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So what was the reasoning behind a Europe-only release?

Those are fuglier than my blue camo KSOs! Love the concept tho and will probably be in line to test drive them when they arrive in the US.

I think these could be the breakthrough VFF "shoe", since they kind of look like regular shoes and thus may be more marketable to the masses. May be easier to transition people if they can put something on that kinda looks like a standard running shoe (or "ruining" shoe, since that's what they do to my body). My family laughs every time I put on my black KSOs and "apeman" goes out running! But boy do I love 'em!

As nice as those speed's are, I'm still majorly upset they're not coming out in the US (at least not for awhile). Imay end up ordering them online, but then it's I think i'm taking a big gamble.
I'm new to Vibram and I'm very enticed, I'm in the transitioning phase right now (i know i'm supposed to ease myself into barefoor instead of just plunging right in) and i should be ready just about when the Bikila's release.
Any word on how durable they are though? I run upwards of 35 miles a week through track at school, i don't want them to wear out on me in a month or two.
PS: he's still heel striking in them, that's just going to cause more problems than a heel strike in a normal shoe.

I'm waiting for them to be avaiable but the release term has been postponed everyday.
to dan maybe he is heelstriking only on the track and wouldn't do it on the road... just a thought.
Maybe the reason why they are europe only is cause Vibram is a small italian company and maybe they still struggle to produce enough with the increasing demand of this product. But i wouldn't be surprised if this company continues growing in the years to come

In a day-and-age of mass-production (and China), there is no good reason for production difficulties imo - especially not if they have 4 or 5 or 6 different companies producing them, as was claimed in another article on this website.

I can't begin to speculate on why they are doing limited releases and only offering certain models in certain geographical areas.... but it sure is having the effect of ramping up demand.

Unfortunately a company doesn't make money by making its customers WANT its goods...it makes money by SELLING. And I think that delays and excuses and poor production capacity will cost Vibram more in the long run than making the investment up-front for proper production facilities.

I can't wait to somehow order a pair of these from Europe. Too bad they won't be out in the US anytime soon.

One thing I noticed in these test black shoes is the ugly gray soles. They look terrible. All the other pictures on the net have black soles under the front toes, which looks much better. Ah well, I'll just have to paint them if they come gray!

I'd like only to say that if Vibram start producing this shoes in China and not in Italy (where I live)or Europe, quality would likely go down and you wouldn't be so satisfied again. We are facing low quality product with too much outsourcing in China. I have no problem with China, I speak the language also, but the quality is low.

Okay! I just received my gorgeous pair of Vibram Speeds from 5dedos.com in Spain. They cost me $160 US incl. shipping. I had to wait about 6 weeks after my order to receive them. Here are my notes on them as I didn't know where else to post them on the net. I hope they help potential buyers.

I own one other pair of VFFs -- KSO in black.

1) STYLING. They look AMAZING. IMO they are the first fashionably styled VFF shoe. I don't mind the gray toe soles at all. I painted in black over the yellow logos on my black KSO's and splattered some white paint on them to fashion those up some, but I won't be modding the Speeds at all.

2) DESIGN Needless to say, the laces provide an excellent customizable fit. I assume that would be great for high arches. (My arches are normal but my ankles are pronated and wearing shoes for so many years eventually caused plantar fasciitis. I believe the VFFs are slowing healing me of this!)

3) COMFORT Even after wearing these for just a couple hours, it became obvious that they breathe much better than the KSOs due to the greater mesh surface area on the upper. Also, the sole seems to have a more comfortable feel, but that may be due to sizing.

4) Sizing. This one is very important. Originally when shopping for the KSO's, I went to a store in Beverly Hills and tried M40s and M41s. I found the M40's too snug, and the M41s too loose. This was judging by the end of my toes either smashed into the pocket ends, or not grazing them. So I did some research online and found that WOMEN'S size 42 (the largest) was exactly in between M40 and M41. I ordered them online and had to wait six weeks to get them.

Finally I got them in the mail and while the length was perfect, since I have wide man-feet, they were too narrow and rubbed my feet uncomfortably. I called Vibram about this and they recommended Bodyglide sport lube and that helped tremendously.

When shopping for the Speeds, I found a quick mention somewhere that the Speeds fit "a little" more snugly than the KSOs, so I went with M41.

I must say they are CONSIDERABLY smaller than the M41 KSOs I tried on. In fact, when I place them next to my W42 KSOs, they are SHORTER, not longer as the KSOs. I would say that Speeds run about 3/4 of a size smaller than KSOs!

The width is excellent.

So my toes are rubbing the ends of the toe pockets a little, not grazing them. I hope that they stretch out in the length. If not, I might sell them on Ebay or something. Either that, or just tough it out until I buy my next pair in M42 or something. How frustrating. Well, I can definitely use them. Most likely I am right in between men's sizes, though the KSO's run larger than the Speeds.

Hope this review helped! I might check back in. The forums are down now or else I would post my findings there too.

Hey Gabriel. I use M41 KSO's and they are a tiny tiny bit big. Would you say I s hould get M42's in Speed? I have a friend in Europe coming over soon and I could possibly get a pair with free shipping!