Five-Fingers Review

I'd like to start this review by stating that these shoes are more than just a product, they are more than just a piece of material that you can purchase. These five-fingers are a tool which works for you, most shoes that I have experienced are a tool that you must work for. Most shoes alter your natural gait, causing you to adapt your bio-mechanical alignment to the shoe, rather than allowing you to utilize your natural bio-mechanical alignment with the shoe. I understand some people have medical conditions with their feet which require certain prescriptions, be that an insole or a specific type of shoe. I'm not a doctor but I do believe restoring our natural bio-mechanical alignment can be done through regular and consistent practice, beginning with a gradual build-up until you can rely on your own feet all the time. However, there are certain, very serious, medical conditions which disallow this and I am aware that these are not an option for every single person.

Now that I have clarified what these shoes are in essence, let me present a cultural analogy. Imagine you hail from a culture which requires protection over the hands at all times when you leave your home. For some reason though, your culture has become infatuated with mittens, deeming them superior although they limit general dexterity and gradually damage and/or hinder the original function of the hand. One day, as you're strolling around using your hands with your mittens on, you discover a pair of gloves which provide the same level of safety and warmth while restoring your inherent dexterity. You feel enthralled and feel as though everyone should switch to this panacea you've discovered. But, through generations of de-conditioning some of your peers ridicule the idea and some of them have reversible and irreversible conditions which force them to wear mittens.

Now, notice that, much like your hands, your feet have five finger-like appendages that must have gradually evolved to serve a function. These mittens that we attach to our feet hinder our regular, inherent anatomical development and function. The fiver-fingers themselves are not inherently dangerous but you must be weary that cultural conditioning has steered us away from our inherent mechanical development and function, your body will have trouble re-adapting, but it is very possible that you can adapt through gradual exposure and gradual use.

When I first approached Vibrams I was admittedly very interested and excited, but also as objective as I could be. I didn't want to form my conception based off anything but experience, I felt I'd be letting my personal prejudice's taint the experience unless I formed my opinion after a month of usage. After a month my stability while running, walking and even standing has improved, my calf strength and elasticity has improved (the calf and the anatomical structures contained in that area act as springs, essentially recycling more impact energy into forward motion, creating a spring-like sensation) and my dexterity is slowly returning and I feel like I am getting the most natural connection with the ground that I possibly can while being protected from dangerous objects on the ground, as well, puddles are no longer an issue because of the absence of socks which absorb water like a sponge, affording me the option of just getting my feet wet instead of leaping over puddles.
 
Our feet and calves are truly marvels of evolution, do a quick Google search on the various functions of the foot and calf, it'd be an entire article of its own. Our skeletal system, if you want to now imagine us as the giant worms with skeletons that we are, is exceptional at absorbing and dispersing impact. What heel striking does - which is the natural response to a heavy and padded heel that most shoes come with - is it forces us to transfer that impact force much differently through our body, putting much strain on the muscular system and the hip joint. If you have the opportunity, jog in your bare feet on a soft surface and be aware of the way your foot strikes the ground and how it propels you forward, it's a beautiful experience. Our bodies are so remarkably designed to run it's really captivating and humbling. Now imagine you had the agility, dexterity and fluidity of bare foot running everywhere you went, concrete withstanding. Concrete is the primary factor in the development of padded-heel shoes because of how solid and unyielding it is. The Earth itself is very soft and yielding, allowing you to embody your natural gait with little to no discomfort once it has been trained. Although it is painful to run on concrete with these shoes on, you can still comfortably walk on concrete with them on.

If you are interested and considering these shoes, I would first caution you to precisely measure your foot when you are selecting and perhaps purchasing your Vibrams. These shoes literally wrap around your foot like a glove, ensuring a precise fit is vital. Next, evaluate what activities you need them for and find the shoe that suits that activity, some are multi-sport but tend to have a focus on a single sport. The price isn't in any way exorbitant, they're not exceptionally expensive shoes. Their durability though far surpasses any shoes in their price range. I've only had my pair for a month but they've been tested in the harshest of trail conditions, from slippery and muddy technical sections and hills to dry conditions, and they've withstood it all without a hiccup. I've, thus far, never lost my balance or slipped when wearing my Vibrams. Although, you will need to focus on cultivating a sort-of sixth sense for your feet, becoming very aware of the ground and where you are placing your foot with every strike.

Here are some photos of my Vibrams from a top-view and a bottom-view to showcase the grip. The rubber grip is very much like that of a mountain bike tire, providing a phenomenal level of stability and grip in the trails. These are the Spyridon LS model which is trail-running specific. Mind you, the pictures make the shoes look so new because I have recently put them through the washer and drier because of the stench accumulated through a month of muddy trails and puddles.


Perspective from the top, notice that the lace system on this model is a Velcro strap that can be tightened by simply pulling the lace. Very useful for trails because you don't want to be worrying about loose laces or re-tying laces. 

 The bottom grip: Imagine a flattened mountain bike tire, this grip is very similar. The clear part in the mid-sole is an impact-dispersing addition which greatly helps when large rocks are involved. Most Vibrams have this but it is particularly acute on the trail-running model because rocks are most common in that environment.

 How they look while on my feet.