Has anyone thought about taking a pair of Zems and glue a 4mm vibram sole to the bottom? Kinda like a runamoc is a moccasin with a vibram sole glued on.
Also, do the Zems squeeze your foot? I mean are they snug fitting?
that seems like it would be a good idea, but only after you've worn through the sole that they are originally attached to. if you do it before then, than the sole is just that much thicker and no-one wants that.
I like you're idea! And to answer your question, I have both the ninja toe and the round toe Zems. I think the round toe style is a little too "squeezy" for my liking. I don't know why, but the ninja style Zem is much more comfortable...but that's just my humble opinion!
I've certainly thought about it. I like the zems so much, but after about 40 miles on sharp gravel I've worn alot of the sole off. Shoe glue failed me. I decided I was going to wait to modify them until they were totally unusable and then add some other sole material to them. If you decide to do it you should post about the results though
I have the ninja toe version and I don't think they are snug at all unless I wear injinji socks with them. But I'm at the low end of the size range.
I've been considering a similar project but, with a wool sock rather than the Zem. Even the Zem sock might not be enough to keep your foot centered over the sole. Regardless of the type of sock, I would use a lace anchored to the side edges of the sole, like a huarache minus the toe-thong.
Ok nox don't tell anyone but I'm actually playing with that right now. I thought of it a while back and have been going through a process of testing different products and avenues to make the current ZEM more durable. There is a running version coming in the near future but even after that the original ZEM will still have benefits to it so I want to find the best way to make it as durable as possible.
anyone with vffs loves the durability of the rubber so i've applied it to a pair of ZEMs...so far so good. I'm planning on doing tests with 1mm, 3mm, and 4mm thick rubber to see what I think works and feels best. ZEMs are only 1mm thick so there's room for adding thickness without losing feel.
As for them squeezing the foot I say they do. I am at the upper end of my size range and that makes them very snug which is the way I like it. I have on some runs felt my feet swell and they got pretty tight but never really uncomfortable. I feel the split toe version is better fitting than the round toe. For me the round toe lets me move around too much inside the shoe and the split toe does a better job of hugging my foot and keeping it still.
Jimmy, what are you using for glue? I love how BFR/minimalist are always the ones experimenting with either making or modifying shoes. We just never seem to be happy with the status quo, which is a good thing.
at the moment i'm using shoe goo since it's what i had around the house. i'm researching for the best glues out there for shoes though so any input from anyone would be helpful.
Hello all. I am rather new to barefoot running, but have loved every minute of it. Since last March, I have been running in cheap aquasocks with the soles taken out: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheaper-barefoot-running-shoes-in-under-30-sec/. For any friends or family looking to try barefoot running, it's a cheap way to get started. But I digress.
I am thinking of upgrading to the Zemgear split toe shoes, mainly because I am too cheap to drop the full wad 'o cash on the five-fingers. Since I have been running quite a bit, I too am worried about the Zem's wearing out, but I love the possibility of such thin soles (haven't bought 'em yet).
If I were to try and get Vibram soles, where would be a good place to look in the US online? I would probably go for 1mm, but the Vibram website is slightly less than helpful. Heart and Nox (or anyone), where did you find the soles?
Another digression: I have been desperately searching for thin-soled shoes that look reasonable in public, but still offer thin soles. Aldo's carries quite a few with thinner soles than Tom's. Just a tip for others who hate having their feet confined and lacking feel of the ground underneath.
Hello all. I am rather new to barefoot running, but have loved every minute of it. Since last March, I have been running in cheap aquasocks with the soles taken out: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheaper-barefoot-running-shoes-in-under-30-sec/. For any friends or family looking to try barefoot running, it's a cheap way to get started. But I digress.
Because you are new, I feel the need to post this. You cannot run barefoot in shoes. I don't care how minimal you consider them they are still shoes and you are not barefoot. OK my rant is over.
Hello all. I am rather new to barefoot running, but have loved every minute of it. Since last March, I have been running in cheap aquasocks with the soles taken out: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheaper-barefoot-running-shoes-in-under-30-sec/. For any friends or family looking to try barefoot running, it's a cheap way to get started. But I digress.
Because you are new, I feel the need to post this. You cannot run barefoot in shoes. I don't care how minimal you consider them they are still shoes and you are not barefoot. OK my rant is over. Welcome!
That used to be me, crazyndhed03, running with the cheap ass minimal shoes. Won't you come over to the dark side of actual barefooting? 1) it's even cheaper. 2) you won't want to go back. "Do, or do not. There is no try."
Point well taken. I suppose my wording choice was poor. I should have written "new to minimalist running." I have only been doing it for about 6 months, and figured I would ease in. Eventually I'll get to barefoot, but living in a metropolitan area limits that a bit. Eventually I will make the ranks!
I finally wore all the way through the sole. There is a nice gaping hole that I decided I should fix before it got worse. Not wanting to wait to order vibram sole I made the obvious choice to fix it. Duct tape. Went for a run and it worked wonderfully. Just a tiny bit of slickness over the super smooth sidewalk I have to run on for a quarter mile but great on the asphalt and dirt trails. I think this is probably going to be what I stick with. Can't beat the price or ease.
