The Ugly Sister: Vibram soles should never wear out so soon. Nor should the TC1 rubber change colour

CQOTW2: Why Should I Buy Genuine Vibram FiveFingers?

CQOTW: Why should I fork out for a pair of Genuine Vibram FiveFingers, when I can buy a Fake pair on Ebay?

This week’s ‘Customer Question of the Week’ came from a friend, and I too remember asking myself the same question several years ago whilst contemplating my second pair of Vibrams. It can be quite easy to forget that when you buy a pair of shoes – you’re actually investing in top materials; a product of many, many hours of research; a particular (not to mention consistent) fit – and not just something that looks good.

My Bin Bag Analogy: It won’t work out cheaper

Have you ever, whilst doing you weekly grocery shop, looked at bin bags? You pick up a roll of bin bags for £1.99 and say to yourself “blimey – that’s expensive – I only need them to put the rubbish out!” then notice you can get some ‘value’ bin bags for a fraction of the price, and you get twice as many. You put the £1.99 bags back on the shelf, and throw the cheaper ones in your trolley.

Later that week, you go to empty your bin, and what happens? The bin bag splits. You have to clean up all the mess. You vow never to use the cheap bin bags again and make your way back to the shop to opt for the bin bags you should have bought in the first place. It has cost you time, hassle, and money.

Don’t Make That Mistake With Your Vibrams

Back in early 2011, I picked up a pair of (Counterfeit!) Vibram FiveFingers Bikila on Ebay for around £45. I was really sceptical and expected the worst. Then they arrived. After waiting (a few weeks!!) for the package to arrive, I opened the mailing bag and was amazed to see what looked like a perfectly genuine Vibram FiveFingers box.

I opened up the box. The Bikilas were wrapped in tissue as normal. They looked and felt exactly like a genuine pair. I was surprised. A lot of fake Vibrams I’d seen on Ebay were dreadful! I thought I’d bagged a huge bargain and couldn’t wait to go for a run.

Fake Bikilas On Test

The counterfeit Bikilas endured a 12-mile debut.

Although they seemed to fit perfectly normal, I could feel rubbing in various places. The stitching inside was clearly not Vibram-standard. And although the sole felt flexible, the shoes felt light, and they looked very smart – I didn’t enjoy running them at all. They felt awkward.

The Ugly Sister: Vibram soles should never wear out so soon. Nor should the TC1 rubber change colour
The Ugly Sister: Vibram soles should never wear out so soon. Nor should the TC1 rubber change colour
Worn Out: Counterfeit Vibrams showing heavy signs of wear after just 12 miles
Worn Out: Counterfeit Vibrams showing heavy signs of wear after just 12 miles

I returned home with sore feet. I peeled the shoes from my feet to reveal several areas of blistering, and the shoes were stained with blood from rubbing.

The biggest complaint was with the sole. Vibram make some of the best soles in the world. They are a household name, on the same level with the likes of Gore-Tex (waterproofing), YKK (zips!) and Lycra, and Vibram soles are extremely durable. This fake sole however, looked as though it had been put through a 500+ mile test! The colours had worn out and some of the midsole was very heavily worn! The shoes were absolutely useless! 

I Got Lucky

Many of the fake styles available on Ebay are much, much worse. They come in unofficial colourways, some don’t look or fit anything like a genuine pair, and others don’t even arrive at your doorstep, even though you’ve paid for them!!

The Neighbour from Hell: At first glance he seems genuine, but give it a while and he'll turn nasty!
The Neighbour from Hell: At first glance he seems genuine, but give it a while and he’ll turn nasty!
The counterfeit looks very genuine. It is difficult to spot, unless you compare with a geuine VFF side-by-side
The counterfeit looks very genuine. It is difficult to spot, unless you compare with a geuine VFF side-by-side

…Now You See The Relationship between a Bin Bag and FiveFingers

It cost me much more than it should have done. I paid for a counterfeit pair, and then (rather reluctantly) had to buy another pair (this time genuine). It served me right. I learned my lesson, and I hope you learn from my mistake.

OTHER LINKS YOU MAY LIKE ON FEETUS.CO.UK

See our fantastic range of GENUINE Viram FiveFingers

See our previous CTOTW where we look at Vibram FiveFingers: Velcro vs Laces

Our full range of barefoot and minimalist running shoes

Torq Logo

The Torq Trail Team: 2013 (An Extraordinary Weekend)

Question: How often do you get the chance to meet with a load of like-minded people, attend a presentation by a top ultra trail runner, trial a full range of the best sport nutrition on the market, and then take guided runs through some beautiful Shropshire trails?

Answer: Not very often (unless you’re a pro runner).

Well that’s exactly what Torq (in association with FreeStak) put together for a group of trail runners this weekend.

A Trail Team is (Almost) Born

This was billed originally as an ‘Assessment Day’ to help select a small group of amateur trail runners to form the inaugural Torq Trail Team. Not only would this team proudly represent Torq at events across the country and have a healthy supply for Torq goods at their disposal – but they would also be taken for a training holiday to cover the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) circuit. Not bad eh?

Saturday: Education. Inspiration. Perspiration.

The format of the day was very relaxed. After an hour of socialising, a brief introduction from the charismatic Simon and Julie from FreeStak, we received a fantastic presentation from Torq’s nutritional guru, Ben. It’s fair to say that we all learned an awful lot from what became an interactive session covering all aspects of ‘fuelling’ on the run. Don’t hit that wall!

We were then treated to a superb session with Stuart Mills. Thought-provoking, inspirational, controversial, and more… “Run as fast as you can, when you can”, “If you’re doing core work, you’re not doing enough running”. If you’ve never stumbled across Ultra Stu’s blog before, do it today, you won’t regret it!

Inspired and wired (on gels), we donned our running gear to hit the trails across the Long Mynd. Often surrounded by low cloud, battered by a side wind, and shin-deep in snow, we were distracted by great company and beautiful views. The only competitive aspect of the run was perhaps the rush for the showers at the end.

Sunday: Long Run

Sunday’s schedule was simple. You either ran a 2-hour circuit, or a 4-hour circuit, and your reward would be a well-earned hotpot in the hostel. The typical British weather did little to put the hardy group of trail runners off on what turned out to be an unforgettable day of running.

Torq-FreeStak-LongMynd-UTMB-Fitness-Torq-Trail-Team-2013-01
Picking up the pace
Torq Trail Team
Standing around ‘Torqing’

The Future

Torq and FreeStak have got big plans for this concept going forward, with plans for the next few years already being formulated. It’s fair to say that interest in this Trail Team will only grow, but who knows, if you stay up to date with Torq via their Facebook page; it could be YOU in 2014…

In the meantime, why not try out some of Torq’s amazing products?

Massive Thanks To (and links to their sites):

Torq

FreeStak

Ultra Stuart Mills

Roy Belchamber (Photography)

It’s also worth checking out some of the inspirational runners who attended the Torq TreamTeam assessment: 

Adam Breckon

Ben Sears 

Kristof Nowicki

Lindley Chambers

Reuben Tabner (The Bearded Runner)

Sam Robson

 

CQOTW: Vibram FiveFingers: Laces or Velcro?

Customer Question of the Week

Every week we get plenty of questions from customers. So many in fact, that we have decided to dedicate a blog post each week to our favourite customer question, which we have abbreviated to ‘CQOTW’. So, without further ado, here is our inaugural CQOTW:

CQOTW1 – Vibram FiveFingers: Which is best, Velcro or Laces?

Vibram’s range of Velcro-fastening shoes are definitely the fastest and most versatile.

The KSO and Komodo Sport shoes have a Velcro that wraps around the heel and then fastens into place over the top of your foot. The Bikila and SeeYa range are more of a slipper-style (no rear strap), with the Velcro fastening over the top of your foot. Shoes that have just one Velcro strap such as the Bikila and SeeYa are less secure, albeit very slightly.

Laces are regarded by most as giving the most secure fit. Despite Vibram’s speed-lacing system, they still take longer to put on than a Velcro counterpart. Laced versions also offer slightly less ventilation, and have less of a barefoot feel.

A Personal Opinion

Personally, I prefer the Velcro versions of all Vibrams. This is because I have narrow feet and when I tie the laces, I feel that there is too much excessive lace (due to having to pull them tighter than normal).

If you have a normal width foot, or have wide feet, go with whichever – they will both serve you just as well.

Looks DO Matter

Taking in to consideration the above, consider looks. Which do you think look the best, lace or Velcro? That may just determine your final choice…

One final note

I have found that runners prefer laces, and gym-goers prefer Velcros. I have no scientific evidence for this, however, I think this is probably due to laces being a more conventional ‘look’ in running shoes, whereas gym-goers often like to look like they are wearing the latest trend – and Velcro, you could argue, looks a little more quirky and unconventional.

Here’s a handy table to help you find your perfect training partner:

Men

Women

Laces

Bikila LS (Black/Green)

Bikila LS (Blue/Grey)

SeeYa LS

TrekSport Sandal

Komodo Sport LS

Lontra LS

SeeYa LS

TrekSport Sandal

Komodo Sport LS

Bikila LS

 

Velcro

Bikila (Silver/Black)Bikila (Black/Red)KSOSeeYa

KSO TrekSport

Spyridon

SeeYa

Komodo Sport

KSO TrekSport

KSO

 

Any More Questions?

Feel free to drop us a line if you have a burning question. Who knows? It may just feature as our CQOTW!

RedVenom-Feetus

Introducing: RedVenom Compression Gear

Whether you’re a professional or an amateur athlete – we’re always on the lookout for gear that improves performance.

Compression base layers are nothing knew. Research has existed for many moons documenting how compression gear can not only enhance our performance in training and racing, but also as a recovery aid.

Top Performance

Top compression clothing normally carries a ‘top’ price. You can spend a small fortune on kitting yourself from head to toe in Lycra. That’s why we were amazed when we discovered RedVenom.

Initially a little sceptical – We tested the RedVenom gear out on a variety of exercises from running and cycling, to strength training and core work, only to find that each garment held it’s own and performed admirably. A few weeks (and many miles) of training in RedVenom later, we’re proud to become stockists.

Competitive Pricing

RedVenom pride themselves on offering the same quality garmets as the top brands, but offering them at around a third of the price. They can do this by keeping advertising costs to a minimum, and over-spending on excessive packaging.

These form-fitting garments deliberately fit tight to your body to help reduce the build up of lactic acid, whilst keeping you dry and comfortable during excersise by wicking moisture away from your skin. The fit also improves recovery by preventing muscle oscillation which effectively leads to fatigue and muscle soreness.

Give Them a Go

You won’t be disappointed with RedVenom’s range. They offer shorts and tights, and both long and short-sleeved tops. We barefoot runners will also greatly benefit from their two options of calf guards, plus a graduated compression sock – All of which provide relief to sore calf muscles after running.


Ask Us A Question

If you have any questions regarding RedVenom clothing, feel free to leave us a comment, or send us a message here. We’re happy to help.