what are they called, who are they made by and are they comfortable or does it feel like you have a banana between each toe and also, does it have any negative affects upon your joints if your feet are used to normal no toe shoes?

Vibram 5 Fingers is the name, oddly. 🙂

Very comfortable, dont feel odd, no joint problems, wear mine all the time.

I even have socks so can wear mine when it's cold http://injinji.com/

They are not good in the wet as they get soaked easily.

If you wear them enough normal shoes can take a bit of getting used to again.

Maybe don't feel odd… but look..?

"Mine give me blisters"

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/shoes-with-toes-what-are-they-called

And the point of these is..?

Supposed to make you run better – forces you to not run on your heels.

Inov8s do a similar job without looking quite so daft.

Been using them for about 4 months. I can now run decent distances in them, but they DE-STROYED my calfs when I first tried it.

They're now my favourite shoes bar none.

Do you count the number of people who point and laugh each time you wear them…..

……certainly made me chuckle 😆

the reason I ask is because my two pairs of Merrell hypno have had it and I can't seem to buy them anymore 🙁

was looking for something similar, maybe the inov8's would eb worth a pop?

Still, running barefoot isn't always practical – particularly if you live in the city, a point even Mahon concedes. He wears Vivo Barefoot shoes to run in – a super-light, super-flexible everyday "anti-shoe" with a puncture-resistant sole (he is an ambassador for the brand). There are other barefoot options – for example, the Vibram Fivefingers, which have been coined "gloves for your feet", or the Nike Free, which promises to "strength-train legs and feet by imitating barefoot movement".

From a barefoot running article

i would worry about the hassle of cleaning a stepped on dog egg from between the toes….

Spacker shoes.

I was coming home from work in mine and a group of Italian school children were laughing out loud at them/me and even took photographs.

I gave my toes a little massage to further enhance their mirth.

You get used to it. Probably didn't help that they were bright red.

They are by far the most comfortable footwear I've ever had.

Inov8s do a similar job without looking quite so daft.

😯

Mr Nutt – how much do you run?

Inov8s are quite brutal. I got used to my Mudclaws fairly quickly but they still blistered my heels and killed my calves. The Roclites I just sent back (got Salomon Speedcross 2s instead) just destroyed my calves with no appearance of getting better – I was literally hobbling after every run, even short ones. They are very light though and grip extremely well.

Try the Speedcross 2s if you can – like Inov8s (and lighter) but with a wee bit of padding and heel support.

I run a fair bit and race quite often too so I'd say if my calves were suffering, many others would too.

Finbar -LOL! I meant their more "normal" shoes!

not a great deal to be honest but what with my new healthy lifestyle n' all I'm hoping to get some proper miles in, good countryside for it around here

I've got a pair of fivefinger treks, and i'm a pretty slow runner, but can happily trot out 10-20 miles in them. If i'm trying to run a bit faster then sometimes I use inov-8 flite 230 pks, but find the heel raise a bit disconcerting now.

i would rather run in hobnail boots than wear those kinky fetish boots….. 😉

Supposed to make you run better – forces you to not run on your heels

I thought we'd done this to death already.

SUPPOSED

Ahaa, devil in the detail as always.

😆

Trainers at my gym wear them, I want to punch said trainers for wearing them.