As a fan of barefoot shoes I jumped (not very high, because you don’t get a lot of air with bare feet) at the chance to try out Fila’s new Skele-Toes EZ Slide barefoot shoes AKA the crazy monkey shoes not made by Vibram.
These shoes are marketed as “casual” monkey shoes and are not designed for running. They are, luckily, fairly attractive in a “weird dude who wears barefoot shoes” kind of way but the first thing you’ll notice is that they have four toes instead of five. This is the EZ part of the name and they make them considerably easier to put on and take off. They also make you feel like Fred Flintstone. → Read More
Marty McFly’s crazy kicks in Back To The Future II have long been a geek’s dream. Ostensibly made by Nike in the film, they would tighten themselves around your feet automatically and, more important, they’ve been the paragon of ultimate geekiness for a certain subset of shoe fanatics.
Well, now it looks like you, too, can go back… to the future. Nike just sent out invitations to an event in LA tomorrow hinting at the actual existence of the Air Mags. The invitation included a pair of Doc’s aluminum shades and a bunch of BTTF merch, so clearly something is afoot.
UPDATE: Video proof after the jump! → Read More
I hope you’re not eating anything because you’re about to see some real Jame Gumb stuff in a second. Vibram, famous makers of Sergey’s crazy monkey shoes (that I actually wear while running, much to my wife’s chagrin), have released two new models, the acceptably styled Trek LS, a lace up trail shoe/sneaker, and the absolutely abhorrent (yet strangely alluring) Bormio boots.
BirthdayShoes has reviews of both the Bormio and the LS but we’ll highlight a few points below. → Read More
Shoefitr allows you to find a shoe that is similar in size and shape to a pair of shoes you already own. For example, say you’re into Nike Free Runs but they discontinued the model you like. You tell Shoefittr and using the site’s 3D scanning system it finds a pair that matches the size and shape of the shoe you like. The 3D scanning system is based on the same systems used to scan feet for orthotics. → Read More
There’s a new religion brewing in the athletic milieu that requisites fitting foot condoms around the phalanges. You know what I’m talking about: the Five Fingers phenomenon. Not dissimilar to the once popular Crocs, Vibram banks on being different as a means of selling shoes. What’s different about Five Fingers is nothing entirely new, in fact, it dates back to thousands of years ago: perambulating barefoot. While it makes sense to use your natural foot articulation to cushion the blow from today’s hard surfaces, Vibram may have taken it a bit too far with this year’s Five Fingers, with what they are calling “Casual Shoes”. → Read More
These aren’t gadgets exactly, but with all those zippers and leather, you have to admit that they’re gear. I haven’t worn All-Stars in a good 15 years, but these Schott crossovers might be the pair that brings me back to the flock. → Read More
We don’t often cover shoes here on CrunchGear, though we make exceptions for Sci-Fi sneakers, winged shoes, and the controversial Vibram Five Fingers. Well, if you’re into that brand of strange and exotic footwear, get excited: their 2011 line is going live, and now you have a whole new mess of toe-shoes to choose from — including some for your kids. → Read More
Just recently, I decided to hop on the minimal shoe bandwagon and picked up a pair of FiveFingers by Vibram. It’s easy to see why these things are getting popular. Racing to keep up with consumer demands, many running shoe companies have decided to follow with the minimalist shoe design. → Read More
Oh man. I want these so bad. I want them more than the Wings and the X-Wings combined. I don’t often gush about fashion, but I just think these are unbelievably cool. Also, they are associated with Han Solo, who is one of my personal heroes (the others being Carl Sagan and Captain America). Available this fall, likely for way too much money. [via High Snobiety, Fashionably Geek, and The Awesomer] → Read More
Craft has instructions for making your own retro shoes from an old tire and a pair of jeans. While I don’t think these will hold up to the heavy duty running I do (at least two miles a year), they might be a fun weekend project for those so inclined. → Read More
Exciting news, friends. I’ve just come back from the future, and I have some news to share. In the year 2050, the United Nations will hold a “Remember Blogging?” panel, and it will be chaired by the encapsulated head, à la Futurama, of Cory Doctorow. There will come a time in the panel when Doctorow’s head turns and says, “Now, blogging wasn’t all shits and giggles. Some of it was truly dreadful. Par example…” This will all be done in Mandarin Chinese, of course, which replaced English as the lingua franca of the world in 2035. Anyhow, Doctoro’s head will say, “You see, I seem to remember a post on reasonably popular tech blog CrunchGear that described some sort of wire-frame shoe. It was rubbish.” → Read More
Oh-kaaay. So Reebok has developed something called ZigTech – basically a zig-zag type foam for running shoes that’s supposed to ease the load on your leg muscles. And one of the first snippets from the press release is, “ZigTech allows your key leg muscles to do less, so you can do more. Simply put, it’s like an energy drink for your feet.” → Read More
Star Wars sneakers from Adidas are coming. Fair enough. This new commercial features what looks like a scene from Indiana Jones at the very beginning, then we’ve got a random shot of Snoop Dogg, Darth Vader, and then Daft Punk looking at Darth Vader as if to say, “That guy stole our shiny helmet look.” You guys look more like bounty hunters, Daft Punk. Just saying. You like stickball? Cool, that’s in there. Howsabout urban foot races? Covered. Break dancing? Yes. Swing sets? That too. R2D2 sweatshirt? Check. Hip hop remixes of Star Wars music? Affirmative. Shots of the actual shoes? Maybe for a split second or two. Not really, though. [YouTube via Newlaunches] → Read More
Finally, a pair of shoes with built-in Bluetooth and GPS connections. Pair them Bluetooth-ily with your cell phone and the shoes can update your location directly to your Faceboook account or send your location out as a text message to five other phones. → Read More
I don’t have children, but from what I hear they’re quite expensive. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on new shoes over the course of a couple years (that’s how much a family spends on shoes, right?) perhaps you could consider these INCHworm shoes, which adjust in size to match your child’s freakishly fast-growing feet. → Read More
If you’re a real sk8er you are going to buy these sneakers from Etnies and EA. This might make sense. Buy the game, play the game, go out and do it for real. Eventually you’ll realize you suck and go back to the game. → Read More
Who knew, but apparently the world’s been clamoring for the sneakers that Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future: Part Two. Shoe collector Mark Kurath finally broke down and hired a professional shoemaker to build his dream kicks. Total cost? $4000. → Read More
Your task was to come up with a caption for the above photo, which shows our intrepid editor John Biggs wearing one of his new shoes from Aussie Soles. Here are your winners, ladies and gentlemen. They’ll each take home an IPEVO POV webcam for their troubles. Winners, we’ll contact you via e-mail to arrange shipment. → Read More
