vibram five fingers news, reviews, and fan forums

The Birth of Birthday Shoes

Over a year ago, when Justin mentioned to me that he was starting a blog about Vibram Five Fingers and minimalist footwear, I thought it was interesting, but after looking at a pair of VFFs, I didn't really think they would catch on (wrong!). We ended up tossing around ideas for a domain name and I came up with BirthdayShoes.com as a play on "Birthday Suit". He liked it! Then, Justin went off to build his blog and I wasn't involved in Birthday Shoes at that point.

I occasionally peeked in at the site and a year quickly flew by. Then, a few months ago we were talking how Birthday Shoes had really taken off and how Justin was overloaded with other work duties and we agreed that I would help out with the blog. He even sent me some Classics so I could feel like part of the club. Now, after seeing how passionate folks are about their Five Fingers and wearing mine for a few months, I can see that the phenomena of VFFs is here to stay.

Guest Post by Rachel

The women's aqua Vibram Five Fingers KSOs a hit? ...
... or a case of "fit" or miss?

I never thought I would own a pair of Vibram Five Fingers KSOs. I started out with the Sprints, planned to get a pair of KSO Treks eventually, and contemplated the Classic for dressier use. The KSOs struck me as redundant and I worried about getting my feet into them. I have high arches and tall, muscular feet, and I rarely can find closed-top shoes like clogs that fit. I also don’t like bright colors on my feet; indeed most of my wardrobe overall is earthtoned with a few spots of color.

Yet here I am, happily wearing a pair of bright aqua KSO Vibram Five Fingers - with the camouflage pattern on the soles no less.

Mike is a lucky guy to have a hip father-in-law who encouraged him to try running in Vibram Five Fingers. He shared his story with us:

Thanks for telling us about your extra cool father-in-law and good luck on knocking out those next 5 half marathons in your Five Fingers.

We've just learned that a new Light Grey-Blue (The color combination is called Colorway) Vibram Five Fingers Sprint for women has been released and is, surprise, available for purchase from CitySports!

The Sprint is one of the original Vibram models and has the signature open-top with a single strap. Also, like it's strapless cousin the Classic, the Sprint has no midsole (The KSO has a 2mm midsole), so it's the most minimalist Vibram that is suitable for outdoor wear. In this summer heat, open-topped Vibrams are the way to go!

Historically, the Sprint has been the preferred model for women and I'm glad to see this cool (sorta icy!) new color.

The sizes available (as of right now) are 36 - 42 and they sell for 80 bucks! Remember: you can get free shipping on these by using the coupon code BIRTHDAY. Go to City Sports!

Vibram has just (via an 8AM press release today, July 26, 2010) launched a Vibram Five Fingers Bikila micro-site at the domain YouAreTheTechnology.com! I didn't make that link active for a reason:

Before you go madly rushing off to YouAreTheTechnology.com, let me tell you just a wee bit more!

I'll be "brief:" it's an awesomely provocative website: bold, brazen, edgy, and bare. For you office dwellers: it's NSFW (Hence, the warning). I'll show what I mean via a screencap of what you'll find at YouAreTheTechnology.com after the jump!

Note: The screencap is also NSFW, but at least a little smaller, so office dwellers proceed with caution!

Guest Post by Lindsey

Racing Flats as a Minimalist Alternative

I'm no marathoner (far from it!), but lately I've been looking for the best alternative to Vibram Five Fingers. I've been running in VFFs for several months now and throw in a little barefoot running as well.

Since I have to wear a conventional looking shoe for my upcoming military training, I needed to find something that would suit my needs. I wanted a shoe that was light, flexible, and as minimalistic as possible. I had long considered the Mizuno Wave Universe 3 flat, but its price tag made me consider other options first. So instead, I decided that perhaps cross country (XC) flats would be a good substitute as I could find them cheaper than the Mizunos. I tried the Saucony Shay XC 2 first as it met all the basic requirements. Unfortunately, I had to send them back twice for the proper size (they run small), and once I did get the proper size, I disliked the molded sole around the arch, and the general narrow fit of the shoe. I can imagine the Saucony Shay XC 2 as a great trail shoe, one that excels in its purpose, but the aggressive tread and fit of the shoe made it inappropriate for my needs.

I also purchased a pair of Saucony Kinvara on a whim. Unfortunately, these are more like reduced running shoes than actual minimalist shoes. They do promote more of a midfoot strike as advertised, but I didn't really enjoy running in them. I think they might be a decent transition shoe (akin to the Nike Free, perhaps), but they are somewhat stiff and way more shoe than I want to run in. I believe that their cushioning might be beneficial for me as a marching shoe. I found if I took the insole out, the shoe felt much flatter, more neutral, and more along the lines of what it should have been in the first place. I will be playing around with these more to see if they will fill the role of a marching/drill shoe while I am in training. Unfortunately, they just don't suit my needs as a running shoe. Nevermind the fact that that they're fluorescent pink. Yikes!

Enter the Mizuno Wave Universe 3

...and a special message from Vibram Five Fingers to counterfeiters!

First the "select footwear" partnership with Merrell ... (or jump to the "message")

Vibram has partnered with Merrell to launch "Merrell Barefoot," a collection of "six minimalist styles for men and women" for Spring 2011 according to a July 2010 article titled Sole Mates written by Greg Dutter for Footwear Plus Magazine (Click "Current issue," page 42: also here).

According to the article, the partnership plays off of the two brands being "long-term partners in creating some of the outdoor market's top-selling shoes" with Merrell's aim being "to build on what Vibram is creating [around barefoot technology] for a Merrell audience that's potentially a little different," according to Merrell's general manager, Jim Zwiers.

That said, don't expect Merrell Barefoot to look like Vibram Five Fingers — these are slated to be mono-toed "shoes." Per the article:

Major Update! City Sports just got the KSO Remix and Smartwool Classics in! Read more.

Birthday Shoes is happy to introduce The Shoe Mart as a new site sponsor and simultaneously give you a preview of the new Vibram Five Fingers 2010 Fall line-up.

The Shoe Mart is based out of Norwalk, Connecticut, and has been selling shoes since 1956. They carry the full line of Vibram Five Fingers (Depending on inventory), offer free shipping, and ship internationally and accept Paypal! As always, all stores listed on BirthdayShoes.com are checked out — you can be confident you are getting the real thing and not fake five fingers.

So without further ado here is a photo gallery of the Fall 2010 Vibram Five Fingers line-up.

Michael "Sifu" Banaag is quite an accomplished martial artist and self-defense instructor. He was taught by James DeMile, a student of Bruce Lee. He is also a Vibram Five Fingers fan and wears KSOs to train and teach self defense. He recently acquired a pair of Classics and removed the cord by following our Strap Removal [MOD] post. Read the rest to see what Michael says about his new modded Classics: