OK, here's my take on the
OK, here's my take on the Bikila. It's the only shoe I've run in since I quit running a long time ago. I've had mine since last Labor Day, so I just turned my anniversary. I haven't added it up but I guess I've run about 200 or 300 miles in them. As yet they show almost no signs of wear at all.
They have never given me a bit of trouble with fit or seams. I guess I got a good pair, have charmed feet, or just the magic blend of all possible factors. They suit me just fine for when I want to wear anything on my feet at all. That tends to be for races over inhospitable trails or in rotten weather conditions (think ice and snow, mostly.) In those relatively rare situations, I don't actually want to have fine ground feel, thank you, so my Biks' slightly thicker soles don't bother me. In fact, that white area covering the instep could be thicker, in my opinion. I've had Multiflora rose thorns punch through there twice.
The velcro strap is OK, though I'm not 100% convinced it really does anything. The color and aesthetics are OK. I don't spend much time looking at my own feet, and I've been thrilled to see them (rarely) on others' feet.
All in all, my Biks serve me well. Based on my experiences with them, I'd recommend them strongly...just not to a new runner. Minimalist shoes of any kind make learning proper form more diffecult. But that, as they say, is another story.