A few weeks back I got the chance to share with you my first impressions on the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila. At the time, as the Bikila wasn’t even officially “out” yet, and the pair I had was part of the Boston Marathon Expo / All-Star Barefoot Running mini-release and didn’t even come in a box.
But the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila is out now! — at least for blocks of a few hours here and there as retailers put them on the shelves (Like yesterday when we finally saw women’s Five Fingers Bikilas at CitySports — as well as the final men’s color!), only to see them fly off those shelves in quick order. Both Travel Country and City Sports saw their online inventory disappear in rapid-fire succession, selling out of most sizes in hours.
The Bikila is presently the Vibram Five Fingers of choice — particularly for runners interested in minimalist or barefoot running — and as I recently got a pair — in an actual box — in the sky blue and yellow color combination, I decided to take a bunch of photos and do a “proper” video unboxing. So without further ado, after the jump you’ll find a video unboxing of the sky blue/yellow Vibram Five Fingers Bikila complete with a slew of photos for your viewing pleasure!
The Vibram Five Fingers Bikila Unboxed
For a detailed written description of everything you see in the video above, including specific design features, build, and thoughts after an initial test run in the Bikilas, see the first impressions and initial review of the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila post here.
Photos of the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila
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Flexin’ those toes in the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila!
31 replies on “Unboxing the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila (in Blue/Yellow)”
I think they are so awesome looking!
The picture with the baby feet is so stinkin cute!!
Fantastic! I can’t wait to get the pair of silver and green Bikilas I just ordered from CitySports today (thanks to your birthdayshoes.com news flash). They’ll be here just in time for a week of trial before running my first FiveFinger Half Marathon. Thanks for your help.
Nice review Justin. I am waiting for my store in Pittsburgh to get them for sizing.
After looking at all the added features and look of this shoe (and other recent models, eg. treks), it seems like Vibram is getting away from the whole “minimalistic” approach. Maybe that is acceptable in light of being designed strictly for running.
Thanks AGAIN Justin for your updates 🙂 Much appreciated. I ordered mine in Green/gray…..I think it will take 2 or 3 days. I’m antsy just thinking they will be in mail tonday…WOO- HOO!!
I’m thankful i get to leave early from work this week- IF i get them Thur, i will run with my group in them!!!
Can you green with envy??!! hehehe 🙂
Hey Justin
Great video.
I’ve had one run in my bikilas so far and you’re right, they are by far the comfiest pair of VFF’s yet.
They were a joy to run in.
I did blister a tiny bit on my smallest toe, but I chalked that up as normal for a first run in a new pair of shoes.
The problem now is I want more colors.
I’m hoping someone will surprise me for my bd-day with the pink/orange combo next week..I will post my size on FB as hint…hint to friends & Fam 🙂
Noah– I agree, i have not run in them yet, but I’m already itching for a second pair/more color
I prefer my treks over bikilas. I had to go down a size for the bikilas, they were tight at first but became like second skin after a few hours. However they are thicker and less flexible, and I find myself far less agile in them than my treks. I do, however, love the blue & yellow coloring and the thicker, padded upper.
Enh, you win a few, you lose a few, I suppose…
I’ve just ordered a pair of magenta ones from City Sports. Thanks for the informative photos and video!
The grammarian in me can’t rest easy until I mention that it’s “without further ado.” Not “adieu.” But maybe I’m making much adieu about nothing… 🙂
Good catch Amy — my brain failed!
@Kaylen,
The Treks are actually thicker than the Bikilas by my calculations using calipers (at the thickest point — at the ball of the foot).
Hey, if you measured it, I sure can’t argue with that – so allow me to rephrase. I don’t know about other folks, but I find that the bikila -feels- thicker than the other models.
With the treks, the pads/traction on the bottom are much smaller, and I think this puts greater pressure on small, specific points underfoot, while the bikila’s larger, flatter pads distribute pressure more evenly. Perhaps good for running, but definitely loose a lot of that ‘barefoot’ feeling in the process. And I think this contributes to the bikilas feeling less flexible too.
Makes perfect sense thanks for the detailed clarification Kaylen!
Does anyone else think this is going against the trend of “minimising” footwear? Vibram adding strategic rubber bits here, and some there, and maybe some cushioning here and voila, you’ve got some Asics!
I picked up a pair of blue/yellow Bikilas from a local running store in Lansing Michigan today. They are exactly what I’m looking for to run on hard unnatural surfaces. They seem more forgiving than the KSOs when a rock comes between the hard surface and my foot. I think they will help insulate against extreme hot/cold surfaces too. I wear size 42 in Classics, KSOs and Treks. I took home a size 42. Size 43 was also comfortable though I prefer a more snug fit. While They are extremely comfortable barefoot, the material seems less stretchy and size 42 is too tight with Injinji socks.I’ll get another pair 1 size up if I want to run in them with socks next winter. The KSOs and Treks comfortably stretch to accommodate Injinji socks. If I had to pick only one pair of FiveFingers I still like the KSO though I would miss my Classics, Treks, and now the Bikila.
Thanks for the video. I just got my Bikilas in after I saw the email notification about the women’s version. I just got the green pair. I also wanted to add that I love that Vibram switched the strap around. The hooks of the Velcro used to be on the body of the shoe, with the soft half on the strap. Since they switched it, I no longer have to worry about snagging different cloths on it.
I got mine in the mail today. I can die happy. A tiny bit tighter than the KSOs but still fit well. They’re so nice I don’t even want to use them.
Can someone tell me what the purpose of the shiny stuff over the toenails is?
Other than that they look fine.
@Podzol,
It’s to protect the fabric on the top of the toes from ripping in the event it catches underfoot (the toes can catch at the front and drag under — rare, but when it happens it will instantly rip the fabric on a pair of KSOs, for example).
I covered that in the video 🙂 Just sayin’
Just got my Bikilas. I ordered them on Monday afternoon so great shipping time from City Sports. Out of the box these are just so comfy – more so than any other pair of VFFs I own. Can’t wait to try them out on the treadmill at the gym tomorrow morning!
My Nike Frees are 10 1/2, so I was a little unsure about sizing – 41 or 42. I went with the 42, figuring I could just get socks if they were too big. Perfect Size! I absolutely love my Bikilas.
I finally got a chance to do a quick run in the Bikilas. I was a Bikila skeptic at first, but I think Vibram struck the right balance. I like that it is a little stiffer, which forces me to not do stupid things with my foot (I had a tendency to bend my toes into the ground while running with my KSOs) and put extra stress on places that shouldn’t get it. It really does form the foot to hit the ground with a correct forefoot strike. The pods are nice, and do distribute the force a bit. One downside…they just don’t feel barefoot like the KSOs do.
Has anyone else had any problems with the TPU toe protection peeling off? I’ve only had them for 2 days, and it’s already halfway off on the right pinky toe and starting on the right big toe. I’m going to gorilla glue them back down and see how that works.
just got my bikilas from REI, had to order womens 38 because they don’t make em small enough in mens for me. BUT I CAN’T GET MY FOOT IN THEM! apparently women have a lower instep than men, i didn’t aticipate this because i tried a womens classic and they were fine. so dissapointed =(
Ordered my Bikilas on the day Justin passed the word that citysports had some online but only took them out for a spin on this past Sunday.
On the sizing, I really enjoy my size 45 KSOs accompanied with a pair of injini socks. They work out well in almost any weather condition except full saturation gives me some chaffing on occasion.
I was surprised that my 45 Bikilas really couldn’t accomodate the socks – some say the sizing is the same, I’m in the camp that says they’re a smidge smaller. BUT the material feels so nice, I ran without the socks and was very pleased. I ran through a hot/wet marsh and these got saturated in the first hundred yards of a 10 mile run but felt much better overall in wet conditions than the KSO/sock combo.
Less than a half mile of asphalt time in the Bikila, it felt a lot firmer than I expected and I wasn’t sure I liked the feel of the mini-arch but reserving judgement till I can get more time in with them. Seeing more as another tool in the arsenal rather than something that would cause me to stop buying KSOs entirely.
Got my Green and silver bikila’s in the mail today from citysports..so excited until I unboxed them and found that all the toes on the left shoe had the rubber unglued..boooo
after reading through other posts it seems only one other person has found bikilas too tight. i just got mine and they are extremely tight on top of my feet. did anyone else get this and just stretch them out with wear? did you go one size up? they fit my feet fine but are just too tight.
i’d appreciate some feedback thank you.
I am a womens 41 in length but I like the feel of the mens 41 in roomyness of the upper. The women’s is definitely too tight to keep if it doesn’t stretch out. Does anyone know if these will stretch out at all, or if i should keep the size that fits best now?
I got a pair today, I had tried the Five Fingers on at a local sports shop but they didn’t have any of these in stock.
The KSO in 46 seemed to fit me fine. So I ordered these online in 46, and they seem very snug.
After a mile running in them (yes just a mile) I have a blister just above the arch of my right foot and one starting on the left.
There’s a tiny spot where the seams come together there that seems to be doing it.
But looking at the picture of the author his seem to be much looser on his feet then these are on mine.
I guess maybe I’ll ship them back and get a 47. There’s no way I could get socks on with how tight these are.
I got a pair of Bikila’s last week, after using KSO’s for the past year. The Bikilas are very comfortable and caused zero blisters or irritation, however there is one MAJOR problem: the glue is failing after ONE WEEK! There are signs of separation all over the soles! One entire toe is separated. Its extremely disheartening to spend $100 on a pair of shoes that only lasts a week.
I’m trying to decide if I should get the Bikilas or the KSOs and I just can’t make up my mind. I’ve never bought any VFFs before and haven’t done any barefoot walking or running. I think I’m mostly going to use them to walk, workout, lift weights, and do aerobics classes, but see running in them as a possibility. Would it be a waste for to get the Bikilas? I’m a little worried about making the leap to KSOs and wonder if the Bikilas would be a better intermediate step. What are you thoughts?
Great video! It really helped me decide which ones to get.
Well i have gone through a second pair in 4 days now. They keep coming unglued. Wondering if anyone else is having this issue?