Five Fingers

I was wondering with the amount of athletes and outdoorsmen we have here.

Who wears, used to wear or is thinking about purchasing Five Fingers or the alike?

I just got the Adidas variety for Christmas:
http://www.shopadidas.com/product/me...er-shoes/TD035
-Primarily for the added protection during the colder months

But I have had the "Sprints" which look to be discontinued but close to these but with a strap across the top.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/pro...assic-Mens.htm

And I have these in the mail coming to me:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/pro...Sport-Mens.htm

Personally I believe in the benefits, they are out there. Makes sense in a way, we didn't evolve with EVA under our soles.

Just like the VX they sure do get the looks. I have seen more and more wearing them in the last year. I kind of liked being the only one around here with them, like owning a VX. I have been wearing them near 4 years, in all sorts of enviroments - running, hiking dry or mud, boating, stand-up jet-skiing, you name it.

Hate them. As for added protection from cold...just the opposite. Why are mittens warmer than gloves...the diggits share body heat.

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Originally Posted by Triathlete

Hate them. As for added protection from cold...just the opposite. Why are mittens warmer than gloves...the diggits share body heat.

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+1

And from a marketing perspective, their biggest selling point and their biggest challenge are one and the same: they look like feet.

Added protection of the Adidas vs the less material Five Finger brand is what I was referring to.

Convection and conduction.

Just my personal opinion/situation....if you've ever suffered the incredible misery of plantar fasciitis, which I've had in both heels, at different times....and took 5 yrs and 2 years to resolve (non-surgically)....I would never even think of jeopardizing my heels trying these....I'll stick with my Keens. :thumbup:


p.s...I think I saw pbkid (Jack) wearing these in Moab....think he said he loved them.

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Originally Posted by JHarris1385

Just like the VX they sure do get the looks. I have seen more and more wearing them in the last year. I kind of liked being the only one around here with them, like owning a VX.

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You think those are great?

HA! you shoulda jumped on the ugg boot fashion bandwagon when you had the chance...:laughing:

Never!

They are no protection... and that's the point...toughen your feet and your self. My lower body strengh has improved greatly. Had flat feet.these shoes built an arch(you have to use them correctly) They are not made for a heel strike, you run on the balls of your feet(tip toe or middle strke) read up!!

ps...I know a lot of people who actually RUN "barefoot" I'm not that crazy...yet

I hope that comment was not directed towards me!?
Protection and etc adjectives was only referring to the extra material that run up the metatarsal bones vs. the Vibarams that stop short of them.

I have been wearing them for 4 years, I continue to wear them for the benefits.

[QUOTE=JHarris1385;246461]I hope that comment was not directed towards me!?
Nope...just the nay sayers!:bgwb:

Just got back from a run at the lake...love em
The weather has been great all week. 70's this weekend

My TrekSports should be here by the end of day.

What style do you wear?


- The Adidas ones are just like some of the reviews, little less flex, and slightly more padding on the foot bed. But they are MUCH better than the Fila crap Skelatoes!

But they fit my toes a little better the way the toe material is made. My second toe is longer than my big toe.

KSO's I need to check out all the new stuff that's out there.
When I bought mine there wasn't much to chose from.

The problem is that most people don't use them correctly. They think they can just jump from their supportive, super padded running shoes and pound out the same mileage not giving their jounts, tendons, etc time to adapt. That, combined with very few "runners" practice good running form or have naturally good biomechanic's, has led to a lot of injuries.
That and the fact that I personally don't like the look. On that note I am going to give the more minimalist shoe's a try as part of my shoe rotation. I am getting ready to test some Brooks Grits as soon as my sponsors get them in.

Agree, a lot buy them and either don't get them a try after the first day and pitch them or push themselves to hard to quick and hurt themselves.

Our body is made to support this style, but due to the heel first and padded nature of modern shoes our body is not used to it. So I agree it is more of a user error when there are issues.

As far as style: There was a tire commercial back in the day, with a guy running across the New York bay I think or at least some type of water sporting the tread of the new anti-hydroplaning rubber on his bare feet. Ever since then I have always wished there was a way to put rubber on your soles and be able to navigate pretty much barefooted. I would agree with skin to ground barefoot if we didn't have to traverse so much concrete in our days. Weird I know but I have always been a sandal or minimal shoe kind of person.


- Other styles: Seen the new Merrell Bareboot shoes?

have several pairs. love 'em. www.riversportsoutfitters.com has a number of models on sale.

www.birthdayshoes.com is the VFF (+ other toe shoes) sort of equivalent of the VX site. lots of reviews, chatter + the latest models + where to get them all.

Of course, all you weird lookin' shoe wearers realize that you have Al Bundy to thank for all your toe jam collectors...:yesgray:

There's even a facebook campaign for Gods Shoes

Haha great! Never seen that before.

Ultra long distance runners claim that most injuries are becuase of footwear. However , you do have to build up and retrain your feet and leg muscles. These shoes have been shown to correct flat feet and high arches.

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Originally Posted by Triathlete

Hate them. As for added protection from cold...

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COLD! Who runs in the COLD......Billy:p

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Originally Posted by Scott Harness

COLD! Who runs in the COLD ?

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People being chased by polar bears?

my baby daughter (28) loves them for hiking

love mine. I only get to wear them during the summer because they arent too great in the winter here in colorado. But they sure are comfy and i like the increase in balance for me.

:thumbup:

dub, how can you hate on these??? you are mr. gorilly toes yourself!!!

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Originally Posted by Scott Harness

COLD! Who runs in the COLD......Billy:p

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Not me! I live in sunny Arizona for a reason...it don't get cold here by most people's standards. It was 75 today and is supposed to stay in the mid 70's for the next week!:)

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Originally Posted by pbkid

dub, how can you hate on these??? you are mr. gorilly toes yourself!!!

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I not be H8'n on these Jack, I thought it hilarious that they were "invented" by Al Bundy...:laughing:

And that's Mr gorilly FEETS to you, young skywalker...:rotate:

I ran the Tough Mudder (Wisconsin) race which was a little over 10 miles up and down the devils head ski resort through all terrain Mud, Rock, sand, and swimming including 2-3 military designed obsticles per mile in the addidas ones. Love them. Though if you have bad arches from wearing certain types of shoes already then not recommended. I'm one of those freaks who run the beach barefoot in sand as exercise so I found them to be nice. Make great boat shoes when fishing as well!

I run in Vibrams all the time! I love them, but you definitely need to break your legs/feet into them. They can cause some serious damage if you just jump right in! I am only up to running about 4 miles in them and trade off with my normal shoes for longer running distances.