More on the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila (2010 Catalog Photos)
By Justin on Jul 29, 2009 | In general | 23 feedbacks »
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
- Subscribe by email to get inventory alerts from Top Online Retailers of Vibram Five Fingers!
Don't ask me how, but I have managed to get my hands on a couple images of the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila that were taken from the 2010 catalog, which was on-hand at the recent Outdoor Retailer Trade Show. These images show off one color option each for the men's and women's fivefingers Bikila!
The men's VFF Bikila is grey/green, a color combo which bears a striking resemblance to the grey/green KSO:
And the women's Bikila pictured is orange/pink/grey soled:
The above (apparently) stock photos do the Bikila more justice than the original overhead (cameraphone?) photo we saw via voycontigo. In short, these Bikila's look awesome.
Things I notice:
- more aggressive tread — reminds me a bit more of the soles you might see on a running shoe. It's partially obscured, but it looks like the focus of the tread takes its lead from the midfoot pad of the foot.
- heel structure — I don't know what else to call this, but there is a distinctive lip around the lower ankle of the Bikila. Perhaps this is to provide sufficient adherence to the heel (and account for the elimination of a rear strapping mechanism). I also wonder if the bit of added material here won't help with wicking moisture away or at least absorbing it. Based on looking at these photos, I don't get the impression that this heel design actually provides any real ankle support.
- thin fabric throughout — like the KSO, the upper fabric looks to be a very thin material.
- some sorta protective covering on the toes — don't know how else to describe the shimmery bit I see on each toe (particularly noticeable on the women's). Maybe this is reflective material? Maybe it provides some structure to the thin fabric toe upper? Your guess is as good as mine.
reflective material on the strap — I think I see silverish reflective material on the little dashes on the right side of the strap. This would make sense in light of the Bikila being geared to on-street running.
All in all, like the upcoming fivefingers Trek is geared to trail running or hiking, the fivefingers Bikila seems to be designed to compliment street/asphalt/concrete running. It's exciting to see that Vibram is expanding their line and taking a concerted stab at providing a VFF running solution!
Of course, it's going to take some time for Vibram to gear up and get the Bikila's out on the street, so I for one am already looking forward to 2010!
I wonder how many times we can twiddle our toes to pass the time until then ...
Other posts regarding new models:
- Vibram USA President Tony Post interviewed — talks about fivefingers Bikila and Trek and you get a glance around his VFFed office!
- original post on the Vibram fivefingers Bikila (and the Euro-release of the Speed)
- On the Vibram fivefingers Trek
- And the Vibram fivefingers Moc (a.k.a. Glove) and Performa
possibly related posts
- Vibram Five Fingers Bikila - the Barefoot Running shoe from Vibram - is here!
- Vibram Five Fingers Boston Barefoot Running Clinic and Boston Marathon News Round-up
- Interview with Vibram USA President Tony Post [Video]
- The Vibram Five Fingers Bikila is Out!
- New Women's Five Fingers Bikila color out!
a quick note before you go —
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23 comments
One thing: I have to disagree with you about the ankle support (of course, I could be completely wrong!). It looks to me like the raised end gives the heel cup some Achilles tendon support...like many running shoes do currently (with a stiff insert underneath the fabric). That being said, that's based off of looks- there's no way to know what it would actually be like until one had it in-hand.
I'm extremely excited for these though - they look like they would make awesome racing shoes for both XC and track.
Also, I would be willing to bet these are extremely flexible - much more so than previous VFFs - as the tread is very segmented. I hope so.
Anyway - great find, however you managed to come across these ;D ! Thanks for posting this!!
And of course, you are correct on the difference to the KSO strap.
Word is they're going to have numerous color combos for both men and women.
I mean, the only way I will consider a new line of Vibrams "better" is if they more closely mimick barefoot running. And if anything, the Bikila's look like they might even be a bit further from barefooting than KSO's, sprints, and classics.
You can see the interview where the prez of vibram talks about timing here:
http://www.sethigherstandards.com/new-vibram-fivefingers-model-for-running/
So I took some pics of both pairs of shoes, can some of you current bikila owners take a peek at yours and see if you noticed the same thing? Basically, if you have the shoes on and strapped, take a look at the distance of the top of the shoe to the strap. Notice in the pics below, the left shoe has a small gap, the right foot has a huge gap.
Dan
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k190/TurboSN95/bikila/bikila003.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k190/TurboSN95/bikila/bikila002.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k190/TurboSN95/bikila/bikila001.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k190/TurboSN95/bikila/bikila004.jpg
I'm learning to be a runner still and over did it on mountain trails when I got these shoes- I think I strained my achilles- could barely walk for about 2 weeks... Back in them now and planning to return to the trails soon (meanwhile strengthening my calves to help avoid injury this time round).
One thing I'd like to mention for anyone getting their first V5- although they may feel INCREDIBLY tight when putting them on at first, tight feels good as your foot and the shoes adjust to each other, and you become comfortable not being able to cross your toes inside your shoes : )
Thanks for all the great content here, Justin
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