geekhack

geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: mkawa on Tue, 29 July 2014, 18:28:56

Title: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: mkawa on Tue, 29 July 2014, 18:28:56: oh my god i love mine. fancy socks forever!

checking in with blue KSO evos

(http://s3.amazonaws.com/VibramFiveFingers/KSO_EVO-M_BlueBlack-Hero600x442.jpg)
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: noisyturtle on Tue, 29 July 2014, 18:34:02: ಠ_ಠ
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: ComradeSniper on Tue, 29 July 2014, 18:50:04: Fivefingers are awesome, I have KSOs for wearing around on nice days. Super comfy.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: vivalarevolución on Tue, 29 July 2014, 19:31:28: I found them kinda overkill. My little toe would always slip out of the small toe hole. Or I would jam my toe on something.

I prefer the shoes with really thin soles like Merrell barefoot shoes or (gasp!) Sperry Topsiders. I still have some Topsiders that I bought in 2005 and wear them every week.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: jacobolus on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:36:30: I just wish they didn’t try to make so many of the styles look like robots or space aliens or something.

I have a coupe of the SeeYa type in a less dramatic blue/gray color scheme that seems to now be discontinued.

I wear them at least half the time I go out though. Great for pretty much everything.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: Beca on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:46:34: i think they look kind of ridiculous when worn around everywhere...i wouldn't mind running in them though :eek:
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: noisyturtle on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:51:12: It takes a specific type of person to wear these, that's all I'm gonna say...
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: nubbinator on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:54:06: Quote from: noisyturtle on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:51:12
It takes a specific type of person to wear these, that's all I'm gonna say...

You can only wear these or socks and Birkenstocks, Tevas, or Chacos for the rest of your life. Which one do you chose? Go.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: Smasher816 on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:58:56: Quote from: Beca on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:46:34
i think they look kind of ridiculous when worn around everywhere...i wouldn't mind running in them though :eek:

Quote from: mkawa on Tue, 29 July 2014, 18:28:56
Show Image
(http://s3.amazonaws.com/VibramFiveFingers/KSO_EVO-M_BlueBlack-Hero600x442.jpg)

I got to se mkawa rocking his around at keycon :thumb:
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: StylinGreymon on Tue, 29 July 2014, 21:08:20: I didn't know they came in my size (US 16)
I might order a pair.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: jacobolus on Tue, 29 July 2014, 22:36:52: Pros:
* Let you feel the ground
* Great for climbing on trees and rocks etc.
* Help strengthen all the little stabilizer muscles in your feet and lower legs
* Allow you to adopt natural barefoot form for hiking, running, etc. – if you’re careful about this, it should be much less impact on all your joints (preventing most of the types of injuries that runners routinely suffer from) as well as more efficient (tendons are extremely efficient at putting energy back into the ground; padded running shoes just dissipate energy as heat; using proper barefoot running style will get more muscle groups involved in every step)
* Will keep your feet very warm in moderately cold weather, because they substantially increase blood flow through the feet
* You can very easily start running any time you need
* Protect you a bit better from broken glass &c. than walking/running around barefoot
* Much better fit to the foot than any standard shoe, which makes them extremely comfortable once you learn some good form

Cons:
* Wearing these without socks for a whole day leads them to smell pretty bad when you take them off. But they can be washed and aired out pretty easily. I recommend getting at least 2 pairs so you can switch between them.
* People who think high heels seem like a great idea are going to judge you as having the wrong fashion (but seriously, **** those people)
* Not ideal for extremely cold weather – I wouldn’t hike through a blizzard with these
* Need to ease into wearing them, because almost everyone in modern society wears shoes all the time and has extremely weak stabilizer muscles in the lower leg / foot, and has forgotten how to walk or run barefoot. Seriously, take it slow: I know several people who injured themselves because they tried to switch to running in Vibrams all at once, and didn’t properly learn good barefoot running form.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: mkawa on Tue, 29 July 2014, 23:41:04: Quote
Help strengthen all the little stabilizer muscles in your feet and lower legs
not medically proven = free fancy socks. woohoo!

re: the smell, it's actually pretty simple to de-smell them. wash them by hand in warm water with ample laundry detergent until they more or less stop smelling. then, put them out in the sun to dry. if you don't have sun, use a UV wand or something. the only point of this step is for increased antibiological treatment. this goes for any "barefoot shoe", basically anything you wear without socks.

i actually have these, a pair of the merrell barefoot non-trails, and a pair of the new balance vibram sandals. i've been primarily wearing the sandals because california summer, but between the merrells and the KSOs, the KSOs are my favorite. the merrells are the better running shoe (and they actually feel like shoes, fwiw), but the KSOs are way more comfortable. for driving, the KSOs are also second only to bare feet. those who have ridden with me can interpret that as is their wont.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: noisyturtle on Wed, 30 July 2014, 01:31:18: Quote from: nubbinator on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:54:06
Quote from: noisyturtle on Tue, 29 July 2014, 20:51:12
It takes a specific type of person to wear these, that's all I'm gonna say...

You can only wear these or socks and Birkenstocks, Tevas, or Chacos for the rest of your life. Which one do you chose? Go.

Well if I had to choose between those specific selections I would definitely chose the footies, but only because I very much dislike open-toed footware.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: jacobolus on Wed, 30 July 2014, 02:10:40: Quote from: mkawa on Tue, 29 July 2014, 23:41:04
for driving, the KSOs are also second only to bare feet. those who have ridden with me can interpret that as is their wont.
So the scale goes from somewhat frightened to “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” right?
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: Zeal on Wed, 30 July 2014, 02:16:02: Never tried those types of shoes, but have tried "individually-toed" socks. Did not like how 2 layers of fabric were in between my toes. =/ Not sure how I would feel about having a thicker layer of fabric/rubber in between.
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: damorgue on Wed, 30 July 2014, 02:18:10: I have sort of wanted to try them but my big toes take up like a third of my foot :(
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: jacobolus on Wed, 30 July 2014, 02:42:31: Quote from: Zeal on Wed, 30 July 2014, 02:16:02
Never tried those types of shoes, but have tried "individually-toed" socks. Did not like how 2 layers of fabric were in between my toes. =/ Not sure how I would feel about having a thicker layer of fabric/rubber in between.
Actually, the layer between the toes is very thin. It’s a bit weird for the first few hours. After a couple days it’s a non-issue (at least for the people I’ve talked to; maybe some people continue to be bothered).
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: mkawa on Wed, 30 July 2014, 08:01:56: Quote from: jacobolus on Wed, 30 July 2014, 02:10:40
Quote from: mkawa on Tue, 29 July 2014, 23:41:04
for driving, the KSOs are also second only to bare feet. those who have ridden with me can interpret that as is their wont.
So the scale goes from somewhat frightened to “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” right?
bwa!
Title: Re: Vibram fivefingers/fancy socks thread
Post by: dorkvader on Wed, 30 July 2014, 08:58:44: Quote from: damorgue on Wed, 30 July 2014, 02:18:10
I have sort of wanted to try them but my big toes take up like a third of my foot :(

I have also always wanted to try. So far I've been put off by the price / potential gimmick ratio and the fact that my toes are really short / permanently curled.