revue or so). In 2006 they decided to start making shoes because some French dude showed them a design and they liked it. From 2006 to 2009 the annual revenue on VFF’s went rom $400,000 to $11 Million. Supposedly revenue is projected to be $50 Million in 2010. I think their lack of experience in complete shoe manufacturing put them in a position where they were not ready for this type of growth. Supply problems + happy consumers = HIGH PRICE!

So why do you have 3?

There are many styles of VFF’s. Each one is slightly different. The KSO Trek’s have a thicker sole and tread on them that makes them more geared towards trail running. The KSO’s have a thinner sole that is flat with no tread but is razor sipped so you still have traction in wetter places, plus they are good for rock climbing and running. The Speeds have a sole that is the same thickness of the Trek’s but the tread is more for running on streets and tracks than for the trail.

There are lots of other types of VFF’s you can look at them here (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/index.htm).

Competition

The biggest competitor to the VFF’s is the Nike Free line of shoes. Supposedly these are minimalist shoes. I do not consider them to be minimalist due to the fact that they seem to have as much cushion as a normal shoe. Supposedly the sole allows you to move your foot in a more unrestricted manner. This blog has an actual comparison between the two shoes (http://barefootrunningshoes.org/2009/10/08/nike-free-versus-vibram-five-fingers-10-points/).

There are also off brands of VFF’s to contend with such as Mupuk or Gyst. These shoes are probably made in the same exact factories as the VFF’s. I don’t really know if you can consider them competition since they are probably the same shoes with a different brand. But, never the less, they are stealing market share from Vibram so they are sort of acting as competition.

Conclusion

Everyone should try Vibrams. They are WAY better then their competition (Nike Free, New Balance Minimus) where actual minimalist running is concerned. As far as comfort I cannot say. But being comfortable is overrated.

As far as the price is concerned I do agree with what some people have said. VFF’s are overpriced to the point of making me feel like I got robbed when I left REI. But running them makes all that go away. Spend some money and get some VFF’s! Boo Creepy foot Doctor! Hooray Vibrams!

in case you didn’t get the joke, watch this youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2S_UOHlueY)!

Miscellaneous

In other news, I am thinking about doing a marathon. Perhaps the Seattle Marathon on June 25, 2011. It might be the death of me but I feel like I need to try it. 3 Hours or less!