http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/run/8/Inov...es/5360047092/
Anyone thought about these instead of the five fingers? look like they offer a little more protection.
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http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/run/8/Inov...es/5360047092/
Anyone thought about these instead of the five fingers? look like they offer a little more protection.
Chaps and 'esses, a word to the wise. In the run-up to the London marathon we are seeing loads of foot problems due to people running on tarmac in this type of shoe. The lesson is you need to feed your mileage in VERY carefully and stop immediately if you get any kind of discomfort and restart at a lower level.
These things will wreck your feet if used injudiciously...much like anything else really.
wise words from the wise (ahem) old man;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Wheeze
I don't think these are designed for running in. There's a thread the rocolite190s http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showthread.php?t=10451 Inov8 insider gives his opinion on them.Quote:
Originally Posted by markdavy
I completed 2 marathons in VFF KSO.Quote:
Originally Posted by nightingale
On the 1st one the temperature was on the colder side (October in Quebec province - Canada). Everything went fine. Nothing else than the typical discomfort you get after compelting a marathon shod or not.
On the 2nd. After 15 km or so I wasn't pleased with the reading I kept having from the HRM. I decided to play it safe and complete the marathon way more slower than what I was going for. In the last hour or so the temperature raised which gave us a temp around 30 degree Celsius with humidity factor (it was late in May in Ontario province - Canada). I have problem dealing with temperature higher than 25 degree Celsius and because of that my running form is really not improving in those conditions. It probably trigered a mild case of PF.
The lessons I learned from those 2 marathons in VFF?
1- If you're not able to barefoot a full marathon you better play it safe with VFF if you have any doubt that you won't be able to keep a decent running form for the full marathon distance. FYI I can complete a BareFoot Half Marathon easily ( I already did it and will do it again at the end of May ).
2- There is a big pitfall with VFF. It will enable you to do too much too soon and you might pay for it on a relatively short term basis. I now think that you better focuss on improving you're running form with Barefoot Running and avoid pushing distances using a minimalist alternative.
As my Running Club's Coach is making us working more on the aerobic endurance side than VO2max speed in speed work quality sessions I started BFing some sessions and I found out that I still have a running form issue with my left leg (the PF is trigered on my left foot only).
So I won't do a full marathon in VFF until I feel confident that I'll be able to keep a good running form for the full distance. :)
I know this has been discussed before, but sadly the search function rejects the term VFF as too short and returns no results for 'Vibram Five Fingers'
Does anyone have any experience of these shoes? Obviously they look pretty silly, but is there any substance to them?
Cheers
Merged with the previous thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by Facewest-Stu
I think they are a great training tool, I've use mine (KSO) for nearly a year pretty much once or twice a week for recovery/short runs and am pleased with them, I feel my feet have got stronger, particularly the ankles in the last year. I like the looks and comments they get and have also worn them on holiday and at festivals. As to how silly they look, I used to think the same towards crocs, which now look okay as they are everywhere.Quote:
Originally Posted by Facewest-Stu
That's a non sequitur. They still look stupid no matter how many people are wearing them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Twister
Yeah, but you sort of get used to them, and they become excepted.
http://birthdayshoes.com/vibram-five...race-fell-race
There was a link to the above article on the minimalist runners forum. I think Steve posts here from time to time. The treks are still not available in the UK... If I was to buy a pair of VFF for the first time then I would have brought the treks. Damn expensive shoes for what they are. I probably wouldn't replace my pair of KSO until Vibram have sorted out supply, distribution and cost, I'm personally looking forward to what inov-8 are coming up with regarding "the ultimate barefoot" shoe
Twister,Quote:
Originally Posted by Twister
Do you have the opportunity to find a store near you who have pairs of regular KSO on shelves? If the answer is yes I might have a solution for you. I am anxious to get a pair of inov-8 ultimate fell racers and I'm afraid the store who can sell inov-8 to me here in Canada won't have the ultimate as soon as it will be available to you. :D
Oops sorry Twister I did not read your post corectly. Looks like you own a pair of KSO so you know your size.Quote:
Originally Posted by bfluc
As I wrote I might have the solution for you...
Recent review of KSO's on iRunfar.com
http://www.irunfar.com/2010/05/vibra...so-review.html
Before anyone splashes out major dosh for a pair of "genuine" fivefingers, you should take a look at these :D
http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.fivefingers
Stumbled upon this while looking at cheap headlamps.
I guess it was only a matter of time before the chinese clones appeared on the market. Got to be worth a try for that price (and worldwide free postage, though be prepared to wait a few weeks!) though i guess quality may be ropey, and sizing is likely to be a lottery until a few more people have posted on the dealextreme forum about them. The one single thing that has so far put me off fivefingers is the price (plus not having anywhere near so I can try them for size) but these are probably closer to the real cost of manufacturing the things.
Now I'll just sit here and wait for the abuse for advocating buying 'knock-offs' and how it undermines all the R&D vibram have done etc etc :o
Having done a bit of googling, it seems these fakes are pretty commonplace, and many retailers are sellings these or something like it (for a lot more than $30!) as real fivefingers. Beware!
Having done a bit more googling, it seems you're well advised to steer clear of any of these fakes (dodgy fit/build/materials) + need to be very careful that the place you're buying from is a legit dealer- there apparently LOADS that aren't. So please ignore the enthusiastic tone of my earlier post. I won't delete it, so my naivety can stand as a warning to others...
I am thinking of becoming a VFF stockist and would like some info from anyone actually interested in buying a pair. I would like to gauge which models people are interested in and if your shoes came with a carriage paid returns bag would you be happy to buy 1,2 or even 3 pairs on the internet, try them at home and then return whatever is unwanted for a refund.
Thanks
Speed and Trek models.Quote:
Originally Posted by Facewest-Stu
Speed would cover the road runners out there, and the Treks would cover the trail runners.
Personaly, I would wait to see what Inov8 are coming out with. The X-Talons 190 look promising.
The problem with VFF's is that they can't really handle the fells!
Bilika's and "sport" treks that are to be released at the end of the year. I've got KSO's but if I was going to buy them again I'd be looking at the treks, or perhaps Bilika's. Great to see another shop interested in the minimalist shoe scene. Won't be long before it goes mainstream, what with runners world denouncing the "wet foot" test...
http://chrismcdougall.com/blog/2010/...d-and-mr-hyde/
Amongst a lot of other things... Very interesting... Very interesting indeed.
[QUOTE=Terry the Tortoise;335766 The X-Talons 190 look promising.[/QUOTE]
These will be out July/August they will minimalist "off-road/fell shoes with the X-Talon sticky sole.
The F-Lite 195 is out the same time for those wanting a minimalist shoe for road
Lots of interesting "minimalist" shoes for off-road & road for 2011 :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry the Tortoise
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inov-8 Insider
Ahh but are they going to be zero differential??? Lots of folk on the minimalist runner group are saying it has a 3mm differential...
Twister
Both the X-Talon 190 & F-Lite 195 will be our first 1 arrow shoes, these will now have a differential of 3mm.( get a ruler and measure 3millimetres)
Personally I dont know of any other "off road" shoe with a sticky studded sole that is close to it for that minimalist/barefoot feel.
Inov-8 Insider,Quote:
Originally Posted by Inov-8 Insider
Could you tell us when it'll be possible to buy them? Will both models be available at the end of summer?
Thanks!
Luc
Both models of the 1 arrow shoes ( X-Talon 190 & F-Lite 195) will be in stores end of July/AugQuote:
Originally Posted by bfluc
Is there any pics of the new shoes?Quote:
Originally Posted by Inov-8 Insider
I think there's a picture of the X-Talon 190 on page 19 of this thread :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by hopey
Another question or 2. I tested a couple of pairs of X-Talon 212 today and I wasn't able to resist buying a pair. The size I choose is 42 (I'll use it with the insole removed). I would have also liked to test F-Lite as well if they had them in store.Quote:
Originally Posted by Inov-8 Insider
Shall I expect F-Lite 230 or 195 to be the same sizing?
Can I use the F-Lite with the insole removed? (I mean is the feeling similar to the X-Talon with insole removed?)
Thanks again! :)
I have both,, the F-lites are much more comfy i think as they are seemless at the end, you will be ok with the insole removed.Quote:
Originally Posted by bfluc
Thanks scott!Quote:
Originally Posted by scott baistow 93
The sizing is the same? :)
I wear the same size in both X-Talon 212 & F-Lite 230.Quote:
Originally Posted by bfluc
And the new X-Talon 190 .
Met up and ran (barefoot of course!) with Chris McDougall last week. Really fascinating and down to earth guy.... much less evangelical than I expected and very positive/realistic about the latest wave of minimalistic/natural shoes. Agrees completely about the grip issues, especially on wet grass, of the Vibrams. Insider, he was very interested in what you guys are up to.
Chris Mc Dougall acknowledges that we have always been on the right track HEREQuote:
Originally Posted by nikalas
Went for my first run the other day in VFF KSOs. Very educational indeed. It is very apparent which part of the foot strikes the ground first and how that changes over time and gradient.
I am only just a mid foot striker where as I would have said I was a definite mid foot runner.
Shortening your stride length and upping cadence downhill lessens the obvious impact of downhill heel striking with no cushioning
The underfoot protection even over rough and stoney ground seemed fine althought the grip on wet grass and mud would be in the 'scary' category.
I did a 35min off road run in the wet, maybe a bit long for the first outing and my knees did feel funny towards the end, but no soreness after.
My plan is to run once a week in them and see what happens over time. I got some orthotics last year which really helped the sore knees which had developed from doing more super long fell races and BG training. But my knees are not as good as there were 2 years ago so am hoping that some barefoot running, stretching and use of orthotics (wether permanently or temporarily) will all combine to sort me out.
On the subject of descending. I think a lot of fell runners would benefit from training in VFF. I see time and time again runners bombing down hills with a straight lead leg (just look at any set of fell running photos and it'll be the majority of runners doing this). Now its obvious why, cause we want to reach out for the ground in front of us, but this almost always forces the heel strike. Now couple this with the forces that are magnified when we run downhill and it is no wonder that most fell runners complain about sore knees.
Joss knew what he was talking about when he said try and bend the knees on descent. We have to start thinking of our legs a pair of shock absorbers, when wearing minimal shoes for running you will bend you legs more automatically, you will land midfoot and you will have a shorter stride.
If you then practice this technique on descent you will become a descending machine. Yes there is no grip with the VFF, but I've found that if you find the sweet spot, the point where momentum and footstrike are in perfect balance with your mass then you will not fall over. it is a leap of faith and you have to go for it, you have to lean a bit downhill too. It can feel a bit disconcerting. It also feels quite utterly amazing.
i have a pair of vff kso treks. once you adopt a barefoot running style they are good. ran from top withens to the conduit above the waggon and horses and they felt great. if you want to know about the running style take a look at the book born to run and find chris mcdougal/barefoot ted and others. sorry if these have been mentioned before, haven't read the whole thread. the uk prices are crazy, i found mine (yes i know) from china, looking at the pics of the real one's i can't find any differences.
Ragarding running style someone on another forum suggested viewing the video on this webpage http://www.mattmetzgar.com/matt_metz...ing-video.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by haworth hobbler
the video looks good, if you dig around the web pages of barefoot ken bob and barefoot ted you will find similar advice. it feels strange to run forefoot first but is a very soft landing for your foot if you are bare foot or nearly. you will find your calf muscles will be sore if you do too much at once, but with time you running should feel better. many now feel shoes are a runners enemy: they cause more problems than they are meant to solve. 2 million years of upright running cannot be ignored!
Thirty years of running shoe technology has brought us no further forward.
More cushioning;same amount of injuries.
HERE