Forums >Gears and Wears>Vibram FiveFingers... Running Shoes?
I've got 4000+ miles on five pairs of Vibrams.
That might account for at least some of the drop in sales; a shoe that lasts 10x as long isn't going to sell well compared to a shoe that needs to be replaced 10x as frequently.
10x? Not sure if your math or verbal skills are in question.
(Okay, I admit you could read it either as 4000 miles per pair or as 4000 miles (in total) for five pairs.)
10x? Not sure if your math or verbal skills are in question. (Okay, I admit you could read it either as 4000 miles per pair or as 4000 miles (in total) for five pairs.)
Woops, my reading skills could use work. I read "five" and automatically interpreted "five fingers." Still, "minimalist" shoes tend to last much longer than a traditional running shoe, which is a bit of a design flaw from a sales perspective.
Runners are likely a small fraction of their sales. Most people bought them as novelties and now the novelty has worn off. Like I said, I see way fewer people wearing them now than I did a couple years ago.
Can't argue against that; I was lumping them in with "minimalist" shoes in general. I stick with either the Merrell Vapors or SoftStar's Moc3s when it's either cold or pointy out. The toe thing was an effective way of keeping the shoe in place, but had to fit just right otherwise they'd tear the tops of my feet up.
In ~2005 when the Nike Free was new, all the college kids had them. Those and similar shoes have remained popular for about a decade now. When my son was in high school his main school shoes were distance spikes without the spikes. All the kids wore what we'd call minimalist shoes if they wore sneakers.
I think the five fingers are too odd looking to have that kind of staying power. I have two good friends who were also my grad students. They both got five fingers a few years ago and were total converts - they were the greatest thing ever and were all they were ever going to wear and they didn't know why anyone would ever wear anything else (neither were runners btw). I haven't seen either of them wearing their five fingers in a year or more.
I think in a decade we'll look at five fingers like we look at these:
not bad for mile 25
What y'all said. I expect to get ~ 1000 miles on each pair of VFFs.
And yes, they're funny looking.
Proboscis Colossus
I presume not permitted when in uniform.
Lol, no! Though when I first got mine, in my exuberance, the thought did cross my mind, how cool it would be if I could outfit the band with them. Good freedom of movement, and it would be easier to show high toes. But I quickly came to my senses and realized the many reasons it would be a dumb move.
Ironically, I also realized around that time that, if someone was looking for a cheap, very low-drop (if not zero drop) shoe that doesn't do much more than put a thin piece of rubber between their foot and the road, they could do worse than the actual marching shoes we use. I'm sure they wouldn't hold up for very long, but they're cheap, and you could probably buy about three pair and have them last as long as a pair of real running shoes for about the same price. Er, as long as you don't mind a patent leather upper, lol!
"God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people
Hmm, you could combine those with one of those tux-imprinted T's, and look really classy in some race.
actual marching shoes
Ugh, I hated those rolled heals, practice marching for weeks in normal sneakers, then you got to competition day and now your foot strike is completely different (since good marching form is to land as far back on your heels as possible and now that heel is in a way different spot). Also, possibly the worst fitting shoe I've ever worn, my toenails wouldn't last 3 days running in them from my foot hitting the front of the shoe.
Know thyself.