Review of Skora Form (Updated 2018)

RATING: Excellent

First Impressions of the Skora Form

Minimalist shoes in a minimalist box

The sleek box revealed an equally sleek running shoe made of ultra supple goat leather with a flexible sole with a canted edge and a heel with a round profile. The offset laces give a quirky look and there is a velcro adjuster at the back of the heel to tighten things up. There is a optional shoe insole and these shoes are branded as being sock optional. Many Skora runners will wear without socks which makes sense as these shoes are a zero drop minimalist running shoe replicating barefoot running.

Rounded "golf ball" heel

The toe box was not as wide as I thought it would be and the shoes look a lot narrower than expected. My foot is a 45 which is usually an 11 in UK sizing, however in Skora sizing this equates to a 10.5 (UK). I took the risk and ordered the 10.5 (11.5 in US sizing) as I had read online that one should go a half size smaller.

The Fit of Skora Form

The fit for my feet is perfect although I would have liked to see how wider the 11 (46) would have been in comparison. In length the 10.5 are perfect, and I usually wear an 11 (12 US). Sizing a shoe is never an exact science as the size of shoes differs slightly between manufacturers, and one should really try on a a half size each way I think if you are unsure. However Skora are practically impossible to find in the UK which is a shame because these leather shoes are awesome quality.

The soles are the exact width of my feet (I have very wide feet) and the goat leather is super supple so will allow give in the right places. They are snug like a glove with a little looseness in the suppleness of the leather which means I could wear socks if needed, say, in the depths of snowy winter.

Skora: Form and Function

I have been running in Vibram Five Fingers (KSO and Bikila) for almost a year now so I was interested to see how running with thicker soles would improve my running, in particular because my trail run involves some rough track ways made of angular rocks and bits of concrete (hardcore for building roads I suspect) which has in the past left bruises on the soles of my feet. The main question is: will the Skora be an improvement on the Vibram Five Fingers?

I took my normal 10k+ route which takes in pavement, rocky track, gravel path, soft loamy forest track, mud, grass, jumping over ditches, logs, brambles...

First of all I felt the shoes gave me an increased pace and a natural foot fall. I found my gait was a little more heavy and the soles made a louder noise on the pavement than the Vibram Five Fingers. However I noticed that my running style automatically followed the "ChiRunning" principles (which I happen to follow somewhat religiously). I noticed that the canted edges allow for natural foot roll or pronation throughout the forefoot strike lateral to medial, just as if I was running in Five Fingers. The Skora Form did feel initially a little clumpy compared to the Vibram Five Fingers of course but in conventional standards they are sleek, low (13mm soles) and minimalist with minimal cushioning.

After less than a mile I was already used to the Skora. I found the soles to be flexible and yet protective. The loss of "ground feel" did not cause me any great worries as you can still feel stones through the soles - there is just more protection. I was happy to be able to run more confidently across rocky ground and jumping over logs and ditches. They held up very well through slippery clay mud, although in the really slippery deep mud I was all over the place, but in moderate mud they were good.

I wore these without socks (having read people online doing this - bad mistake!) and I soon had three hot spots, my little toe on my right foot, and a small localised hot spot under the arch on both feet. By the time I had got home my feet were sore and I was ready for a rest. I think that perhaps wearing thin socks may have been a good idea, but you know what it is like with new shoes, you get a blister, then you get a callous and then it doesn't get sore ever again.

On the whole I returned home from my muddy run, filthy but happy with the shoes.

Conclusion 
It is not often that a shoe arrives which is both innovative and functional. I mean, those pesky Puma Mobium were based on the foot of a cat and that makes no sense at all, since the animal with the closest foot shape to man is a bear. And when I think of all the thick wedged trainers I have had in the past, the Nike, Brooks, Oasics etc...well it makes me cringe...the "barefoot" concept without a doubt liberated my running. However even the Vibram Five Fingers lose some of the functionality in their styling, the toe pockets increase the surface area of wear and tear and are not strictly speaking required - a design luxury and not "economic" in any sense of the word. So how did the Skora fare?

SKORA UPDATE: Socks or no socks...insoles or no insoles...

I have now spent a good 9 months running with the Skora Form and experimenting with the different options. I found that no socks / no insole caused blisters as did socks and insole. There is a bit of stitching along the edge near to the little toe, it feels like a little knot of stitching but it causes a bad blister on my little toe. (Now the shoes are worn in I find I still get a sore little toe when I wear socks and use the insoles.) The solution I found was to remove the insoles, this lowered the foot by a couple of millimeters and altered the contact point around this area of stitching. Making the small alteration has worked very well for me. (I later took my Swiss Army Knife to the interior of the shoe and cut out the stitching which was causing the hot spot - solution!)

Now I have clocked up hundreds of miles on these shoes I can say that the soles have worn very well. Interestingly "barefoot" shoes show wear at different  parts of the sole than, say, a regular running trainer, or even a walking shoe. So I can see from the wear of the soles that I am running "barefoot" style, on the toes etc. The only minor criticism, aside from the knot of sticthing near the little toe, is the design of how the heel cup joins the leather; already the rubber heel cup has started to part company with the leather, perhaps due to how I take my shoes off  - by treading on the back of the heel with the other foot. Having said that the loss of glue here has not meant that the sole is coming off rather it is more of a cosmetic thing which could be fixed with a little Evostick. However it is a minor quibble. It is very hard to find anything wrong with these shoes.

As the trails get muddier I find the Skora Form doing really quite well through the mud. Not so much in traction, I still slip around as the soles don't have the deep grooves that trail shoes have, however I found that the soles seem to float through the mud and the mud doesn't stick. My Vibram Bikila were problematic because they seemed to sink, fill up with water, and accumulate mud in between the toes. The Skora are like Teflon - nothing really sticks!

Skora Form made excellent all rounders for travelling

In conclusion: for me Skora are best with socks and no insoles with  the option of tightening the heel strap...but you should experiment to find what works best for you! These are highly recommended all-rounders, good for road and trail...I even took them on holiday to wear casually (as well as to run in), and they proved to be a versatile and comfortable shoe.

REVIEW 2018

I have owned the Skora for almost three years now, so how have they fared?

Design: Excellent: 

Quality: Excellent 

Fit for the purpose I bought them (barefoot running): Excellent 

Resilience: Excellent (soles quite worn but I still run in them!)

Do I still wear them Yes! (Excellent).

Overall Rating: Excellent. The only modification was to cut out the knot of stitching that gives me a blister on my little toe.

They are getting very worn now but I will definitely buy another pair when these finally give up the ghost. They have lasted almost three years so far, and I am an average  low mileage runner, but even so, what great value for money they represent.