I've been wearing MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) shoes for a while. The idea behind them is to make walking on our hard flat modern surfaces in shoes more like walking barefoot on natural ground again, since that's what our feet, legs, hips, and spine are really designed for. That way, your stride would be more like the natural stride we're supposed to use, instead of a harmful distorted movement brought on by modern environments and modern shoes. So in addition to the sole being thick and fairly soft compared to other shoe soles, even with different degrees of stiffness/squishiness in different parts, it also has a moderate arch and almost no heel. The idea behind that last part there is to prevent you from stomping on the back of your heel, which having a thick padded heel would encourage more of.
It works, and I love it... except for one problem. The outer surface on the bottom of the sole is very soft and wears down too quickly. Parts of the soles of mine were already completely smooth in just 6 months. I had them resoled, but that was expensive and took 5 weeks, and the wear is already showing again after just a month or two since then. You'd think that people designing a shoe with today's hard surfaces in mind would have made them out of something that can withstand normal use on them for a while.This is pretty bad for a pair of shoes that cost twice as much as normal shoes in the first place.
So, I'm looking for any other source from which I can get an MBT-like effect either in a more durable shoe or for a lower price or both. Where else can you get shoes with medium or high arch support, practically no heel, and a sole that's designed to let your foot flex? I know of EarthShoes and have found a few semi-local retailers I plan to visit one of. Is there anything else? Why does this seem to be such a rare concept? I've never seen anything close among the "walking shoes" section or anywhere else in conventional shoe stores...
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Originally Posted by Delvo
