I know there have been threads on VFFs many times before. I know that there are a million reviews on them. I want to ask anyways. Sorry Dopers.
I run barefoot on the treadmill and at the track, but not on the road very often. I do fine running barefoot, but would like to be able to do some races that way and train in different settings. I live in a heavily wooded area, and do some light trail running, but mostly it is road/dirt road/grass. The last two races I competed in were full grass courses (think cross country meet courses). As mentioned in the GQ thread about VFFs, a teammate that was a college athlete runs barefoot rather regularly also. He uses KSOs. I kind of like the KSOs, but don’t know for sure which would be better.
So, Doper users of VFFs, should I purchase KSOs, Classics, Komodo, or Bikila?
I kind of am looking at the KomodoSport ones pretty hard, but KSOs would get the job done, I think.
I have a pair of TrekSports that work great for trail running and hiking. Take it easy when you start off, though, you can strain your achilles if you’re not careful.
If you’re running on mixed surfaces I’d suggest one of the models with lugs on the sole. I went from Classics to KSO Treks (the kangaroo leather upper - I didn’t like the uppers on the Trek Sports). While I never slipped in the classics, my regular route has some grass hills and grass side hills. I was always worried I was going to go down if it was wet.
The Treks have a bit thicker sole and I think some sort of plating to protect from rock bruising which I guess is a concern with the barefooters and minimalists.
One thing you shouldn’t discount is how easy/difficult it is to put them on. I love them when they’re on, but it takes a bit of work. I’d like to try a minimalist shoe for that reason.
I have the Sprints (which are like the classics with a strap across the foot) and love them as long as the surface is smooth. I can’t hike in them without being very careful where I step, which is a pain and detracts from the hiking experience. I’d go with one of the thicker soled varieties if you want to get off the treadmill.
I have both the Sprints and the KSOs. I like the KSOs better. I no longer use them for running anymore though - I run on sidewalks and streets and it’s just too much of a beating for me.
That said, I do still use my sprints on the treadmill at work (I have a small locker and they don’t take up any room) and I use my KSOs at the gym (they help with deadlifts and squats).
I like the KSO’s better because I find them slightly easier to get on.
I wondered about using the Sprints - they seem like they would be alright. Like I stated, I already run totally barefoot on specific surfaces - treadmill at my house, the track outside of town (rubberized), the old track outside of town (non-rubberized, where I ran before they built a new school stadium here), and on a park soccer field with my son. I would like to be able to use them for a 5k or something if I could, but mostly it would be on these surfaces. I think I may try out the KSOs first just because they have a bit more on the bottom but I’ve heard a lot of good things about them.