Vibrams and Cycling

Obitim

Hi there,

I've been hearing a lot about Vibram 5 fingers and I wondered if anyone had got much use out of them while cycling or if they are any good?

I'd be thinking gym stuff and running but wondered if they can be used on a bike at all or if it's best to stick with a normal pair of trainers?

nicklouse

i have and do were them and do when riding a bike BUT that is going to the pub or poping to the shops/park riding.

I also were them all day where the situation allowed. cold floors can get a bit much and you dont hang about the chiller section in supermarkets for long.

have fun.

Obitim

Cheers!

Yeah, my commute will be 10 miles each way, what do you reckon? I;ve not cycled for a good few years, should I go with trainers initially and then build up to Vibrams?

Which ones are you using?

nicklouse

i would not start on the vibrams. they sugest only short times for use early on. as your legs and feet can really ache.
I have a pair of clasics and some KSOs keep meaning on on getting some others but the money tends to go somewhere else at the moment.

arran77

What is the point of those things, I don't get them at all, apart from that they're fugly

Headhuunter

arran77 wrote:

What is the point of those things, I don't get them at all, apart from that they're fugly

I think the idea is that they replicate walking or running barefoot as closely as possible without actually going barefoot (and risk walking in dog poo, chewing gum and glass) which some people think is far better and more natural than walking in shoes or running in trainers. Not really sure how they benefit cyclists though...

arran77

Headhuunter wrote:

arran77 wrote:

What is the point of those things, I don't get them at all, apart from that they're fugly

I think the idea is that they replicate walking or running barefoot as closely as possible without actually going barefoot (and risk walking in dog poo, chewing gum and glass) which some people think is far better and more natural than walking in shoes or running in trainers. Not really sure how they benefit cyclists though...

I see, do they do a version that takes cleats

Headhuunter

arran77 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

arran77 wrote:

What is the point of those things, I don't get them at all, apart from that they're fugly

I think the idea is that they replicate walking or running barefoot as closely as possible without actually going barefoot (and risk walking in dog poo, chewing gum and glass) which some people think is far better and more natural than walking in shoes or running in trainers. Not really sure how they benefit cyclists though...

I see, do they do a version that takes cleats

I think it would be pretty pointless to cycle in them to be honest unless you're wearing them anyway but if you like running give them a try. It's weird to start with and you need to adjust to wearing them as they put more pressure through your calves as you can no longer heel strike. Some people swear by them as they believe that modern running trainers basically allow you to adopt bad walking/running technique whereas if you run or walk "barefoot" you are forced to naturally adopt a biomechanically correct way of moving... Well that's the theory....

nicklouse

Headhuunter wrote:

Not really sure how they benefit cyclists though...

only through normal use and as you said above but for cycling........ like i said up top fine for the shopping trip etc but for going for a ride? i can see it hurting.

Yossie

I thought that the point of the design of modern trainers was to support the ankle and take the impact out of the foot strike when running and therefore less injuries?

if these are so much better than why not just run barefoot and look out for poo/needles/IEDs as you go along?

Headhuunter

Yossie wrote:

I thought that the point of the design of modern trainers was to support the ankle and take the impact out of the foot strike when running and therefore less injuries?

if these are so much better than why not just run barefoot and look out for poo/needles/IEDs as you go along?

Advocates of barefoot running/walking believe that modern trainers with inserts to offset pronation and supination and heavily cushioned soles simply allow you to adopt bad technique with no side effects. For example many people run and let their heel strike the ground 1st which sends shock up the bones of the leg, through the joints etc and is not good. If you run barefoot you cannot do this as it's simply too painful so you naturally start to adopt a runnning style with a mid or forefoot strike which utilises your body's natural suspension (the muscles in the calf and upper leg). If you're wearing a heavily padded pair of Nike trainers you can more or less happily heel strike away and certainly the impact on your joints etc won't be immediate due to all the cushioning but ultimately you will start to damage your body. The theory is that human beings are naturally designed to run and that we don't need complex shoe technology to help us run correctly.

However barefoot running puts more strain on muscles (better than the joints and bones), in particular the calf muscles. Your muscles will need a fair amount of time to strengthen and adjust to this. The 1st time I ran "barefoot" I ran to work with rucksack (about 10k) and for the rest of the week I was more or less crippled and unable to walk without muscular pain - you need to start with short distances and build up!

If you want to run completely barefoot without any kind of shoe then that's just as good but you need to be very vigilant not to rip your feet to shreds on glass and other detritus on the streets in London!

goonz

Headhuunter wrote:

However barefoot running puts more strain on muscles (better than the joints and bones), in particular the calf muscles. Your muscles will need a fair amount of time to strengthen and adjust to this. The 1st time I ran "barefoot" I ran to work with rucksack (about 10k) and for the rest of the week I was more or less crippled and unable to walk without muscular pain - you need to start with short distances and build up!

Very true. I did a 5K run at work with only some plimsolls so not very smart but I run on the balls of my feet and by the end of it I could not even walk. The next day was absolute agony as new muscles developed and perhaps even my achilles was so tight! But definitely the best way to run.

I normally use Nike Air rifts which I also use if cycling to shops/short trips as they seem to gip my spd pedals better. I imagine the Vibrams would be similar to these but with less padding.

I love the Rifts and have been planning a vibram purchase for a while. What should I go for?