Vibram
Five Finger KSO Evo (Black)
The KSO “Keep Stuff Out” Evolution have a
sole thickness of 4.7 mm and are described as the VFF all rounder, good for
road running, trail and gym work. Using the VFF measuring chart I found the KSO
to be true to size and a snug fit, like a glove in fact, with plenty of stretch
in the material, and speed laces to tighten up the shoes if needed. There is a
small amount of support in the design, not much, but not like being truly
barefoot. The sole is thin enough to be able to flex and curl your toes, but
thick enough to protect from stones although you can still feel the stones
pushing through. So even though there is a level of protection running is still
a tentative process, experimenting to find a sweet spot between running on the
toes and on the mid-foot. It is like running barefoot with protection and you
are certainly not going to heel strike with them! The thinner sole does promote
a more barefoot running style, and I found I ran with a lighter foot fall in
these than the Bikila.
Vibram
Five Fingers Bikila Evo (Blue and Yellow)
The Bikila are more substantial with a sole
of 8.5 mm and feel much more trainer-like, indeed the difference of the 4mm is
noticeable on the road, and provides increased mid-foot cushioning. The fit
seemed more constrictive than the KSO but I think this was due to the stiffer material
of the sole. There
are also speed laces which makes getting the correct fit a doddle. Again they
are true to size and fit like a glove. Oddly there is a more pronounced cutaway
around the ankle making it feel like your heel might even pop out, and there is
a cushioned heel cap which should be redundant on a shoe for mid foot
strike.
Out on the road the increased cushioning is
immediately evident. The sole is generally more substantial in midfoot and heel
and whilst you can still flex your toes you can’t curl them, or splay them as
you can in the thinner soles.
I soon adapted a good
mid-foot strike with these shoes and noticed a more confident running style. I also found myself
running faster than in the KSO, probably because I wasn’t so concerned on how my feet
were landing. The Bikila certainly do not give a barefoot experience but the thicker
soles were warmer on an icy pavement! However I did find myself heel striking
now and then without really noticing which was a little perturbing.
Conclusion (UPDATED 2016)
I have now been running in both models for over 12 months (along with some Skora Form for more rocky trail runs). The Bikila's did get more use and the KSO neglected. However what I have noticed is that as my feet have become more used to the barefoot running that I like the KSO a lot better than I did. The reason for this is the flexibility of the sole and the increase in ground feel and the improved running style - it becomes almost addictive when your body has made that transition to barefoot running (More endorphins?).
The Bikila is the more trainer-like VFF which was designed to help runners transition to barefoot running, and this I think is very true. There is just the right amount of cushioning vs ground feel. However this cushioning becomes less and less required as you transition and in fact I like them less and less...for me the KSO is the perfect VFF.
Wear and Tear of The VFF Bikila
This is the problem with these VFF's. Their design is not "economical" in any sense of the word. It is what I call a design luxury - the effort to produce a foot shaped shoe with toes is outweighed by the actual performance, That is why we find no similar or equivalent designs in history or the archaeological record nor in contemporary indigenous populations. Vibram Five Fingers, although they look the part, are not the best barefoot or minimalist shoe by any means. The toes, whilst allowing some spread of the toes (actually hindered by the rubber sole) are impractical as they catch mud, twigs, and grass in between them. When it is wet, they leak water in through the toe webbing. (you can find waterproof Bikila but they are expensive). Finally I have come to the conclusion that shoes are shoe-shaped for a reason - because it is the most efficient design. The sole of the shoe is a platform, and when you cut into that platform to make toe segments you are not really gaining anything from the arrangement other than creating a design problem. For a more indepth rationale of why VFF's are not great please read the below:
Design Fault
The problem with the Bikila is that although there are five toes the thickness of the soles means you cannot splay your toes. Well...you can splay your toes but it is the fabric that moves rather than the soles. Hence on my Bikila the fabric is parting from the sole on the big toe and the small toe.
This is where the VFF will ultimately start to break apart hastened by mud, sand and other debris. A traditional shaped shoe would not have this sort of problem
Surgery on the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila
To alleviate this problem I have taken the extreme measure of taking a scalpel to my Bikila's, thinning the rubber sole at the hinge of the big and little toe and to thin out a wedge on the side to make the splaying movement of the toes possible in unison with the sole rather than just the fabric being splayed out around the toe. I also made lacerations across the shoes so that there is more bend in the sole. I have also had to stitch the sole back onto the upper on the big toe and into the toe webbing.
KSO
These are my favourite of the two, I love them, however they suffer from the same problem, the sole is peeling off the big toe which will require some stitching. Let me point out that the soles themselves are not worn on either the Bikila or the KSO the weak link is how they are glued onto the fabric upper.
REPAIR!!
When the sole starts to part company with the uppers you have little choice but to glue and stitch, and the result aint perfect unless you are professional cobbler. Personally, given the price of the Vibram Five Fingers, it is disappointing having to continually repair them to get them to work as they should.
Will I be buying a new pair? Sorry, I love the Vibrams, the look and the feel, but probably not. They look good, they scream "I am a barefoot runner" but they just aint what I call value for money. Having said that I did take my KSO on holiday and they flatten down to next to nothing in the suitcase, and I have started to wear the Bikila as my casual shoe, and the Bikila does make a comfortable casual shoe, great for walking, even driving the car it feels good. But there are so many minimalist shoes on the market these days to chose from; I guess it is a matter of both styling and function and price that will decide if I buy another pair of VFF.
My go-to-shoe at the moment is the all leather Skora Form, and I intend to buy a pair of Vivobarefoot shoes at some point in the not too distant future.
REVIEW 2018 - Revisiting the VFF's!
Three years on, what do I think of the VFF's?
The Bikila is the more trainer-like VFF which was designed to help runners transition to barefoot running, and this I think is very true. There is just the right amount of cushioning vs ground feel. However this cushioning becomes less and less required as you transition and in fact I like them less and less...for me the KSO is the perfect VFF.
Wear and Tear of The VFF Bikila
This is the problem with these VFF's. Their design is not "economical" in any sense of the word. It is what I call a design luxury - the effort to produce a foot shaped shoe with toes is outweighed by the actual performance, That is why we find no similar or equivalent designs in history or the archaeological record nor in contemporary indigenous populations. Vibram Five Fingers, although they look the part, are not the best barefoot or minimalist shoe by any means. The toes, whilst allowing some spread of the toes (actually hindered by the rubber sole) are impractical as they catch mud, twigs, and grass in between them. When it is wet, they leak water in through the toe webbing. (you can find waterproof Bikila but they are expensive). Finally I have come to the conclusion that shoes are shoe-shaped for a reason - because it is the most efficient design. The sole of the shoe is a platform, and when you cut into that platform to make toe segments you are not really gaining anything from the arrangement other than creating a design problem. For a more indepth rationale of why VFF's are not great please read the below:
Design Fault
The problem with the Bikila is that although there are five toes the thickness of the soles means you cannot splay your toes. Well...you can splay your toes but it is the fabric that moves rather than the soles. Hence on my Bikila the fabric is parting from the sole on the big toe and the small toe.
This is where the VFF will ultimately start to break apart hastened by mud, sand and other debris. A traditional shaped shoe would not have this sort of problem
Surgery on the Vibram Five Fingers Bikila
To alleviate this problem I have taken the extreme measure of taking a scalpel to my Bikila's, thinning the rubber sole at the hinge of the big and little toe and to thin out a wedge on the side to make the splaying movement of the toes possible in unison with the sole rather than just the fabric being splayed out around the toe. I also made lacerations across the shoes so that there is more bend in the sole. I have also had to stitch the sole back onto the upper on the big toe and into the toe webbing.
KSO
These are my favourite of the two, I love them, however they suffer from the same problem, the sole is peeling off the big toe which will require some stitching. Let me point out that the soles themselves are not worn on either the Bikila or the KSO the weak link is how they are glued onto the fabric upper.
REPAIR!!
 |
| Glue... |
 |
| ...and stitch |
My go-to-shoe at the moment is the all leather Skora Form, and I intend to buy a pair of Vivobarefoot shoes at some point in the not too distant future.
REVIEW 2018 - Revisiting the VFF's!
Three years on, what do I think of the VFF's?
Design: Poor
Quality:
Good
Fit for the purpose I bought them (barefoot running): Excellent
Resilience: Poor.
Do I still wear them NO! (Poor).
Overall rating: Poor
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Those who read and loved Born to Run probably all went out and bought (or at least thought about buying) the VFF's and, you know, I was happy with them for the first six months, but they soon started to fall to pieces, or develop holes in the material between the toes. I haven't put the VFF's on in a year, infact, I last used the KSO when I went surfing, and let me tell you, the KSO are no good in the water and no good for surfing. Why did I think they would be? I dont know...it was random...however I do believe Vibram do make FF's for watersports. But in anycase, its a big fat NO from me. When I see people wearing the VFF's I just give them a wry smile and shake my head. They aint all that.
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