Quote Originally Posted by KnottedYet View Post
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/pro...s_bikila_f.cfm

Wow, 7 mm of sole. That's a thicker sole than the Asics Tigers we wore (back in the day) in track. Much, much thicker than training or racing flats. That's nearly as thick (11 mm) as the industry standard for modern running shoes at the forefoot. That is almost certainly thicker than the soles of the shoes Abebe Bikila wore when he broke his barefoot record for the marathon.

At that point, what is the point? I guess the toe spread is nice. But this is a loooooong way from running barefoot!

They have an appeal, but honestly, there are much cheaper ways to get the same sole.
Yeah, some people run in them and don't like them - you lose some of the "feel" of running minimalist/"barefoot".

However, for me, they are still very different from shoes - running in the FiveFingers isn't just about running barefoot to me - I don't think I can run truly barefoot where I am and how I run/train, but I have not been able to find shoe-shoes that work. They are formed to my feet, my toes are not squashed, they are... simple. The shoes don't get in the way of how I run. BUT... I think other people accomplish that in actual shoes (and safer). I guess some people take the barefoot thing literally/to the extreme, but I'm just enjoying the product that has come out of it.

The Bikilas don't feel as thick as shoes, even racing flats. Maybe it's just more subtle. They are definitely significantly stiffer than the KSOs. They don't spec the KSOs in the same way as the Bikila, but it looks like it's about twice as much thickness of the sole in some places. That said, 4mm is still a pretty significant difference. I guess we'll see.