MBT Tembea Shoe Review

MBT bills itself as The Anti-shoe – so I’ll start by telling you everything that their shoes are not.

They’re not traditional – in fact, they’re not like anything else on the market. They’re not sleek or flexible or low profile or lightweight. They’re not intended for athletic activity. They’re not cheap. And they certainly won’t make you feel like you’re barefoot.

That last point seems like a contradiction, given that the company’s initials stand for Masai Barefoot Technology - but MBT takes a different approach towards combining the benefits of barefoot walking with the practicality of everyday footwear. Whereas other companies like Feelmax and Vivo Barefoot strip away as much material as possible between your foot and the ground, MBT replicates the postural alignment and musculoskeletal demands of barefoot walking on an augmented, elevated platform. So if you’re looking to feel pebbles on the ground and cracks in the sidewalk while you’re walking, MBTs definitely are not for you.

From MBT website

MBT shoes are primarily intended as a therapeutic device to alleviate back or leg pain for people who are on their feet all day, and there is a loyal contingent of followers - approximately one million customers in more than 20 countries - who swear by their restorative effects. The company’s origins trace back to the early 1990s, when a group of Swiss researchers began studying the biomechanical and physiological effects of walking barefoot. Their studies of African Masai tribesmen convinced them that walking barefoot over unstable surfaces (a key feature, as I’ll explain in a minute) had tremendous impact on resolving back problems, relieving neck tension, easing joint pain, improving muscle tone, and burning more calories compared to using traditional footwear.

Early prototype from MBT website

Striving to provide those benefits for people in urban settings, the researchers created a prototype shoe model in 1996, and founded a company called Swiss Masai in 1998. The prototype provides great insight into the intended style of walking: elimination of the traditional heel-strike in favor of a downward-angled forefoot landing, just as you do when running barefoot.

Modern MBT shoes backfill the heel area with something called the Masai Sensor (the red thing at right; picture from Amazon.com), an elliptical-shaped structure in the midsole which provides the key component to the biomechanics the company promotes: having an unstable platform regardless of whether you’re walking or standing.

All of MBT’s benefits stem from the idea of natural instability; that the highest degree of postural and musculoskeletal advantages from barefoot walking occur on soft grounds like the East African savannah, or Korean paddy fields, or even just your local beach; all of these surfaces trigger small, intuitive, compensatory movements of the lower extremity muscles. However, if you’re walking on hard surfaces, those benefits are diminished – so being on an unstable platform forces those adjustments to take place in your home or business setting just as they would if you were barefoot in the sand.

The result of all this design innovation is MBT footwear – and for something called the Anti-shoe, there’s an awful lot of shoe to wrestle with here. I was somewhat shocked at the overall weight of the shoe – it’s not specified on the website, but Zappos lists the Tembea model I tried at 23 oz – and how generally large it is in comparison to all the other models I’m reviewing.

The MBT Tembea, in black

After wearing “barefoot shoes” for so long, stepping into the MBTs felt like strapping on a pair of platform boots: my standing height in the Tembeas is more than two full inches higher than my barefoot height. Remember how I mentioned in another review that some of my co-workers had mentioned that I looked shorter lately? When I wear my MBTs, they must suspect that I’m on steroids.

The midsole and outsoles are extremely firm, with almost no forefoot flexibility. A TPU and glass fiber shank runs the length of the midsole to create a rigid support surface that rolls over the Masai Sensor as a single unit. A polyurethane midsole component provides the softness that further contributes to the natural instability concept.

I'm pushing as hard as I can - and no flexibility in the forefoot at all.

The uppers are very comfortable, and probably the most stylish (or “business-looking”) of any of the barefoot shoes I’ve tried. The Tembea has a soft, full-grain leather upper, and an antimicrobial 3D mesh sock liner. They aren’t extremely breathable, however, as my toes got fairly warm if I wore these shoes on a hot day.

Walking around in MBTs is actually kind of fun – the feeling in your legs really does mimic walking on sand, or across a soft gymnastics mat, or some other surface where you have to make constant balance adjustments with each step. The rounded heel forces you to use a midfoot strike pattern and eliminates sending impact forces upward into your knees. After using the shoes for a while, your natural instinct is to walk with a slightly flexed knee pattern, and you can feel your foot roll forward very naturally with each step. They’re also effective at triggering an upright spine and forward weight shift as you would have while walking barefoot.

The collection of styles MBT offers is fairly extensive, with looks ranging from dressy to athletic. It’s worth noting, however, that MBT doesn’t recommend actually using their athletic shoes for any sports; the rep I spoke with said they are recommended only for light jogging or walking, as the unstable platform could potentially lead to injury with high-demand athletic activities. Aside from fashion considerations, the sneaker styles of MBTs appear to have more breathable uppers than the nubuck or leather version, which may be an advantage for some folks.

It’s easy to see how these shoes would benefit people who are on their feet all day, especially in a confined position like a cashier or operating room nurse or assembly line worker that prevents a lot of walking around. MBTs are even being prescribed by health-care providers for people who suffer from back pain while standing for long hours at work. Anecdotally, one of our local shoe stores has a group of nurses who tried MBTs, and have started coming back for more.

That’s no small statement, considering the retail price of these shoes, which is admittedly quite steep – it almost seems as if the medical care aspect of MBTs is being used to justify a very high cost of entry. The Tembea model that I wore sells for $235 at Endless.com. Even the Teva-style sandals that MBT produces sell for $150, which represents the low end of the range. Shoes can also be purchased directly from the MBT website.

I’d love to see a future generation of these shoes that are more lightweight and closer to the ground, possibly preserving some of the ground feel I love about minimal shoes. Until then, the MBT presents an intriguing option for those seeking some barefoot biomechanics in a sturdy, stylish package.


See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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Natural, Minimal ... or Plain Ol' Naked?

As a general rule, even the most dedicated barefoot runners aren’t completely barefoot people. Most of them aren’t even completely barefoot runners.

Alluring as the idea of living every single moment of our lives barefoot and carefree might be, life in the modern world is a far different reality. We have jobs, or go to churches, or attend formal gatherings where showing up barefoot is considered inappropriate. We eat in restaurants or shop in stores that have strict policies requiring footwear. Or we live in climates where exposing our toes to cold winter weather puts us at risk of frostbite.

Runners who embrace the concept face even more challenges and potential problems; although we extol the virtues of barefoot running, the process isn’t nearly as simple as just throwing away your shoes. You have to build up a tolerance of the activity very slowly, and there are about 100 different ways to injure yourself by progressing recklessly. And even if you do everything correctly and become a proficient barefoot runner, there will still be occasions when you would rather have something on your feet for the sake of comfort or protection.

In other words, even the most hardcore barefoot runners wear something on their feet sometimes, either while running or in everyday life. (It’s worth noting that for all the mystique of the Tarahumara runners who helped inspire the recent barefoot craze, even they strap on a thin rubber outsole for most of their running.) So it would be great if there were some sort of compromise: footwear that allows the foot to function as if it’s still bare, while providing just enough fashion and/or insulation on top for us to assimilate with the rest of society.

Five or ten years ago, our best option would have been a thin pair of flip-flops, which aren’t exactly the height of either formality or warmth. Fortunately, the landscape is different today, with several companies offering exactly the type of products that barefoot practitioners are looking for. The growth of this market has drawn an interesting mix of companies into competition with each other; some are longstanding industry giants, others are small family-owned enterprises. Some of the giants have created small offshoot companies specifically for the barefoot market, and some of the tiny family businesses have grown into major players.

Additional factors complicate the mixture even further: there are actually two separate categories of footwear aimed at the barefoot consumer; one is referred to as “minimalist”, and the other is called “natural” or “transitional” footwear. Sometimes the companies who make minimalist shoes refer to them as “natural footwear”, and most of the companies who make natural footwear call them “barefoot” shoes. Confused yet?

So what’s the difference between minimalist footwear and natural footwear? Who are the major players in the industry? Which kind should you use? That’s why I’m here to help. The following information will give you a basic overview, and I’ll have specific reviews of all of these products in the weeks to come.


Minimalist footwear

As you might guess, minimalist footwear means just what the name implies: the absolute minimal covering you can get by with short of leaving your feet naked. Typically, the underside of this style of shoe is very thin and flexible, made of some kind of fabricated (and usually puncture-resistant) rubber just a few millimeters thick. There’s no heel, no midfoot cushioning, no arch support, and nothing to give the shoes structure; in fact, most shoes of this variety can be rolled upon themselves like a sleeping bag.

There’s a lot of variation in this category of footwear, however, with some models designed for running, and others for everyday use. Some of the more prominent players are:

Vivo Barefoot: A small subdivision of Terra Plana, which is itself an eco-friendly offshoot of the very successful Clark brand footwear. They emphasize socially responsible manufacturing and have the most extensive product line among minimalist shoemakers. Some of their styles are formal enough to be worn to church or at the office, while others are perfect for casual get-togethers. They don’t have a running-specific model yet, but are developing a line of performance shoes scheduled for release in spring of 2010.

Vibram: I won’t take up much space with this, as I’ve already written extensively about Vibram. They’re a good example of a family business that hit the big time, and the FiveFingers is the industry standard for minimalist footwear for runners.

Feelmax: This small Finnish company is just beginning to make inroads among American consumers. Their styles have a casual athletic-shoe look to them, including one model (the Osma, pictured) that could easily pass as a traditional running shoe. Like a good pair of sneakers, they can be used for exercise or casual wear.

Feelmax Osma

Feelmax went above and beyond the call of product reviews, providing me two different shoe models - the Niesa in addition to the Osma - and two pairs of socks. And since I’ve really liked their products so far, I’ll just get this joke out of my system now so I’m not tempted to say it during one of their review posts: Feelmax sounds like the name of a condom company to me.

(There, I feel much better. We can move on now.)

Soft Star: A classic Mom-and-Pop business from the Pacific Northwest who have been making moccasin-style footwear for 20 years, and found themselves sucked into the barefoot vortex thanks to their philosophy of allowing the foot to function naturally. Although their moccasins were originally intended for casual indoor/outdoor use, many barefooters have used them for running, especially in cold climates.

Sanuk: There's absolutely nothing dressy or performance-oriented about these shoes. Sanuks are made for one simple reason: to make you feel like you're just chillin' at the beach. They channel your inner hippie/surfer soul while allowing your feet to tread upon the Earth naturally, dude. I figured that any brand whose name translates to "happiness" was worth a closer look.


Natural footwear

Natural footwear is the terminology most commonly used to describe traditional shoes that have been modified to more closely replicate the biomechanics of the bare foot, while still providing most aspects of normal shoe construction (like cushioning) that consumers have come to expect.

It’s this category of footwear that has attracted the heavy hitters of the shoe industry, although it must be a kind of balancing act for many of them. Think of it this way: if you’re a shoe company, it doesn’t make much business sense to tell people they’d be better off barefoot. Nor does it help your credibility if you say that all those years of technological innovation really haven’t helped decrease injury rates or improve performance very much.

Consequently, the companies have entered this category in search of two primary groups of runners:

1) Those who regularly run barefoot or minimalist, but on some days would prefer a traditional shoe that enables them to maintain the biomechanics of barefoot running.
2) Those who have used traditional running shoes for years, and want to progress towards barefoot running gradually. For this reason, you’ll sometimes hear this category described as “transitional” footwear.

That last group is particularly important, given the tendency of new barefoot runners to get injured by doing too much too soon, when their legs aren’t ready to make such rapid and dramatic adaptations to the barefoot running form. Compared to traditional running shoes, natural footwear has a lower heel angle, less midfoot cushioning, and more forefoot flexibility. They represent a great intermediate step for someone looking to safely shift towards minimalist or barefoot running.

With that in mind, here are some key players:

Nike: You’ve heard of this company, right? They’re a little hole-in-the-wall outfit from someplace in Oregon, I think. Nike has actually been experimenting with the “barefoot shoe” concept for more than 15 years, beginning with the Air Huarache shoes of the early 1990s. It’s ironic that the company who almost singlehandedly kicked off the running shoe boom is now focusing so much effort on restoring the feel of natural running, but that’s exactly what’s happened. There are now several different lines of Nike Free footwear; the one I’ll be reviewing next week is the Free Everyday 2.0.

Newton: A relative newcomer to the athletic shoe market, Newton courts the high-performance athlete with its Gravity shoe (pictured). They’ve made a significant impact on the triathlon community, and corralled several professional triathletes into their stable. They even provide instructional videos on their website explaining midfoot running form.

ECCO: Better known for their high-end dress shoes, ECCO is making a strong push in the natural running market with its BIOM Project performance shoes. They offer two different models representing increasing degrees of transition towards minimalist running, and their production process is unique in several noteworthy ways. Like everything else ECCO makes, the BIOM is a first-class shoe born from an extensive background of research and expertise.

ECCO BIOM

MBT: Short for Masai Barefoot Technology. Self-described as the “Anti-Shoe”, MBT is something of a wildcard in this category. The shoes are heavy, and bulky, and purposely designed to keep you unstable. MBT primarily makes dress shoes, as well as a few athletic models that are, per the company’s own instructions, not intended for running. They seem to be the polar opposite of what barefooters are looking for, but many people swear by their positive effect on injury prevention and overall health.


Plain Ol’ Naked

Of course, hardcore barefooters will tell you that none of these shoes are the same as running with naked feet – and they’re right. As much as shoes will try to replicate the form, function, and feel of the human foot, they’ll never make a product fully comparable to the original. (Which is probably a good thing.) And for an extremely small percentage of the running community, that’s all that needs to be said.

For the rest of us, the worlds of minimal and natural footwear are definitely worth exploring, especially as they continue to expand and evolve in response to the growing demand. Over the next several weeks, I’ll be doing precisely that kind of exploration.

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