More Scuttlebutt on the Seamless, Podded, FiveFingers Bikila

Orlin, BirthdayShoes forum member and blogger at the Disencumbered athlete, relayed information that both confirms and adds to our understanding regarding the upcoming Vibram FiveFingers Bikila design.  Here is what Orlin was able to share:

• The Bikilas as we know are made for running. The [Bikila] pods on the bottom [of the sole] are not, however, designed to give more cushion, but to disperse forces encountered when running up and down hills. This was in response to runners in other models who get hotspots, blisters, and sore toes in hilly terrain (I think all of us runners know what they're talking about).
• The Bikilas will not have a single seam facing the foot. This will take care of long distance runners who get discomfort from one or more of the seams in the other [models] as their feet sweat and swell (like the seam over the toe in the Trek that always gets me)

The only decent photos of the FiveFingers Bikila we've seen thus far have been preproduction versions (like the one above on the feet of Ville) or stock photos (meaning, photos that are "photoshopped").  So this information serves as some confirmation regarding the seamless Vibram Bikila design and also provides a bit better understanding of how the new Bikila sole technology is intended to help runners, and set apart the Bikila as a running shoe.

For the most comprehensive source of information on the Bikila, see the FiveFingers Bikila information/resources page and stay tuned (and enter to win a pair of Bikilas by subscribing!).