Toe Shoes, Barefoot Running Shoes, and Vibram FiveFingers News, Resources, and Fan Forums - Birthday Shoes

Unshoes Pah Tempe Review

2012-05-16T13:28:00Z

The Unshoes Pah Tempe is a minimalist sandal that utilizes a unique webbing design to secure the ultra thin Vibram rubber sole to your foot.

If you’ve been around ultra-minimalist running and walking for a while you’ve probably seen more than a few sandal or huarache varieties. They are mostly the same; very thin Vibram rubber outsole that is shaped like the outline of your foot and then some sort of lacing system that involves a long cord that is worked all round the sandal bed and your foot to secure it in place. Moreover, most of the huaraches available these days typically involve a strap that runs between your big toe and its neighbor.

Enter the Unshoes Pah Tempe, a minimalist sandal that avoids the big toe thong attachment point, invoking the spirit of Chacos or Tevas but without the heftier soles. Today I'll be reviewing the Unshoes Pah Tempe — read on!

Full story »

Minimus 3090 Connect from New Balance

2012-05-15T17:59:00Z

New Balance teased yesterday on their Facebook page a new shoe in their Minimius line — the Minimus 3090 Connect.

I hadn't heard a word about this new release from New Balance so I was intrigued. What more, there was a spastic, 30-second YouTube teaser video on the 3090 that immediately had me thinking about the soles of the New Balance Minimus Trail Zeros — the molecule-shaped soles of the Minimus 3090 just looked all too familiar. So I started seeing what I could find out about these beasts.

Want to know more? I've got video, screencaps, and stock specs and images all after the jump!

Full story »

10 Marathons. 10 Days. In 10 Toed Shoes.

2012-05-10T15:29:00Z

In less than 24 hours, Robert Dallison is to run a marathon — one of ten marathons he'll be doing on ten consecutive days. And he's going to be doing it in Bikila FiveFingers*. The race is the Brathay 10 in 10 — here's a bit more about the 10x10:

Back in 2007 Sir Christopher Ball, a fellow of Brathay Trust, suggested that the Brathay Windermere Marathon incorporates a 10 marathons in 10 days endurance running event – 262 miles over 10 days around England’s largest lake! In its first year eight dedicated athletes established benchmark times and developed a model of support required to complete 10 marathons over consecutive days.

This distinctive event, now approaching its sixth year, is now regularly described as “... the UK’s ultimate endurance running event.”

As Robert recently posted on his blog, this 10 day race will take about a half a million steps to complete. Try and conceptualize a half of a million — it's not easy!

As if running 10 marathons in 10 days in 10 toed shoes wasn't enough, Robert is also raising money to support the Brathay Trust. His goal is to reach £5,000, and the money will be used by the Brathay Trust to underprivileged children and young people take charge of their lives. You can donate directly to support Robert and his goal via this link.

I wanted to find out a little bit more about how Robert got into running — and running in FiveFingers specifically, as well as challenges he's had on his path to train for this ultra-race. I asked him a few questions and here's what he had to say (after the jump)!

Full story »

Interview with Tim Kelley

2012-05-09T13:42:00Z

Leftmost, Tim Kelley runs in pajamas and red NB Minimus Road Zeros for the Jingle Bell Run. Top right Tim finishes the DC Triathlon in Sprint FiveFingers. Bottom-right is Tim training running stairs with his daughter in tow.

Tim Kelley is a runner, dad, and blogger here on BirthdayShoes.com. He's based out of Virginia and is somewhat famous for having a photo of Obama and himself photoshopped into a spoof show of support for Ron Paul. Below is a brief interview with Tim so readers get to know the authors behind BirthdayShoes!

Full story »

Laced SeeYa LS FiveFingers Spotted in the Wild?

2012-05-08T14:17:00Z

A photo surfaced recently of what looked liked laced versions of the Vibram FiveFingers SeeYa. SeeYas with laces? Interesting...

Both our men's and women's review of the FiveFingers SeeYa cited a somewhat loose fit, and while Tim didn't have issues with blisters while wearing the SeeYas with socks, Leah had some rubbing issues with hers.

Meanwhile, virtually every new FiveFingers model sporting a new sole has been followed up 6-12 months later with a laced model with the same sole (e.g. Bikila to Bikila LS, KomodoSport to KomodoSport LS, Spyridon LS/Spyridon, etc.).

We've already gotten a solid sneak peak of the Fall 2012 Vibram FiveFingers, and from that we know a laced SeeYa isn't on tap for a 2012 release; so I can only assume that these laced SeeYas are being tested now for a 2013 release — perhaps Spring 2013? If I had to speculate (which I am doing!), this would be my best guess so far, but honestly, who knows.

As for what I could tell in these mysterious pictures aside from the laces (which aren't the speed-lacing system style, incidentally), it looks like there's more of the sturdy fabric on the upper of these laced SeeYas, likely there to snug the fit down with the laces. The hope would be that this would reduce slipping and sliding of the upper and make for an overall more secure fit. What I can't tell from the alleged photos is if the heel-cup is modified in this design. We know the heel was also a question of concern from Tim's review and an area that was being worked on between the original pre-production and final production versions of the SeeYa.

Any existing SeeYa owners want to chime in on whether they'd like to have laces or not? Anyone on the fence about the SeeYa's current design? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments!

Altra Eve Review

2012-05-07T15:43:00Z

The women's Altra Eve from Altra (Zero Drop) Running are Altra's women-specific ultra-minimalist/barefoot running shoe.

The women's Altra Eve minimalist/barefoot running shoes from Altra Zero Drop Footwear.

The Altra Eve is a customizable minimalist shoe designed specifically for a woman’s foot (It's the women's equivalent of the Altra Adam reviewed by Justin here). In the product video on Altra’s website, they mention that it has a narrower heel, longer arch, higher instep, and a wider toebox.

Not much of a fan of the aesthetics here. They have a strappy configuration that has some sort of mummified/bandage look going on. Also, the overall look and feel of these reminds me exactly of a mitten. The shape of the stretchy upper and rounded toe are what gives it the mitten look. So with that, I’ve dubbed them the “mummy mittens.”

Full story »

Rare Vibram FiveFingers Classics

2012-05-03T13:58:00Z

Two rare pairs of Classic FiveFingers - rare because they can only be purchased through Europe, and one pair (the floral variety) were one-off VFFs made a few years back and are only available via eBay.

Left, a pair of "Suomy" Classic FiveFingers. These were only made (nearest we can tell) in a one-off batch a few years back. The Navy/White Classic FiveFingers are a European colorway that is slowly running out of stock. Both are very hard to get if you live in the U.S.

Let me recap: Classics are my all-time favorite toe shoes.

It's something I've talked a decent bit about recently (see here and here), but it stands repeating: Classic FiveFingers are fantastic. What makes them so great? Two things stand out:

Classics feature a 3.5mm Vibram, razor-siped sole. Nothing more; nothing less. The sole is incredibly dynamic with your foot while still protective and still providing a good deal of "ground feel." This is practically the most "barefoot" you are going to get with any minimalist shoe out there.
Classic FiveFingers are open-topped. Being exposed on top allows your foot better air circulation while also allowing you to slide into the toe shoes without hands (with practice).

This one-two punch makes the Classic an incredible "barefoot shoe" for knocking around town, wearing to the park, walking your dog, or lazying about at the beach or the lake or anywhere. Classic FiveFingers are even good for running! Yes, you read right! Don't believe me? Barefoot Ted ran the first Copper Canyon Ultramarathon in Classic FiveFingers! Yeah, he had the grey/orange, black-soled Classics* on the run-heard-round the world as made famous by Chris McDougall in Born to Run (read it already).

Thus I find it painful to watch as people (mostly men) overlook the Classics in favor of some of the more close-topped Vibrams. Sure the new-fangled toe shoes are awesome — the ultra-light SeeYa is probably the closest new model to the Classic's ground-feel and airiness — but I can't put any of them on like I can the Classics. That is, like a pair of my favorite flip-flops. I'd also like anyone who finds the Classics feminine to tell that to Ted McDonald, who I'd not want to run into in a dark alley and is one of the godfathers of the whole minimalist/barefoot shoe movement in the first place!

Full stop. You get the point: I like Classics and I'm not alone. Classics are the only model of FiveFingers I've ever heard of people collecting. It's just that as more and more folks buy up the new hotness in toe shoes, they overlook the age-old beauty of the Classic; Vibram is then left looking at sales numbers scratching their heads, thinking, "I guess no one likes the Classic so we'll have to pair that offering back."

And that is exactly what they've done.

Thankfully, there are still a few options out there to score some seriously sweet Classics, which is what you're seeing within this post — two colorways of Classic FiveFingers that are pretty rare.

Full story »

Interview with Robert Barr

2012-05-02T13:45:00Z

Robert Barr is a professional photographer and blogger here on BirthdayShoes.com. He's based out of Washington and is slowly, if unintentionally, collecting enough minimalist shoes to start a museum. What follows is an interview with Robert so that BirthdayShoes readers can get to know the writers who help keep this site running!

Why did you switch to minimalist shoes?

My path to minimalist shoes was a long one. For years, I wore the same type of dress loafer. You will see a picture of it below. They were almost always leather, heavy, black, and had a significant heel to toe differential. I have had chronic back pain for quite a long time. It stems from several accidents I had throughout the years. It can complicate things at times. For instance, I can't stand in one place for more than five minutes without needing to sit down. In order to reduce the pain, I would have to pace back and forth or sit down. I spent years trying different types of shoes hoping they might relieve my pain. I tried Sketcher's Shape Ups, Z-Coil, Orthotic Insoles, and many different solutions. Nothing I tried made it better. A hand full of the things I tried made it worse. Long story short I went many years without any real relief. I always ended up going back to my big dress loafers.

I had seen these things called FiveFingers online, and they really appealed to me. I spent a lot of time trying to avoid wearing shoes. Mostly because shoes tend to increase my pain. I really thought they would be cool to try out. I did not want to order any online without first getting sized. I was not really aware of the fact that you could buy them at a retail store. I did some searching online and went to born to run in Bellevue. They did a fantastic job of sizing me into my first pair of FiveFingers. They were a pair of Bikila LS in green/grey.

The instant I walked out of the store with them on my feet, I knew I had found something I liked. I found they helped reduce my back pain while standing. It was no miracle cure, but I did notice an improvement in my ability to stand in one place for extended periods of time. I am now able to stand in one place for around 30 minutes before I would I start feeling back pain agin.

Full story »

Olympic-Themed FiveFingers Classics

2012-05-01T15:47:00Z

Denmark flag-styled Olympic Classic FiveFingers ... coming sometime summer 2012?

If there's one FiveFingers model that garners more of a following all others, it'd have to be the Classic. It's my all-time personal favorite style of Vibrams and I'm not alone: just take this fan's 20+ pairs for reference.

Unfortunately though, it seems that the Classic doesn't tend to get the most attention from the FiveFingers community at large — or perhaps newcomers to toe shoes who are wooed into picking up a "fancier" pair of toe shoes like the SeeYa, Spyridon LS, KomodoSport LS, or Bikila LS (among many others). I don't blame them: if you're new to the concept of a five-toed shoe, you're likely going to drop that $75-$100 on a model you feel like will cover as many bases as possible — and one with perhaps a little more conventional look (some shy away from the Classic's open-topped design for aesthetic reasons).

The result of all of this is that the Classic model is getting a bit ignored by consumers, which drives us crazy Classic fans a little batty. More to the point, it means that colorways in Classics, particularly in the United States, have been cut back to flat black, which is most unfortunate, as the black colorway is probaby the uber-Classic fan's least favorite. Sigh. Just a couple weeks back I scratched my Classics' itch by grabbing a couple rare pairs via the aforemented uber-fan from the Netherlands who helped me complete the transaction.

Thankfully, I can only assume some folks in Italy love this original model, too, because Vibram (at least in Europe) looks to be planning an Olympic-timed release of some very fun and cool Classic FiveFingers.

Case in point, the above pictured Denmark-flag styled Classics! What's going on here? Well, we're only able to just start piecing the information together, but it appears that Vibram will be producing some limited-number FiveFingers Classics styled in various flags from around the world! Which ones? Well, that's unclear at this point.

What we know to date is that Denmark is definitely "in" (as exemplified by the already existing model as shared by a certain Facebook page) and it seems like the United Kingdom is going to get a pair, too. Check it out (after the jump)!

Full story »

BodyGlove 3T Barefoot (3-Toed Shoes) Review

2012-04-30T15:26:00Z

The BodyGlove 3T Barefoot "three toe" shoes first crossed my path back in mid-February. It wasn't long before I got an email from BodyGlove wondering if I'd like to try out their first product geared towards the water-loving barefooter — after all, BodyGlove has a substantial history of making surf- and beach-related apparel. Really, given how often people think FiveFingers (or Sockwas) are watershoes and/or the early attempts to find a cheap minimalist shoe by turning to aqua shoes from Walmart, in a way BodyGlove is just closing the loop with the 3T Barefoot.

And less you think your eyes are deceiving you, rest assured that they're not: the "3T Barefoot" only has three toe pockets, granting the smallest three toes a single pocket and the biggest two toes a pocket a piece.

Meanwhile, as I live in Atlanta and don't make a regular practice of watersports (sadly), BodyGlove sent me the 3T with the express understanding that I'd just be evaluating them as a minimalist (toed) shoe.

And so I've gotten acquainted with these three toed shoes. They're a bit unusual, but perhaps worth your consideration. Let's go!

Full story »