I don't know if someone else has written about these minimalist shoes farther down the Product Review list, but here's my brief, non-technical contribution.
I've been running in VFF Bikilas for 4 years or so, falling back on them for rough terrain or bad weather. My feet don't mind going back and forth between BF and VFF, though I have to admit that I am much happier barefoot when it doesn't hurt.
That said, I feel like I can offer some intelligent insight to the Spyridon. After 4 or 5 runs totaling more than 30 miles, mostly in snow or on mixed ice and macadam surfaces, I think that the shoes are about what I was hoping for. While they're just a bit heavier than the Bikila at 5.6 ounces each, they have a much more aggressive tread pattern. I can feel it bite especially when I run on snow over intermittent ice. I know my Biks are nearly useless if there is anything slippery on the ground and they require me to get forward momentum solely by getting a gravity assist as I lean forward. The Spyridons give me good, positive traction both up and downhill.
One warning which might not matter if you buy your shoes in a store. I wear a size 42 in Bikilas. I thought that a 42 is a 42 across the Vibram line, but the Spyridons are just a skosh tight across the toes, as if the extra density of the sole is reducing the area available for my feet by a couple of percent. It's not enough to make me hurt, just enough to tickle my awareness. If you try them on in a store, you might do well to just give that next size up a try, too.
The "LS" closed lacing system is fine. I don't really notice a difference between the LS feel and the Velcro strap of my Bikilas.
My pair of Spyridons is Black / Gray and I think they look pretty good. The other colours seem OK,
too.
The most damning criticism of the Spyridons is that there doesn't seem to be any sensible way to abbreviate their name. Oh, well. I can't have everything.
I've been running in VFF Bikilas for 4 years or so, falling back on them for rough terrain or bad weather. My feet don't mind going back and forth between BF and VFF, though I have to admit that I am much happier barefoot when it doesn't hurt.
That said, I feel like I can offer some intelligent insight to the Spyridon. After 4 or 5 runs totaling more than 30 miles, mostly in snow or on mixed ice and macadam surfaces, I think that the shoes are about what I was hoping for. While they're just a bit heavier than the Bikila at 5.6 ounces each, they have a much more aggressive tread pattern. I can feel it bite especially when I run on snow over intermittent ice. I know my Biks are nearly useless if there is anything slippery on the ground and they require me to get forward momentum solely by getting a gravity assist as I lean forward. The Spyridons give me good, positive traction both up and downhill.
One warning which might not matter if you buy your shoes in a store. I wear a size 42 in Bikilas. I thought that a 42 is a 42 across the Vibram line, but the Spyridons are just a skosh tight across the toes, as if the extra density of the sole is reducing the area available for my feet by a couple of percent. It's not enough to make me hurt, just enough to tickle my awareness. If you try them on in a store, you might do well to just give that next size up a try, too.
The "LS" closed lacing system is fine. I don't really notice a difference between the LS feel and the Velcro strap of my Bikilas.
My pair of Spyridons is Black / Gray and I think they look pretty good. The other colours seem OK,
too.
The most damning criticism of the Spyridons is that there doesn't seem to be any sensible way to abbreviate their name. Oh, well. I can't have everything.
