Teva Northridge

Smogz

Barefooters
Feb 4, 2013
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I have always liked Tevas sandal strapping. Since turning barefoot or to be honest, mostly using minimalist shoes, I have missed a minimalist sandal that has the classic Teva strapping since I really don´t like the thong thing between my toes on huaraches.

I have from a distance followed Tevas crawling attempts to close in on the minimalist market with the Zilch sandal. They looked kind of ok, with 10 mm sole and zero drop. But they had some kind of velcro strap to fasten the big to. So I waited.

This spring I finally saw that Teva had listen to my prayers. The Teva Northridge was released. A 10 mm sole, old school, sort of, Teva strapping, and good looks. So I ordered a Pair from Texas (I live in Sweden)

Now 3 months later I´m not that excited. The sole is pretty ok, 10 mm, the ground feel is not super but ok for 10 mm. But the shape of the sandal. First of all, they are to slim. I have some trouble fitting my, not that wide, feet in the strapping without bending the velcro. Second, the straps are made of plastic. It´s really annoying. Plastic strapping means no breathing and after a while in them my feet are soaking in sweat under the straps. Third, the big toe attachment of the strap are angeled inwards, wich forces the big toe to angle inward. If Teva had understood anything of the barefoot moovement and what barefooters want in a minimalist sandal is that we dont want to have our toes cramped together in a bundle. We want them to have room to move without anything forcing them in any direction what so ever.

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So Teva, if you read this. One time is no time. I will give you one more chance to make it right. The sole is ok, could be a couple of mm thinner, but to slim. The plastic strapping is horrible. Please change to standard fabric strapping drawn in standard old school fashion. And let my toes moove freely. Then I will buy another pair.
 
Well, there was this vivobarefoot alexander. It has thinner sole and straps are not plastic. It was for sale less than year, before it was discontinued though. Can't understand why, a lot better than achilles. Atleast with little easy modification with scissors - cutting the toe bumber off. I bought mine a one size too small so that my toes would be more in front of front strap to prevent it pushing toes inwards.
 

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Good, honest review, Smogz. Thanks. I have the Teva Zilches that have the toe holder, but I haven't been able to wear them long enough to give an opinion about them. Mostly, I like the way they feel, but then again, I've only tried wearing them for short distances.

Have you thought about contacting them to point them to this thread here?
 
Thanks, actually I tried to add it to their own homepage reviews but I couldn't find any way to add a review there. Maybe I should email them.
 
Yes, you should still have their email address, right?
 
Yes, I got a contact directly to one person in their r&d via their online chat support. Thanks for that idea.

I told them I have a whole online barefoot society at my back for collecting requiremens on a barefoot sandal. So if the accept my offer to collect requirements I will need your help. But remember, no tong-thing on them.
 
I have the Teva Zirra Zilch and I really like them the straps a super thin and the sandals are very comfortable. I don't run on them though.
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I have seen those. A women's model that looks much better. But I think the straps on then also are plastic or am I wrong?

Do they force your big toe inward?
Are they wide enough?

Looks much better than mine anyway.
 
I have seen those. A women's model that looks much better. But I think the straps on then also are plastic or am I wrong?

Do they force your big toe inward?
Are they wide enough?

Looks much better than mine anyway.
The straps are so thin that even if they are plastic(I think they are) they don't bother me and to be quite honest I haven't pay attention to wether they force my toe inward but I supposed that if the straps are too tight they probably do. I'll pay attention next time I wear them. Yes they're nice and wide.
 
Have you looked at the PT Sleek from Unshoes? They are designed just like the Pah Tempe but with narrower webbing. The straps are set just far back enough that they don't cram the toes together. The straps are from a soft, tubular nylon that breathes well.
 
The picture on that page (pale blue toenails and purple straps on the shoes) shows the right foot with the big toe pulled in by the strap. Is it just a bad shot or do they really do that?
The model had bunions and she chose a narrower template. Here is a picture of mine. You can see that they attach just behind the joints so they allow full toe movement. It really is a fine line because if they are attached too far back then the front of the sandal tends to flop down a bit.

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We really ought to take a new picture for the website now that it isn't so snowy!
 
I haven't tried the recent Teva sandals or Unshoes. Sad to say, but it's unlikely that a multinational billion dollar company like Decker (owner of Teva) would be interested in the making foot-shaped shoes or truly serving the minimalist community beyond anything more than a passing fad. (As someone who wore the original Tevas, I'd love to be proven wrong!)

As someone with bunions, who has made their own walking sandals from a 4mm Cherry Vibram soling sheet, I can appreciate the challenges in making sandals that fit. Years ago when I initially made my sandals, I wasn't comfortable with in between the toes approach. The over the toes method worked fine for a couple of years. However, as I made progress on improving my bunions, I found them too constricting, and I thought about some different approaches.

Over the toes wouldn't work, as having the straps anywhere on top of or forward of the first joint was uncomfortable. Behind the joint, it was too floppy. I even bought a 10mm Newflex sheet, which would have rigidity, but diminished groundfeel and flexibility. Ultimately, I tried and got comfortable with the in between the toes method, which also encourages more toesplay, which helped in my bunion recovery. Curiously, I found that thick rope chafed less for me.

My next thought is to try the 1mm or 2mm Pro Tania sheet. Perhaps, with the reduced weight, I can tolerate a thinner cord.

So, contrary to what large corporations would like us to believe, there is no one size fits all solution. For many people, companies like Unshoes will provide a good fit. For the tinkerers, we can always make our own! :p
 
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