What's hot and what's not:
Vitruvians are not
LC's steel behemoth - very hot
Cervelo - not
Asics - who cares?
Kittycat - very hot
Mr Tibbs - Not
Tom Demerley - always hot - a real classic.

You forgot:

KestrelKerri - Oh My God, so smokin HOT!

Itried them recently and did not like them. They felt like a cheap Walmart shoe. If you are looking for minimal features go with a lightweight trainer buy.

That natasha girl is Hot.

I still love mine. My twins recently bought 3 more pair. One of their friends bought a pair after trying out theirs. They tell me that several other friends are using them. My niece just bought another pair after running hers into the ground while working for a few months in Madrid.


BUT, I ride a Softride, so I guess that makes me weird, anyway. (It has side-mount pedals to boot.)

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

i am reaching the end of my second pair. am ordering pairs 3 & 4 today. an excellent shoe at a beyond excellent price. Surprisingly, it is by far the most durable of shoes i have worn, including asics kayanos (my first pair of running shoes my shoe retailer told me i "must have" because retailers, following asics marketing hoo-ha, always sell kayanos or other padded bricks with laces to anyone with flat feet.)

Definitely shell out $30 for a pair of Vits if you use those expensive disintegrate-upon-contact-with-the-ground neon racing flats for racing. But also try them if you are experimenting with forefoot running or maybe just to test the wacky hypothesis that your knees will not instantaneously implode if you try running in shoes without springs or 2 inches of heel.

They are still a great shoe. I am using mine off and on during training. I typically have 3-5 pairs of shoes on the go, each of varying "age and features". This way my body keeps adapting the to mechanics of different shoes and I avoid shoe induced repetitive stress injuries. I would say the Vitruvians have the least interference with my natural gait, although I still maintain that they could use some additional padding for my 39 year old body on its 21st season of triathlon. I only use the Vitruvians when my legs feel pretty fresh.

I still dig mine but they are starting to wear on the outside of the heel. A little hot glue keeps me going. I have about 400 miles on 'em.

Thanks for reminding me, just ordered two pairs.

Got the $30 clearance, as they are the only one's in a size 15.

Ugly but comfortable.

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The Cuban Comet
(Comets are unbelievably slow over Cuba)

I'm on my third pair and absolutely love them. I've suffered with ankle, arch, and calf pain for years after trying several different pair of shoes. I tried the Vitruvians on a suggestion from someone on ST and all of my pains are gone. These are the best shoes I have ever had and the price is right!
-Matt

[reply]Ugly but comfortable.[/reply]

My 21 year old twin daughters would disagree. They think they are beautiful (as well as comfortable.)

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Kayanos for people with flat feet? WOW

I don't like my Vitruvians at all. They are not the minimalistic shoe I expected. Yes they don't have gel or air inserts or lots of fancy patterned material stitched on. However, they have very thick padding and more heel than I like. I run two times per week in racing flats and was hoping Vitruvian's would work as long distance shoe. Can't run in them at all. Got a pair of Asics Speed Stars and like them. Lighter and firmer than the Vitruvians. But try them, you might like them.

HH

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

They're not for everyone. But!...The older models have a higher heel (12mm thicker than the forefoot) like most training shoes. The newer models are 2mm lower, but not as low as racing flats.

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.