Home Forums Chat Forum Barefoot shoes…

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  • Barefoot shoes…
  • fadda
    Full Member

    Firstly, did a quick search and nothing came up, although I thought this had been discussed before – feel free to just point me at an existing thread, if there is one.

    So, had a conversation about barefoot shoes yesterday, which had me googling.

    I do have “achey” feet, but it’s not really debilitating, just a bit annoying.

    But there are a raft of benefits claimed for barefoot shoes; some intuitively feel meritorious e.g. bigger toebox equals more natural shaped, healthier feet. Some other claims are possibly a bit “exaggerated”.

    Anyone here have real experience, and/or scientific input?

    I do appreciate the looks can be slightly challenging, but I’m old enough not to really care about that…

    geomickb
    Full Member
    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    I like wearing barefoot shoes, I have been for a number of years and my feet are def stronger.
    Has it made any other changes? Couldn’t say but I like doing it

    sirromj
    Full Member

    Same, a fan, never going back to big stiff clonky foot squishers.

    ernielynch
    Full Member
    3
    brant
    Free Member

    It’s a bit like riding a single speed, rigid bike or hard tail rather than a contemporary full suspension or ebike.

    MSP
    Full Member

    It is more like riding a bike that fits your body, while everyone else is riding childrens bikes because tradition and fashion dictate so.

    brant
    Free Member

    Seems an extreme view. lol.
    I mean I like my vibram 5 fingers and I like my altra loan peaks.

    ymmv

    toby1
    Full Member

    I tried, but being ‘heavier set’ I didn’t get on with them, those nobbly pavements for visually impaired, catch a heel bone on there, pray for padding again!

    nickc
    Full Member

    It is more like riding a bike that fits your body, while everyone else is riding childrens bikes because tradition and fashion dictate so.

    If barefoot shoes are right for you great, some folks have feet that are shaped differently and wide(r) shoes just don’t fit. It’s as if humans come in all shapes and sizes…

    1
    alpin
    Free Member

    Sliced bread did an episode on them.

    Yeah, but wasn’t that some mum asking if get kids should wear them?

    The reason some people say they’re bad is because most people have been wearing the wrong footwear for their feet most of their lives.

    Best thing you can do is run around barefoot, be that indoors, the garden, beach etc.

    GF has a pair. Despite me looking im yet to find a pair. I’ve got quite wide feet and even the Meindl shoes were too narrow.

    1
    MSP
    Full Member

    If barefoot shoes are right for you great, some folks have feet that are shaped differently and wide(r) shoes just don’t fit. It’s as if humans come in all shapes and sizes…

    My feet used to be the shape of traditional shoes, after a couple of years wearing more natural shaped footwear they are not. Traditional footwear wasn’t matched to my feet, it was shaping my feet.

    Heels are for keeping feet in stirrups while riding horses not walking.

    meikle_partans
    Free Member

    I wear a mix of barefoot and normal shoes. My feet have grown a full size.

    For running I don’t wear barefoot shoes but I do wear Topo running shoes which have some drop but much wider forefoots.

    I like them. My feet are a bit stronger. It’s not magic but it is slightly better, maybe, probably. It does make getting normal shoes or boots that fit a bit harder.

    Some stuff that is marketed as barefoot is still relatively narrow. Vivobarefoot are the ones that really are foot shaped but my god they cost a fortune for what they are.

    My wife has worn very minimal shoes for years or gone barefoot a lot and her toes are remarkably widely spaced. She did run about 6 marathons back in the day in minimal shoes so is a bit of an outlier. I think trying that for most of us softfoots would lead to trouble!

    1
    rugbydick
    Full Member

    I tried, but being ‘heavier set’ I didn’t get on with them, those nobbly pavements for visually impaired, catch a heel bone on there, pray for padding again!


    @toby1
    – the likes of Altra and Topo do a range of “foot shaped” shoes that still have some cushioning.

    barrysh1tpeas
    Free Member

    I wear them most of the time I wear shoes. At home it’s no shoes.

    I love the big wide foot shape, and the flexibity. I don’t love zero padding.

    I wear Vivobarefoot Gobi for the office, and Primus lite for gym.

    aphex_2k
    Free Member

    They’re shoes… On your feet, right?

    Where’s the barefoot??

    alwillis
    Full Member

    I think the moderate view above is probably right for most people (including me!).

    Altra lone peaks for off road running, altra escalate for road.

    (Re)Vivo Primus lites for the gym. Flip flops (a whole new debate there!) or barefoot at home.

    but I still own a pair of Nike SBs, and a pair of boots for the office in winter (when my Vivo gobis get a bit cold), so I’m. It a complete convert!

    rOcKeTdOg
    Full Member
    Onzadog
    Free Member

    Wife and I switched a few years back. I no longer suffer from plantar fascitis and she has avoided bunion surgery.

    It’s important to transition slowly though. Imagine having your hand in a cast for 8 hours a day for 40 years, then suddenly trying to do everything you do with it now. It would hurt, a lot.

    My feet are stronger now and less prone to injury. I run in Altra Superior so I still have a little cushioning. For general use, I love my five fingers. Comfiest shoes I’ve ever had but Lems Nine2Five are great for the office and Freet Tundra work well for wetter muddier walks although the sole does wear quickly.

    fadda
    Full Member

    Thanks for all the input, all – I’m keen to give it a go, interesting to read the advice about not going cold turkey from “normal” shoes.

    My conversation which sparked all this was about Vivo shoes and my god they’re not cheap!

    Any good, slight less expensive brands with which to dip my toe in? (See what I did…?)

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    Every time I read one of these threads I’m convinced that some folk have been buying shoes that have been just too small for them.

    barrysh1tpeas
    Free Member

    Vivo shoes and my god they’re not cheap!

    I get mine from Amazon when they appear. Last pair of Gobi boots were £90 ish

    1
    alwillis
    Full Member

    Mine are from https://www.revivo.com so I’ve not paid rrp- the price has also slowed the transition for me.

    onehundredthidiot
    Full Member

    Weirdly I wonder if the vivo ones I have caused the plantar in my left foot. I have very flat feet/no real arch.

    1
    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Every time I read one of these threads I’m convinced that some folk have been buying shoes that have been just too small for them

    whys that then ? I mean sure I could just buy bigger shoes to gain a bigger toe box but then I’d just be wearing shoes that are too big for me and that’s even less fun.

    https://www.therange.co.uk/toys/fancy-dress/inflatable-clown-shoes/

    jamiemcf
    Full Member

    I’ve gone down a size. I was buying longer shoes to get the extra width. My feet are 275mm x 115mm.

    I love my vivos. The soles are pretty comfy despite their low profile. The only times I feel owt are stones on tarmac. I been hillwalks in them with no issues.

    stwhannah
    Full Member

    spotted these Lake shoes today. Not barefoot but wide in the toe box. Thought they might well suit someone who had got used to wearing barefoot shoes. They do an MX version with a bit more toe protection for mtb.

    9114EC83-5F09-4CA3-A999-F8797E4558A54FB7E653-B3EF-442D-B5E4-265969BFB7FD

    MSP
    Full Member

    I bought a pair of the lake mx201 earlier in the year, I hope they build a better shoe using the same last, they are a big comfort improvement over anything else I have tried, but they are clumpy, heavy and the single boa dial is hatefull (as single boa dials are on any shoe).

    Wide MTB shoea

    igm
    Full Member

    How do they compare to a basic pair of Vans, which also have a thin and fairly flat sole in comparison to every other shoe I’ve worn?

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Similar to converse all stars tbh

    I hadn’t heard of sliced bread either but listened to it yesterday. Clear that those commenting on what was discussed on here have not listened to it.

    sirromj
    Full Member

    How do they compare to a basic pair of Vans

    I do like Vans, but they have a bit more height and cushioning than a minimal/barefoot shoe. A well worn pair of Vans does though come pretty close in terms of flexibility and the way they collapse letting your foot spread nicely!

    igm
    Full Member

    Ok. I quite like the barefoot idea, but I don’t wear shoes or slippers in the house (and work from home two days a week) and Vans are only £35.

    I shall keep a watching brief.

    meikle_partans
    Free Member

    What’s the general thrust of the Sliced Bread podcast?

    1
    mjsmke
    Full Member

    Love the shape of barefoot shoes due to their width at the end. Just need some with a thicker sole and more support.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    What’s the general thrust of the Sliced Bread podcast?

    We should be less concerned about what we run in and more concerned about the shoes we spend the majority of our life in.

    funkmasterp
    Full Member

    Been wearing Vivobarefoot shoes exclusively for years. Have tried a few times to go back to normal shoes and they just feel heavy, cumbersome and plain wrong. I can really feel the angle from heel to toe on them too. Freaks me out a bit 😂

    Always barefoot at home and walk about a lot barefoot in the warmer months too. Get some strange looks but I’m over forty so no longer care. The only time I wear anything close to a standard shoe is when on the bike. The only downsides of barefoot shoes for me are the expense, remembering to buy shorter trousers and jeans to avoid the hems dragging on the floor and lack of choice beyond Vivo.

    I’d never push them on other people but give them a go. Be patient and wear them a bit at a time. Your gait will change slowly and you should end up treading a bit lighter. They won’t make a difference overnight and you may get some foot pain and cramps. If you’ve been wearing padded shoes all your life you’re feet will likely be a bit weak so be gentle.

    shermer75
    Free Member

    I have a pair of Vivobarefoots which are great for cycling, you can grip much better becuase you can almost hold the pedal with your toes and, counterintuitively, they’ve iliminated the hot spots I used to get under the balls of my feet on longer, all day rides. I previously used to think the stiffer the sole the better, but I’ve gone right off that now. The only downside is the massive toebox really increases the toe overlap!

    funkmasterp
    Full Member

    I only ride off road and find them hard going. What model vivo if you don’t mind me asking?

    1
    shermer75
    Free Member

    Primus Trail II FG

    ernielynch
    Full Member

    Idly musing life’s little mysteries I decided to Google wtf trainers have such a ridiculous curve at the front,. It is certainly not the shape of my foot and none of my barefoot shoes are shaped like that.

    It turns out that it’s for people with lazy feet which don’t want to work their muscles too much.

    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/sep/17/shoes-with-toe-spring-may-increase-risk-of-injury-study-finds

    So another reason to wear barefoot shoes.

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