Buy Vibram Fivefingers TrekSport (42 Men's, Black/Charcoal) - M4485Vibram Fivefingers TrekSport (42 Men's, Black/Charcoal) - M4485 Product Description:
- TPU Toe Protection - For enhanced forefoot protection.
- Antimicrobial Microfiber footbed -
- Seamless 2mm Footbed Insole - stitching free, to reduce friction and improve comfort
- Razor Siped Outsole - For added flexibility and slip resistance.
- Heel and Instep Hook and Loop Closures - Helps pull the upper tight round the contours of your feet so it feels like a second skin.
Product Description
The Vibram Five Fingers Trek Sport offers a 4mm EVA midsole for plating protection and a lightly cleated 4 mm Vibram performance rubber outsole for added grip on a variety of surfaces as well. TPU Toe protection uses plating protection to protect your toes while still remaining light weight. The Coconut Active Carbon Fiber increases breathability. MINIMALIST RUNNING / BAREFOOT RUNNING The typical human foot is an anatomical masterpiece of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. To keep our feet healthy, like the rest of our bodies, they need to be stimulated and exercised regularly. Many experts believe the shoes we wear not only cast the foot in a protective form, but can also weaken our foot and leg muscles, leaving them underdeveloped and more susceptible to injury. And while there are many occasions where traditional footwear is essential for protection, safety, and security, it is equally important to stimulate and exercise our feet in a more natural state on a regular basis. To stimulate the muscles in your feet and lower legs, which in turn can make stronger, healthier and improve your balance then the Vibram Fivefingers could help you achieve this. Use them for training, running and many other activities to see the benfits!
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
67 of 67 people found the following review helpful.
By VaughanJT
I began running in the Vibram KSO's about a year ago and average 20-25 miles per week in them (once I built the requisite foot/calf strength). The TrekSport is a great upgrade over the KSO simply because the sole of the TrekSport is thicker and cleated. This is a critical fact if you plan on trail running. I found the KSO's sole to be too thin when running off road, especially on pea-sized gravel as you will feel this through the shoe; you will be shielded from gravel in the TrekSport. Also, with the TrekSport, you will not lose "ground sensitivity" with the thicker sole. Finally, the microbial addition in the TrekSport makes them less odorous than regular KSOs with prolonged use. My old KSOs continually smelled even after several machine washings. If you are in-between sizes, you should opt for the larger size so that your toes will not be cramped in the toe pockets. I am a size 10.5 and the TrekSport 42 size worked best for me.
85 of 90 people found the following review helpful.
By Jinx
I picked these up because a co-worker mentioned the whole "Born to Run" and barefoot running craze that's going around. He's into that, I'm not. I don't run. I have lower back pain that translates down into my knee. I was less interested in the running aspect than I was about the thought of what these shoes are really about--getting us back to a natural walk/run. In America, we have a lot of people who have knee problems, but in other countries, for instance Japan where they walk around barefoot in their homes and spend tons of time kneeling, knee problems are a lot less. I looked around at the minimalist shoes and then figured, what the hey, I'll jump straight into these "Monkey Feet".Honestly, I'm glad I did. I may never go back to "regular shoes". I chose the KSO Trek Brown because of all the varieties, these are the most conservative. I wasn't too comfortable with the fact that people would see my toes. That's weird! And it is. Since I bought them, I've overcome that and came to the conclusion of "So what? I don't care what anybody else thinks." Honestly, people don't really notice my feet unless they really look at my feet, then they are shocked, interested, confused, and start asking questions. I even had one guy complement me on them. Talk about weird. One guy complementing another on his shoes. (Yes, I checked my masculinity afterwards just to be certain.) But, I digress.I've done minimal running with them, mostly sprinting after my children when they were getting into trouble on the playground equipment. Did I experience knee pain? To an extent. But it wasn't prolonged running either. So, no, this hasn't cured my back pain completely nor made me able to solve complex nth-degree differential equations in my sleep. However, I'm not a sprinter, but those shoes made me able to grip the ground so much better, gain the traction I needed, and made my sprint faster than I've ever done. (when I ran, it was long distance, I'm slow at sprinting.)So, without further ado, here are the cons and pros:Cons:* Cost. I don't know about you, but $125 is a lot of money for me to spend on shoes. They better last more than a year.* Sizing. If you go to VFFs website they have their funky sizing chart and if you measure your foot you'll get something close to the European measurement, though not quite. Then when you try them on, your toes burst through the seams and the shoe goes flying off like the glass slipper from Cinderella's evil step-sister. Okay, not that bad, but their sizing needs to be rethought. Everywhere I read stated that you must go at least one size, if not two over what their sizing recommends. The best option is to go someplace that sells them, try them on and get the proper measurement there. Additionally, the sizing is not consistent throughout the entire line of shoe. From what I've read, classics differ by at least one size than some of the others. That, by itself is extremely annoying. I measured, tried a pair on, and found that one or two sizes more than what VFF recommended was ideal.* Accommodation. If you have weird feet, forget it. These shoes are based on a standard format. So, if your first toe is longer than your big toe, there is no accommodation for that, except to go with a shoe larger to work with that long toe. If you have syndactyly, forget it.* Customer Service. When I pay over $100 for a product, I have an expectation that Customer Service should be very helpful, especially since this product seems to be picking up quite the following and the trend is moving in this direction (for now). I live in an arid climate and I noticed that after washing my shoes they were drying out and beginning to lighten, especially the straps. I did my research on-line and found that Mink Oil can help. However, before I jumped into that, and because the leather on top is very soft and some warnings I've read caution on that, I wanted to confirm with VFF that Mink Oil would be okay to use, or to see if they had another suggestion. CS was a joke. The answer I got was: We don't sell the shoe for its outward appearance. Nonsense! Triple nonsense! And a couple words that shouldn't be posted on a G-rated forum. You look at their line up and the vast majority of their shoes are about outward appearance with some of them designed to draw your eye to the fact that you are wearing toe shoes! Neon green between the toes, hunter orange between the toes? Nah, those'll never draw the eye to the feet.... For that stupidity alone, these shoes lost a star and nearly lost two.* Care. These shoes are designed to be close fitting with some breathing. However, my feet sweat. And after a while, despite their much hyped EVA Microfiber antimicrobial soles, bacteria builds up and you get stinky feet. Some have started to call it the five-fingered funk. So, yes, you do have to wash them and treat them. There are many options out there. Wearing toe socks can help mitigate that, but you'll still get that funk.* Toe Socks. Admitted, this is optional, but my feet sweat, then they get even colder at work. So, toe socks for me is a must. Do you know how hard it is to find toe socks for men at your regular brick and mortar sports shops? Even the department stores don't carry them. They look at you funny when you ask for them. So, that leaves the internet because, no, I'm just not comfortable wearing pink and lime green striped toe socks to work.* Breaking in. This refers more to your body than the actual shoe. With regular shoes you more often do a heel-strike (hitting with your heel first) than a toe-strike (hitting with the balls of your feet). Here you walk more like you are barefoot, which means you are more likely to do a toe-strike. Because of this, your muscles will go through an adjustment period to get used to the fact that you're not walking/running the way you've been doing it for 20+ years. Additionally, if you haven't worn flip-flops in a while and then you start wearing them you get that ache between your big toe and your first toe. Take that and apply it to all your toes. Yeah, feel the pain!* Putting them on. For many people, like my co-worker, putting these things on is very time consuming--ten minutes plus. For me, I do a slight instep (point my foot inward) and wriggle my toes in. If they go in the wrong toe spot, I slip them out a little and then use my fingers to make the slight correction just as I would with a glove.Pros:* Gloves for your feet. It seriously feels like a pair of well-fitted gloves only for my feet.* Comfort. These are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I could go on, but then I'd have to check my masculinity again.* Arches. No, not the golden ones. I have high arches and with regular shoes I'm always looking for that arch support, or adding it to them because my foot hurts otherwise. With these, there is no arch support. Guess what, I don't need it. My feet feel great because I'm walking the way thousands of years of evolution (or divine providence, whichever you believe in) has designed my foot to be. I don't have problems with my arches now.* Feel the floor. Whether running, jumping, walking, yoga, or martial arts, I can feel the ground with my feet so much better than I could in regular shoes. This allows me to dig in and get better foot positioning and better traction. And believe me, the KSO Treks have really good traction for digging in.* Ooooh, they feel so good. I could almost wear them to bed.* Better running/walking mechanics. A growing trend in research is to look at running patterns of people running with shoes and without and determine what is going on. This research is growing and it points to those running barefoot or with minimal protection have better mechanics and are able to transfer their weight through the stride more effectively and efficiently. Some popular books talk solely about barefoot running and how it is so much better. I'll leave that up to you to decide, to do the research and decide what you think best.* The cure-all. Many people claim to have been cured of everything from foot problems, lower back pain, marital problems, all the way to curing STDs. Some of that is debatable, but research is pointing that those who run/walk as we were designed to (read: barefoot or as close to it as possible) use their bodies more effectively and reduce the unnecessary stress on joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles.* Great for Vegans. Don't know why this is important, but it is, to the company. Just read their FAQ.* Monkey feet. Don a fez, a little vest, some wings, and you can be that little flying monkey from the Wizard of Oz.Okay, either I'm getting really sleepy, bored, or both. And perhaps you are too if you haven't already fallen asleep through this Trollopian review. And if you have, then you are sleep-reading which can be a dangerous, addictive habit--get an intervention, now! I know I listed more cons than I did pros and went on and on and on about them. I figure if you read the reviews you will read a ton of glowing reviews. Some will be candid. I hope this one will give you information on what can be a potential downfall for you. For me, the gamble paid off and the pros (even those unlisted ones) far outweigh the cons.I rated this 4 star because I love them. I will probably get me a second pair (KSO, red--do the red one Bob) in the near future so I can take them kayaking without worrying about drying leather on my feet. My wife is going to get herself a pair (Jayas), but she walks around barefoot most of the time anyway. I will probably never go back to wearing regular shoes, unless I'm forced to by a four-hundred pound, muscle bound freak of nature and that's if he's sitting on my chest and another is putting the shoe on me. They lost one because their Customer Service is lacking (and yes, I will ding them on that. If you don't like it, deal with it.)If you decide to go with them, good luck, happy feeting, low fives to you. If not, well, good luck.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
By Z. Morosini
A year ago I bought the women's black, kangaroo-leather KSO Treks after trying on several different styles at a store (they were all less expensive than leather, but for the life of me, I couldn't get them on!). These, however, literally slipped right on. It took a few days to break them in--by that, I mean get over the whole toe-separation thing. Now I forget I'm wearing them. As for function, I've been doing really hard "Insanity" and P90X workouts at home for a year and haven't felt ANY pain or discomfort from these wonderful shoes. I even wear them to work (they look great with black pants or even jeans)! People think they're funny-looking, but they're all curious about how the shoes feel and ask if I like them. I've run in them many times. Your calves will feel it the next day until you get used to the transfer of impact from joints and soles to working calf muscles. Amazing how your body re-adapts to a more natural running state, meaning fore- and mid-foot striking, which causes less stress on the heel, knee, and ankle (check out "barefoot running" on Youtube). I used to think I needed lots of padding (I used to wear Nike Shox and put WalkFit orthotics inside), but these have proven that theory WRONG, at least for me. NO MORE plantar fasciitis, no more knee, ankle or hip pain--there was always something hurting after any kind of workout before, even just a brisk 3-mile walk; I'd wake up the next morning crippled. They've also helped my posture. If these ever wear out I'll be buying another pair. I have narrow feet and usually wear a women's size 8 shoe, so the 38 fit me. I'd STRONGLY recommend trying them on at a store to be sure you like them and you find the right size for you. Each style is a little different-feeling. DON'T buy them on Ebay, you'll probably get a fake. The Vibram website is helpful, too. Happy, healthy fitness to you!
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