05.06.10 - The Vibram Five Fingers Bikila is out!

• Vibram Five Fingers Bikila (red/grey) — Review and Photos
• Vibram Five Fingers Bikila (blue/yellow) — Video and Photos
• Also see the just-released Vibram Five Fingers Speed — Review, Video and Photos
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The Bikila Backstory — as reported here at Birthday Shoes

April 15, 2010, the Bikila made it's first appearance at the Boston City Sports store! We've written an exhaustive first look with photos and detailed descriptions and photos on the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila here! General Vibram Bikila product information here.

Buzz about the upcoming running-specific VFF — the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila — is growing by the day. For those just catching wind of this new model from Vibram, the Bikila is the first FiveFingers model designed specifically for use running. It is named in honor of Abebe Bikila, who raced, won, and set a new record running the 1960 Olympic marathon barefoot. The Bikila is set to hit the market in 2010, which is the fiftieth anniversary of Abebe Bikila's historic run. Latest estimates put the release of the Bikila at March April though there is an outside chance it could be out sooner — as soon as February 2010. And if I had to guess, I'd put the release in mid-April, specifically!

A number of tips are putting the Bikila release date in April 2010 (early, mid, late, and later depending on who you talk to!). Incidentally, the Boston Marathon is on April 19, 2010. Coincidence? I don't know. What I do know is that Abebe Bikila raced and won the 1960 Olympic marathon, that Barefoot Ted ran the 2006 Boston Marathon in Vibrams (source), and that Vibram USA is based out of Concord, Massachusetts.

Regardless of the specific date, the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila is going to be here before you know it, and BirthdayShoes will be all over the release!

This page is a compendium of information (some of which is speculation) regarding the Bikila FiveFingers model, including links to specific posts from the blog. If you find something missing from this page, please let me know.

BirthdayShoes Posts on the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila:

• First impressions and photos of the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila! (Note: The Bikila is still not officially "out" aside from what appears to be a few hundred pairs that leaked out in conjunction with the Boston Marathon)
• The Vibram Five Fingers Bikila seen in Boston in time for the Marathon
• CEO Tony Post talks about the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila, Women's KSO Trek, Increased Production, and Sales Growth
• Vibram Five Fingers Bikila Release Date Update [Of Sorts] (plus some Bikila-based wallpaper)
• Photos of a pre-production version of the FiveFingers Bikila seen in Finland
• Detailed look at the Five Fingers Bikila sole
• Another stock shot of the FiveFingers Bikila leaked
• Tony Post shares a few words on the Five Fingers Bikila (See video)
• 2010 catalog (stock) photos of the Vibram Bikila
  
  

The Basics:

From a leaked 2010 distributor catalog, a description of the Bikila:

Unlike any running shoe on the market today, the Bikila is a breakthrough product that encourages a more natural, healthier, and more efficient forefoot strike. While many folks have been running in their Vibram FiveFingers for years, the Bikila is our first model designed specifically for a more natural running experience.

Built on an entirely new platform, the Bikila features a Dri-Lex® covered 3mm polyurethane insole (thickest under the ball) and a 4mm anatomical pod outsole design that offers more plating protection, and distributes forefoot impact without compromising important ground feedback essential to a proper forefoot strike running form. A more athletic padded collar and topline, a single hook and loop closure, 3M refl ective surfaces, and tear resistant TPU toe protection fi nish off this breakthrough design.

Further from the catalog, we learn that the sole employs a foot pod design and uses EVA rather than Vibram rubber at the arch. Here's a screen capture from the catalog (click to expand the image):

Some written thoughts on the Vibram Bikila sole (from this post):

• The sole is 4mm of "podded" Vibram TC-1 rubber (Comparison point: standard VFF thickness is 3mm razor siped). It looks as though these mini-platforms are connected by thinner rubber (the light grey part). This jointed design looks like it is intended to provide a bit more grip on the road while still preserving foot flexibility.
• The arch portion is EVA. The intention here seems to be to reduce weight. It reminds me of the KSO Trek's sole in that the arch section is the most slender as it pertains to the rubber.
• There is 3mm of polyurethane insole that is most thick at the ball of the foot. Note that this is different from the KSO Trek, which has 4mm of EVA midsole.

Colors

Based on stock photos we've seen, we can expect the Bikila in the following colors.
For men:

Teal/Green	Grey/Red	Grey/Palm (Green)

Additionally, per informants who attended the recent Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake (this past weekend January 21 - 24), there may be additional colors already slated to come out — one involving black and one that is blue and grey. A black Bikila wouldn't be surprising as black KSOs are by far the most popular color combination and Vibram released a black KSO Trek, as well. These trade shows seem to include product variations that may just be tests, so who knows (don't get too stoked about black or blue/grey Bikilas yet, in other words). Additionally, there may be a grey/red Bikila (like the men's above) for women. I stress, this is all speculation!

RunNow had a video spot with Georgia Shaw, the Vibram Marketing Maestro, who displays a grey/red Bikila. My hunch is that this is still a sales model, as in the video, I glimpsed separation between the insole and the Bikila body (the aforementioned "tell" for a pre-production model), but who knows. Here are some screen-caps from the video (which I can't embed, unfortunately):

We also saw some "real life" photos of a pre-production/prototype model of the Bikila via Ville in Finland (in teal/green):

A few photos from Ville in Finland who is getting to test-drive a pre-production version (sales sample) of the upcoming FiveFingers Bikila. Note: this isn't the final version which will be released in the Spring.

For women:

Pink/Orange	Grey/Green

Other details

• Each VFF Bikila weighs approximately 6.0 oz (12.0 oz total)
• The upper fabric on the Bikila appears to be seamless
• The Bikila has "TPU toe protection," which is some sort of material on top of the toes, which I'm guessing is to protect against rips in the event you trip and scrape the top of your toes on asphalt
• There are reflective surfaces on the front-strap and heel

Price

Hearing that the Bikilas will retail at $110 $100.

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