NCR: Vibram Five Finger Shoes

[Just Keep Pedaling]

Buy them...

 

 

...if you are a monkey!

[Mrs CycleFan]

I've read the book 'Born to Run' - was brilliant and provides lots of food for thought! i'm also thinking of getting a pair of Vibrams and have also been advised by my bio not to just go out there and run a 5km! anyone got ITB and tried them???? would be interested to know if it helped! i'm still suffering with my right knee

[bikemonster]

Buy them...

 

 

...if you are a monkey!

 

Nobody on here is a monkey.

 

As we do not have tails though, zoologically speaking we are all apes.

 

 

 

(Lights blue touch paper and retires.)

[Robby ˚__˚]

They are available at Trappers in Fourways Crossing. They have a range of models, male and female... I have a pair - they are awesome.

[Soutie]

They are the best shoes out and out!!!!

 

THe new range of Bikila and speed are AWESOME!!!

 

What would you like the perpose of the shoe to be for?Comfort/causaul wearing, running, rock climbing, any water sport ect?

 

There is a WIDE range of these shoes.Where are you based?Can tell you the outlets in your region then and what kind are you looking for.All stores stock differant styles

 

You can have a look on the websit www.vibramfivefingers.co.za

 

Regards

Soutie

[Tumbleweed]

Is the upper quite stretchy? Comfy for wide feet?

[Mackie]

I am now on holiday for a few weeks, the only shoes I will wear are my MTB shoes, other tahn that I will roll barefoot only, luckily I live in Ballito and slops and t-shirts are considered smart casual.

[Mrs CycleFan]

They are the best shoes out and out!!!!

 

THe new range of Bikila and speed are AWESOME!!!

 

What would you like the perpose of the shoe to be for?Comfort/causaul wearing, running, rock climbing, any water sport ect?

 

There is a WIDE range of these shoes.Where are you based?Can tell you the outlets in your region then and what kind are you looking for.All stores stock differant styles

 

You can have a look on the websit www.vibramfivefingers.co.za

 

Regards

Soutie

I'm based in PE - and need them for running - you know of the outlets that stock them?

[Alida]

I've read the book 'Born to Run' - was brilliant and provides lots of food for thought! i'm also thinking of getting a pair of Vibrams and have also been advised by my bio not to just go out there and run a 5km! anyone got ITB and tried them???? would be interested to know if it helped! i'm still suffering with my right knee

 

I suffer from ITB and have given up on physio, anti-inflammatories and Power Balance. I run with a knee guard and recently took to finishing my runs barefoot - when I run barefoot there is no pain in my knee whatsoever so I reckon there's something with me and my running shoes that doesn't make for a happy ITB.

 

Tested a pair of Vibrams and still no knee pain so that's the way I'm headed = ordered a pair of the Speeds yesterday and waiting for them to arrive any ... minute ... now.

[Vetseun]

Lekker nasty looking legs you got there Dangle.

[Cycle Fan]

who stocks inov8 shoes? ive been looking for ages and cant find anyone that stocks them

 

Triangle Sports in PE stocks them

[Wyatt Earp]

Lekker nasty looking legs you got there Dangle.

Lelike goeters hey.

[Thug]

I suffer from ITB and have given up on physio, anti-inflammatories and Power Balance. I run with a knee guard and recently took to finishing my runs barefoot - when I run barefoot there is no pain in my knee whatsoever so I reckon there's something with me and my running shoes that doesn't make for a happy ITB.

 

Tested a pair of Vibrams and still no knee pain so that's the way I'm headed = ordered a pair of the Speeds yesterday and waiting for them to arrive any ... minute ... now.

 

I did the Growler run a couple of Sunday's ago (www.growler.co.za) and there was a woman who ran in plain leather sandals, all 23km's !!

 

So maybe there is something about running barefoot or with no cushioning.

 

I gave up running Comrades as once I hit 60km's and over, ITB kicked in but I've never had ITB hassles for any ultra off-road race that I'[ve since competed in (Rhodes, Skyrun, Amatola Trail, Mont-Aux-Sources).

[Soutie]

HI there

 

Ok in PE at the shop Due South Greenacres shopping mall but they only have the Sprint and the KSO....Older ranges.

 

Then new one thats a lot more comfortable to run is is the Bikila or the speed.

 

Hope you come right.If dont PM me and will try make a plan for one to be shipped for you to PE from Capetown where the warehouse is.

 

Regards

Soutie

[nathrix]

Barefoot Running Shoes: How Effective Are They?

 

Dr. Robert A. Kornfeld

 

Founder of the Institute for Integrative Podiatric Medicine

Posted: December 28, 2010 07:49 AM

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-robert-a-kornfeld/barefoot-running-shoes_b_801781.html

 

Fads come and go. In my practice, one of the most frequent questions asked is about the effectiveness of barefoot running shoes. My answer? We are in the midst of another passing fad of products, this time designed to mimic or support "nature." And who doesn't want to be more natural these days?

 

Barefoot running shoes are designed to re-create a "natural," barefoot running dynamic on "unnatural" surfaces like concrete, asphalt, red top, black top, etc. How can we have a barefoot running shoe? Doesn't barefoot denote without shoes?

 

Choosing to run on non-yielding surfaces without the protection afforded by proper running shoes can be harmful to the foot and ankle and cause even more problems downstream from compensation patterns. So what really are these pedal marvels and why is everyone running to take their shoes off?

 

Barefoot running shoe manufacturers believe that the human foot, unimpeded by synthetic surfaces and restrictive running shoes, should function at its best. That is a correct assumption, save for the fact that the human foot was designed long before the paving of roads. In fact, uneven, grassy surfaces are the most natural surface for the human foot because it helps the body navigate and respond to uneven terrain, while at the same time absorbs shock, stabilizes weight and propels the body forward. In order for this to occur successfully, most of us are born with a flexible forefoot and a rigid or stable rearfoot. In other words, at heel strike -- when your heel hits the ground -- your leg from the hip down is aligned for optimal function and is stabilized during normal walking.

 

As weight passes forward over the forefoot, on the natural yielding surfaces of grass, the foot is flexible enough to respond to the stress of uneven terrain yet stable enough for the rearfoot musculature to propel the body forward. In fact, because the rearfoot houses the Achilles' tendon, the posterior tibial tendon and the peroneal tendons (the powerhouses of propulsion), the actual heel strike against the ground becomes much less necessary when running on natural surfaces like grass and soil.

 

It is this dynamic -- the decrease in heel strike -- barefoot running shoes seeks to achieve. This is precisely why this technology is failing its mission. The lack of heel strike on unnatural surfaces is not mimicking the way the foot would perform barefoot on natural surfaces. For this very reason, these shoes will eventually come up short, as the foot requires either cushioned heel strike on an unnatural surface or minimal heel strike on natural surfaces.

 

Since the majority of body weight passes through the first metatarsal bone and big toe -- the first ray -- during the process of forefoot propulsion, it becomes obvious that any abnormalities in this part of the foot spell disaster. Since we find that the greater majority of humans have a flexible first metatarsal bone, and since we know the greater majority of runners are running on non-yielding surfaces like asphalt and concrete, we find that a flexible first metatarsal will meet the non-yielding surface and will be pushed hard, up away from the ground surface upon contact. This dynamic then creates a decreased range of motion in the first metatarso-phalangeal joint (what we know as the bunion joint).

 

Try this. Hold your first metatarsal and pull it up as hard as you can, then with your other hand try to pull your big toe upward toward your ankle. You will find the joint will jam up and feel restricted. Now, hold your first metatarsal and apply pressure down toward the floor, then with your other hand, pull your big toe up toward your ankle. You will find a dramatic increase in the upward range of motion of the big toe -- this is normalized function.

 

Runners wearing barefoot running shoes will experience the first dynamic: decreased power of propulsion afforded by the big toe because the muscle contraction is now restricted and less efficient. This in turn causes the rearfoot powerhouse muscles to compensate for this decreased propulsion power. If this dynamic happens over and over with every step, and our barefoot running shoes are depending upon forefoot stability for propulsion power, can you begin to see the pathology that eventually occurs?

 

We will see things like first metatarsal phalangeal joint pain, pain under the second metatarsal head, Achilles' tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, posterior tibial tendinitis and/or peroneal tendinitis. Eventual stress fractures of the metatarsals may occur in addition to knee, hip and back problems.

 

So who should be using barefoot running shoes? The answer is very few people should. Only those people with stable (not flexible) first metatarsals will do well with these shoes, as well as those with very powerful lower leg musculature (although even those with powerful lower leg function will ultimately go on to some type of pathology).

 

So let's get real. If you are a serious runner, you need to see a podiatrist who is also trained in functional foot typing, as developed by Dr. Dennis Shavelson to find out if barefoot running shoes are for you. If not, you can safely wear conventional running shoes manufactured by companies who have spent years on research and technology with the addition of a proper running orthotic.

 

 

Follow Dr. Robert A. Kornfeld on Twitter: www.twitter.com/holfoot153

[Wyatt Earp]

Interesting article there but it comes short on facts, it's not actually a study but an opinion or many opinions given in the article based on logic.

I am of the opinion that it's this kind of logic that often throws thought provoking articles out there and often these articles are to be read as fact.

I will say that barefoot running is not without any fault or injury, but I will also say that the injuries associated with normal running far outweighs those you get from barefoot running.

 

The good doctor even contradicts himself or he simply can't distinguish the difference between walking and running.

 

From the article:

 

when your heel hits the ground -- your leg from the hip down is aligned for optimal function and is stabilized during normal walking.

 

 

the lack of heel strike on unnatural surfaces is not mimicking the way the foot would perform barefoot on natural surfaces. For this very reason, these shoes will eventually come up short, as the foot requires either cushioned heel strike on an unnatural surface or minimal heel strike on natural surfaces.

 

What the good doctor fails to mention is that when you forefoot strike the impact is far less he also neglects to mention that the metatarsal pad offers better cushioning than any shoe available on the market today.