I don't live in an amazing place like Portland, where running is as much a part of life as McDonald's is to a seven year old. I live in Texas, and to be more specific West Texas. There are no beautiful, rolling hills with wonderful, cushy trails on which to patter your feet...there is asphalt. Asphalt and the twist and turns of residential neighbourhoods with barking dogs and cars driven by old ladies that can't help but steer their Cadillacs in your direction because their hands follow their eyes.
I, like many of you , wanted to see what this "barefoot revaluation" was all about, so I did my research and made the "transition." I have to say, I'm now a believer. Also, like many of you, I own five or six pairs of minimalist shoes because we are all looking for that Holy Grail. I had heard of this unusual shoe company that I could never remember their name, and when I did, felt kind of stupid saying it because it was not short and catchy and didn't rhyme with bikey or basic. It was quite by chance that I ended up with a pair of Vivobarefoot Ultras anyway. I had read all the great reviews about the Evos, but they were too damn expensive and heavy. Amazon had a pair of Ultras for $50 or so, so that was my opportunity to try out this company at a more affordable price. I got the shoes in, and long story short, grew to LOVE them for the types of roads that I run on. Many Ultra wearers don't use the insert, I do. Many complain about the sizing issue, if you're going to wear the insert, size up, if not, stick to your normal size. Some complain about the squishiness of the shoes as well. Maybe they're too soft for Portland runners, but after 10+ miles on asphalt, a little squishy ain't bad.
Now the bad news. According to Vivobarefoot, these shoes are not really designed as a pure running shoe, therefore the sole is not as durable as the famous Evo sole. Well, at a third of the price of Evos, and with good technique (that red "V" on the bottom of the sole is there for a reason), I've been able to get 300 miles out of my Ultras, so far. I think I'll get a couple of hundred more. This makes them almost the perfect asphalt shoe, for me. If the design team would put just a bit of rubber across the ball of the foot, I think I could almost double that. That's why they are ALMOST the perfect asphalt shoe; durability of the sole is a bit lower than ideal, but then again, they are not designed for what I use them for exactly.
If you are like me, have transitioned to minimalist shoes, and run mainly on asphalt, the Ultras may fit the bill for you as well. If not, then they are worth it just to wear and try to explain to folks exactly what those things are that you have on your feet.
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I have now had these for about three weeks. Having a friend who had a pair of Evo IIs and being a bare foot runner I was very excited to try these out. I have run in Vibrims quite a bit and really only have two complaints with them. That they don't breathe well, and they actually have quite a bit between your feet and the road. The Vivo Ultras definitely solved these two issues; unfortunately I have two other issues that are even worse.
The first is the sizing. They seem to run smaller than the Vibrims, especially with the bootie in. Without it they are about the right size, but when installed they are a little small. As they run in full sizes, my fear is that the next size up would fit fine with the bootie installed but be much too large without it.
The second is the flexibility of the back of the heel. It is much too stiff and after only about a quarter mile of running barefoot in them they chopped into my achilles and made it bleed. If I run with the booties or socks it is not as bad however this kind of defeats some of the point. In fact the pain of it digging in changed my stride enough that I started lading on my heel to avoid it. Probably the worst thing "barefoot" shoes could do.
In all they do feel the ground really well, breathe even better, and the quality of the shoes is excellent. However without more flexibility in the heel I can't run in them barefoot which negates much of its strengths.
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I was looking to buy the ultra's in gray.. And the red was all they had in my size. But I'm happy now that it worked out the way it did! I'm a barefoot runner and take my shoes of where ever I can.. Which isn't at the gym^^ but if your like me and hate 5 fingers. Then this company is for you! A wide tow box, supper thin sole.. You can feel everything. Your feet will feel free.. Unlike the other guys. Ive got 2 pairs of vivo's now and I'll have 3 or 4 in the next few months.
Ok a little about sizing. I'm a 44 in vivo's. And the ultras would be to tight with the liner. Nike frees 11 1/2. Clarks 10 1/2. Army combat boots 10 1/2 wide. Hope this helps.
Honest reviews on Vivobarefoot Men's Ultra Running Shoe
I've retired from barefoot ultra-running, and now spend a couple hours a day in the gym on the elliptical, doing mainly jumping exercises. I'm never comfortable in standard padded shoes, and the really bare-footed shoes like Vibram's Five Finger line is a little odd-looking (I have a few pairs and never use them). I picked up the white version of this shoe the first time for around $90 and thought it's a little overpriced for its actual quality when examined in person. But here on Amazon, I found extra pairs for under $50. A bargain! My first pair, going on a year of daily gym use, is still holding strong, so my extra pairs are in storage.
This shoe comes with an inner built-in sock, which is attached with 2 plastic buttons to the shoe one in the back of the shoe (A big polygon button) and another at the bottom of the tongue. The sock is a bit tight, so I took it out. If I don't use socks, my sweaty feet feel kind of funky in the rubbery shoe. So I use cheap black no-show socks and they're fine. The big, big deal about these shoes:
First, so easy to clean! Use a stiff brush under running water, and you can scrub in an out of the shoe. Let it airdry and you're set!
Second, the big hole in the back of the shoe when you don't use the built-in sock you can pull your gym pants through this hole so you don't step on it. I find that all gym pants are too long, and so sticking them into the back of the shoe, and pulling them out through the back hole solves trhe issue!
Just a great shoe when you don't like padding. With 4 of these pairs, my first one lasting into its second year, possibly 3 I should be set for the decade.
Recommended!
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I work in a hospital. I purchased these because I wanted a minimalist shoe for work and didn't want to wear funny-looking VibramFiveFingers or a moccasin that would slide around. So far, these have turned out great for my purposes, although as an overall shoe, they have some drawbacks. The outer plastic casing has a removable fabric insert. While the shoe fits me very well, the insert does not. The insert crushes my toes and the ball of my foot, which is exactly what a minimalist shoe should not do. It also smelled like a gym locker after only two wearings. So I had to remove the insert. However, after I did, the shoe was great. I wear it with a pair of socks, and it ventilates well, never smells bad, and feels comfortable and light. My co-workers think the shoes look great. Some people have expressed concern that the shoes have holes that could let through body fluids, but the truth is, so do crocs, which many hospital workers wear, and fabric running shoes will let fluids soak through the fabric. I can't imagine running in these shoes, and I think if I wore them without socks, the back of the shoe would rub my Achilles tendon, but I am satisfied overall.
