It takes anything from weeks to years to do a good review of a product. I have had these since June of 2010 and here is my experience with the Vibram 5 Finger Bikila running shoes.
Red Vibram 5 Finger Bikila
I first started looking into the Vibram 5 Finger shoes when I developed a knee problem. I did some research, read the forums and reviews. One of the reviews said that after running in them the knee pain and back pain disappeared and that’s all I needed to hear. I decided to give them a shot and ordered the Vibram 5 Finger Bikila which is made specifically for running.
After receiving them in the mail I tried to follow everything that I have read on the forums. One of the tips is not to start out too hard and do too much. I kept my distance short, 2-3 km per run, but I tried to use the Vibram 5 fingers on every run which was not so good. After a few runs in the Vibram 5 Finger, regular running shoes seemed heavy and uncomfortable so I continued to run in the minimalistic shoes. I was a forefoot runner to begin with but these shoes made me more aware of how my foot was striking the ground. I started to land softer and almost glide instead of bouncing up and down. Some people choose to go barefoot in the Vibram’s but I used Injinji socks, and that worked great for me.
Max's Vibram Bikila
After a few weeks a pain developed somewhere around my medial cuneiform bone and the metatarsal bone. It became painful to run on that foot but the good thing is that the knee pain was gone. I took a break from the Vibram 5 fingers and went back to my regular shoes, Asics Kayano. After a few weeks the pain went away and I decided to use the Vibram 5 fingers once a week on my short runs and inside on treadmill runs. It has worked so far and I am enjoying running again pain free, knock on wood. The Vibram 5 Fingers hold up pretty well too. I have been running in mine for about 9 months and they show little wear and tear.
One of the main things is to make sure you order theright size. If you are ordering them online and don’t have a chance to try them on somewhere in a
Max's Vibram Bikila sideview
store, measure your foot according to the instructions on www.Vibramfivefingers.com and contact them to get their opinion on the size that you should get. Mine fit just right. Have fun running and remember to take it easy and be careful!
What are your thoughts on the Vibram 5 Fingers? Have you tried any other minimalistic shoes?
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Konstantin says:
June 3, 2011 at 4:27 pm (UTC 3)
I got Vibrams for my birthday in December, so I was looking forward to the warm weather to try them out. Once I did a run in them, I was hooked. I love walking around the house barefoot, but now I can also run outside almost barefoot. After doing a few runs in Vibrams, now I even find it hard to run in my regular shoes, they feel a little awkward.
I am ready to try some other minimalist shoe now, because I can not run a marathon in Vibrams yet but don’t want to run marathons in my usual full-support shoes.
Any ideas?