Vibram Men's V 2.0 Trail Running Shoe Review

I have been a long time user of Vibram shoes. They are true runner shoes and activity shoe giving the user the most optimal minimalist feel while in use. Personally, feel that the Vibram Alphas are the lightest and most minimalist shoe that can be used for running. I posed a question about the Alphas. I wanted to know if it was good for running to the Amazon community. Some people said yes but only on trails. Others said to run with it but to be careful due to its thin sole.I've been using the Alphas for about a week now. They are GREAT!I usually get the Vibram trail. I went on and purchased the Vibram trails 2.0 due to it being the latest insert in the trail edition. I recieved my "Trail 2.0 today. I tried them on and they fit perfect. I usually were a 12 in shoes. I have wide feet and I'm flat footed. I orders 11-11.5 or 45 in Europe sizes. I'm giving you this information to help a future buyer. These are things that I wished other reviewers would mention on their reviews.The feel of the shoes feels like the shoe was custom made for my feet. Having both the Alphas and Trail 2.0 I can say that both shoes are made superb. It depends on what you are looking for in terms of performance. I would NOT recommend the Alphas for a new user to the minimalist shoe. Maybe high end athletes who are track runners or ballet dancers who are accustomed to staying on their toes. With minimalist shoes you are forced to stay on the ball of your feet while running. That is truly the correct posture of running. Why do you think many users of Vibrams who intially had knee pain while they ran, or plantar fasciitis no longer have those problems.Vibrams are for hardcore runners. You are using every muscle in your legs to run. If you are serious about running or getting into running go with Vibrams. Do your research on each type of shoe by going to the Vibram website. Use Amazon or the Vibram website to purchase the shoe that fits your ambition.I run on cement alot so the Vibram trail 2.0 works well for me. The Alphas works well for me on cement as well. Maybe I'm used to the minimalist feel that the cement feel doesn't bother me. Running in grass with the Alphas feel phenomenal. I ran in grass little bit today. If you aren't used to these kind of shoes let me forewarn you that your legs will feel EXTREMELY sore after a run. When people run in traditional shoes that aren't maximizing all of their muscles properly.The Vibram Trail 2.0 are a 5 star shoe in my opinion. Some of the reviews that give it less than than 5 star have reasons that don't necessarily point to the performance of the actual shoe. The Vibram Trail 2.0 are comfortable, and they are safe [I have worn the previous trails for years]. They are not the most minimalist running shoe (I believe the Aplhas are) from Vibram. Once you get accustomed to these type of shoes you will NEVER go back to regular shoes.

First of all, I love it but I have to say it is different, and it is not for anyone. The following review is really about sharing stuff I learned during my use.Starting with the pros. The vibrams are very lightweight and easy to put on. I have been majorly using them as outdoor slippers when I go out camping, working around the house and sometimes just walk around. They have great tractions and keep the feet breathing.Now, I haven’t actually put them for regular gym training, hiking and other outdoor sports, due to their major kinks. First, comparing to regular sports shoes and hiking boots, vibram has thin and equal thickness across the sole, so if you are heavy or just not used to exercise barefeet, you will feel way more pressure onto the back of the feet and way more shock then what you usually expected. But I do believe you can get used to it or overcome it by training the feet.Second, considering the low thickness of the sole, there are very low defense on the bottom. You fell very sharp feelings walking on regular gravels or rocks, and I don’t feel confident taking them for hiking.Sizing is the hardest part, since you need to choose the size base on the “true size” rather than your regular true size. I have returned about 4 or 5 times just to get it to work. It is not necessarily smaller than regular size, like if you are already wearing larger size shoes for more rooms, you don’t have to go up a size, but have to actually go down. Also don’t worry too much if you generally wear EE shoes, I didn’t encountered any problems.Also there shouldn’t be any outstanding wiggle room in the shoes, for best “adhesion” you need to have both front and back end of your feet contact the shoes, otherwise there might be slipping.

Very comfortable fits good.

I love my old pair of Vibram Five Fingers...superb comfort, fit like a glove, and served me well for years. So, I had to replace them eventually, and I decided to go with the V-Trail 2.0 since I frequently run off-road and my old shoes felt like I was running barefoot (read: I felt every rock and crack).The good: These are excellent for off-road running. As an added benefit, they are also somewhat water resistant, so that I can go for an early morning run through the grass and dew and still get home dry. Love that aspect of these shoes!The bad: I had to order a size up, the first pair I got (same size as my original shoes) were too small on several toes. The next size up fits better, but not great. The cut of the toes seems to be different from the left to right shoe and the little toes don't seem to be proportioned correctly. I'm hoping it stretches to match my feet eventually.The ugly: The bulkier design of these shoes makes them look more like Frodo's feet than high-tech running instruments, but I can deal with funny looking shoes if they work as well as they should. It seems like there's too much fabric on the upper part of the foot and they bunch up there.I'll keep them because I'm travelling and I need shoes to run in, but I wish there were better options, or that I could have tried these on in a store (not carried by my running stores anymore).I wish you luck in finding the right shoe!