Vibram FiveFingers KSO Multisport Shoes For Men-Royal LT.Gre

[Bronco]

I guess I will have to wait for the Chinese generic knockoffs to hit the market. I wear an A width shoe and they don't make these things in different widths. This reminds me of the debut of the Birkenstock age though and it will probably be a big hit for a while until all the Yuppies get into wearing them.
Soon they will appear everywhere....

[Woodsman]

I guess I will have to wait for the Chinese generic knockoffs to hit the market. I wear an A width shoe and they don't make these things in different widths. This reminds me of the debut of the Birkenstock age though and it will probably be a big hit for a while until all the Yuppies get into wearing them.
Soon they will appear everywhere....

At least 60% of the websites on the internet are selling knock-offs. Any site that advertises "discount five fingers" is going to be a knock off site, but be forewarned: The quality is simply not there.

[Woodsman]

Well its been getting colder up here in the boonies lately and so I ordered some socks to go under the VFFS. They are made by injinji and they look like this:


They work great.

[Skirita]

VFFs are excellent for specific uses: watersports, trails, fencing, martial arts, running, rugby and football. Terrible for bouldering.

[Woodsman]

Terrible for bouldering.

Really? How so?

[Skirita]

Bouldering/rock-climbing shoes are very pointy, rigid and arched so you can use your feet like picks and stand on very small ledges without slipping or crushing your toes/cramping your feet. You can't, however, walk in them very easily.



VFFs on the other hand are blunt and ultraflexible, so you just slip off/crush your toes/cramp up. This is worsened by the fact that my big toe is the only one that fills the entire toe sleeve.

I started bouldering wearing VFFs and couldn't do even basic problems because my fucking feet had no gripping ability. Climbing shoes made a tremendous difference.

[Woodsman]

Gotcha. If you toughen up your feet enough, you won't need shoes.

Balerinas are tough.

At some point us men must accept the point that we will never be able to climb as well as the ladies.

FACT.

Bouldering/rock-climbing shoes are very pointy, rigid and arched so you can use your feet like picks and stand on very small ledges without slipping or crushing your toes/cramping your feet. You can't, however, walk in them very easily.



VFFs on the other hand are blunt and ultraflexible, so you just slip off/crush your toes/cramp up. This is worsened by the fact that my big toe is the only one that fills the entire toe sleeve.

I started bouldering wearing VFFs and couldn't do even basic problems because my fucking feet had no gripping ability. Climbing shoes made a tremendous difference.

[Skirita]

Bullshit. Ballerinas wear special "pointe shoes" with padded, reinforced, broad toes for the purpose of standing on pointe on a flat surface.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointe_shoes

VFFs only compliment activities for which human feet are evolved, i.e. to walk and run, and arguably to climb trees and such, but not for edging and smearing on vertical rock walls (I'm not talking about artificial indoor walls).

The problem is that our big toes are (1) bigger than our fingertips, (2) round and (3) pliant, even with calluses. You can't grip an edge smaller than what you could grip with yoru fingertips. Climbing shoes offer an advantage by providing a rigid, angular, fingertip-size point of contact to grip tiny edges.

Furthermore, you can't "smear" with VFFs. Climbing shoes are made of a vulcanized rubber that is "sticky," whereas the VFFs just slip off.

That, combined with the fact that only my big toe fills the entire toe sleeve, make technical edging impractical with VFFs. Like I said, they're awesome for other purposes, just not technical outdoor bouldering.

[shivers]

Since we've gone off topic into gayness, I have to say that Kurt, you are so wrong about coldharvest. If papa bear were gay, he would score fucking mad!

[Woodsman]

Where do you climb, Skirita?

That, combined with the fact that only my big toe fills the entire toe sleeve, make technical edging impractical with VFFs. Like I said, they're awesome for other purposes, just not technical outdoor bouldering.

[coldharvest]

Since we've gone off topic into gayness, I have to say that Kurt, you are so wrong about coldharvest. If papa bear were gay, he would score fucking mad!

Thanks babe.

[Skirita]

Where do you climb, Skirita?

Believe it or not, there are some excellent bouldering spots in Central Park. And up in Kurt's neighborhood. Good Manhattan schist.

See: http://www.climbnyc.com/climb/

The NY Times and Empire State building aren't half-bad, either. I mean, they're no Petronas Towers, but they're much more conveniently located.

[shivers]

[Chimborazo]

I've had my KSOs for about a year and a half and love them. My only complaint is that they do get damn hot sometimes, so I just ordered a pair of classics. Mostly, I use them for some light running (not a big runner), hiking, fishing, yard work, and for around the house/yard when I'm at the beach. I work from home, so I do tend to wear them during the day when I want something on my feet. They've really helped strengthen my feet and calves, and wearing shoes now sucks for me. Woodsman's comment about them "massaging" your calves the first few times you run in them is an understatement...holy shit, I could hardly walk after my first run. I may pick up a pair of VFF Flows for the colder months, but we'll see what Vibram has planned for their Autumn lineup. I'm also thinking about getting s pair of the TrekSports for hiking those areas where I want more traction.

For those of you who can't get over the toe pockets but still want thin soled, zero drop shoes, try the Merrell barefoot line. I have a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves that I wear when I go out and don't want the toe shoes. However, I find myself going out more and more while wearing my VFFs (grocery store, errands, etc.).

[Gex]

Ive had mine for 2 years now, but they have shrunk a bit and I cant wear them with socks anymore. Would still recommend them. Ive run 5k and 20k races with them and they make you feel quite fast. And its an instant conversation starter.