Bought a pair of Altra's new trail shoe anyone have any experience with it? Planning on running a 30k this weekend in them, I'll report back how they do. This is my first experiment with a thicker soled trail shoe so I am hoping nothing bad happens.
Altra Superior
- Thread starter Abide
- Start date
The main differences I saw between the superior and the lone peaks were the tread, which is much more aggresive on the lone peaks and the upper design, the superiors seem to be less thick so hopefully cooler. The weights seemed pretty similar though, maybe an ounce or two different. I still haven't taken them out for a run though. I have a problem running on roads with trail shoes for some reason.
I think you'll like them Abide. I've been in them for a while now. I don't really run on tough trails though. They Superior is thinner and much more flexible than Lone Peak (I've got both). Because of those things the weight seems a lot lighter in Superior (that and it's two ounces lighter). I've been able to take many pairs of Altra shoes right out of the box and go for a long run without ever having any issues. I prefer this shoe with only the strengthening foot bed because it's that much thinner and lighter but it's still got a nice ride with the rock plate and insole in. Another great point for the Superior is that the mid-sole has very little EVA and has more A-Bound than their other shoes. This gives the shoe some cushion but still offers a lot of feedback and not so bouncy feel under the foot. For anyone curious I think it's a top shelf shoe.
haha I just said that in the other thread but yes it does have a slimmer fit in the heel. It's on more of a performance last so it does fit a bit more snug than some of the other Altra models.
Yep I completely agree with Jimmy's assement, the shoe worked great even being my first run in them. No issues whatsoever and they are a definite improvement to the minimus trails and vff spyridions for protection from rocks. I am not sure how they compare to actual trail shoes though, I would assume they are similar. I was pleasently surprised by how much better my foot felt during this race than my other recent trail runs. I really couldn't find anything wrong with these shoes. They probably would be overkill for a non-rocky trail though and I'd stick with a lighter shoe, but for rough stuff they are great.
Abide - I just got a pair of these. I'm female (I know you know this, abide - but in case anyone else is reading...)
They were too wide in the heel cup for me to wear them. My feet kept sliding out. Women typically have much narrower heels than men do - ours are more triangular and yours are rounder. I suspected they were made on the same last as they use for men. I contacted Altra and they confirmed that this was the case. Anyhow, I'm sending them back, and bringing it up because I remember you saying that your wife was going to try them.
They were too wide in the heel cup for me to wear them. My feet kept sliding out. Women typically have much narrower heels than men do - ours are more triangular and yours are rounder. I suspected they were made on the same last as they use for men. I contacted Altra and they confirmed that this was the case. Anyhow, I'm sending them back, and bringing it up because I remember you saying that your wife was going to try them.
It's true. All other Altra shoes have a different shaped last for women's models but since this one was already narrower it made sense to just use the one.
Narrower...? When I put them sole to sole with instincts, I can see that superiors are bit wider, maybe some 3-4 millimeters.
Flammee - you're female, right? Can you wear the superiors? My heel was sliding around in them like crazy, and in no way that lacing magic would help.
Thanks for the heads up, she ended up with a pair of luna's and minimus' instead.
I still love them, the uppers are starting to breakdown and ripping some, and the minor issue of the rubber breaking away didn't affect the longevity of the soles. They are still functional though and the only shoe I can wear for long periods of time.
I still love them, the uppers are starting to breakdown and ripping some, and the minor issue of the rubber breaking away didn't affect the longevity of the soles. They are still functional though and the only shoe I can wear for long periods of time.
Yeah, I really wanted to like them. If they ever make a real womens' version, I'm all over them.
In the mean time, I'd love if someone really did make a shoe like this for women. I'm running the TNF 50 at Bear Mountain, and I think it's too late to switch shoes now. Grrr..
Going off the outside edges of the sole will cause that and you're correct. The out sole of the Superior is flared a bit and the Instinct is not. The flaring offers a bit more stability on the uneven ground you'd find on trails. The Instinct is a road shoe so no flaring needed.
I felt some toespring in both the Superior and Instinct 1.5 so neither were a "good fit" for me. The toepspring was not as bad as the Merrell's that have the thicker sole plate just under the toes but is still there. Instinct 1.5 also seemed abit too narrow in the toes .
I bought an extra pair of the Lone Peaks for a spare because they fit well and are a neutral color.
I bought an extra pair of the Lone Peaks for a spare because they fit well and are a neutral color.
