Vibram FiveFinger shoes - I'm losing my SOLE!!! Are yours

HonestOmnivore
HonestOmnivore Posts: 1,356 Member
edited October 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I have a pair of KSO Vibrams and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I got them in 2010 but only wore them a few times, around the house, into the lake, on a trail - probably a total of five hours of wear. This past August I started doing one of the 5k programs (5K101) and the soles have started to come loose.

They are separating from the shoe liner at the arch, heel (of one shoe) and outside edge on the other. It looks like they are going to come off completely at some point and they're WAY too lose to wear into water. The water part isn't an issue since I don't plan on using them in moving water until next spring but the sole coming off IS big deal!

I checked in with Vibram's customer service and Ben told me to glue them back together with Goo. I looked online and I don't' see issues with Vibram's losing their soles - I even thought maybe i had a pair of counterfeit shoes but Ben said unlikely since I purchased them from a designated retailer. I haven't washed them in a washing machine yet - only hand washed them when they get stinky.

What have your experiences been? I LOVE them - but this isn't cool. They can't have more than a few dozen miles on them :(

Replies

  • aimeeturner
    aimeeturner Posts: 225 Member
    I have only had mine for a few months but definitely have A LOT of wear on them. I wear them for every workout and any other chance I can. I hate to hear that you are having problems with yours.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
    I have the KSO too and I love them! I wore them on Day 3 of the SusanG Komen 3-Day this year (60 mile walk) and I did a ton of training in them... haven't had the problem with the soles. Hopefully they will help you out!
  • ItsJustVicki
    ItsJustVicki Posts: 104
    That really stinks...I have a pair of Bikila LS and also Classic and I have had no problems with mine but they have never gotten wet!! hope they can be fixed!
  • HonestOmnivore
    HonestOmnivore Posts: 1,356 Member
    I was planning on gettting a pair of the Bikilas! They look awesome! I'm worried now though as they customer service has been a real disapointment! I LOVE the shoes... but I don't have the ability to replace shoes after a couple of months.
  • jjs22
    jjs22 Posts: 156
    Well, there were reports of "counterfit" vibrams being sold online, so that's one possibility.

    Also, Vibram was never an end-user kind of company : they usually just made soles for other companies. Some people say that with the explosive success of the FiveFingers line, they went through some growing pains as they scrambled to find adequate manufacturing capacity in China.

    I bought a pair of TrekSport (Sport Trek ?) VFFs, and after two trips to the bookstore and one mile of walking, the stitching on the velcro straps was falling out.


    One great tip is to buy your VFFs at REI if you can. If you are a member, you get "no questions asked" return/exchanges on anything you buy, with no time limit. Sounds crazy, but they seem to honor it.
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