Topo Magnifly Review

I rarely write shoe reviews. This is in part because my taste in shoes has changed greatly over the years and really become quite narrow these days -- mostly down to shoes with generous toe boxes.  I also don't write them because I don't have elaborate "geeky" things to say like many shoe experts. But, once in a while a shoe so great comes along that it deserves my praise. The Topo Magnifly fit that category, easily one of my 2-3 favorite shoes of all time (nearly 20k miles now).

Topo Magnifly

I acquired my Topo Magnifly in the fall of 2015 with high hopes. My thought was to get a shoe similar to the Brooks Pureflow that I once loved so much (until I became fond of wide toe boxes). The shoe has been an instant hit and a regular in my 10-or-so-shoe-rotation. I have worn the shoe on trails, easy days, long days, speed workouts, and a for a PR (3:09:55) marathon. It is quite versatile and always a joy to put on my feet. Here are the things I love about the shoe:

Weight

I have been a fan of minimal type shoes for many years -- sans getting sucked into Altra's movement to take on Hoka. Of all the minimal features I enjoy in a shoe, weight is always the key. The Magnifly feels much lighter than the 9 oz rating because the there isn't much wasted elements in the upper. It feels nimble and speedy, despite not even being the most minimal shoe in Topo's line up. It appears most of the weight is in the outsole, which is well done and where a shoe should shine.

Drop

For a good part of the last three years, I have been running in zero drop Altras and grown to enjoy that sensation. But, it is nice to have a shoe with a moderate amount of drop for longer and slower effort, which have become a staple for me during my ultra years. The shoe feels efficient and plenty cushioned and supportive for runs of 20+ miles.

Fit

For me, the Magnifly fit true to size (11.5). (I wear light weight socks to enhance the feel of both the wide toebox and the ground.) My toes have plenty of room to splay and wiggle without ever feeling "sloppy" like some of Altra's wider toe boxes. The heel is comfortable and snug and the midfoot feels good with standard lacing. And, I can lace the shoe tight even with the relatively light weight tongue.

Outsole

The one thing besides a wide toe box that Topo consistently does well is their rubber outsole. Their road shoes in particular always feel like they have aggressive traction for gripping the ground. In addition to being useful for running fast and natural, this traction comes in handy in bad weather and on trails. It is quite surprising to me that a shoe at this weight can have such a durable, grippy outsole. Also, I like the bevel in the lateral side of the heel where I sometime rub shoes. Finally, the outsole material has softened up over the miles to have a slight spring/cushion to it, just as I'd hoped when I purchased it. The cushion is subtle, but just enough without sacrificing ground feel or performance.

Style

I am not a fan of a flashy shoe for the sake of flash. I find the Magnifly quite vibrant with a wide variety of color schemes that are catchy without being obnoxious. They have  recently added several new colors as well. Double bonus, they added colors without redesigning an already great shoe -- like many companies are tempted to do these days.

Durability

I cannot say enough about the durability of this shoe. At 400 miles, it looks like I have run only about 200 miles in them. The outsole has held up well, even in the heel where I sometimes wear my slow, long running shoes. The outsole on this shoe could easily go another 200 miles, which would make it the longest any shoe has lasted in my rotation by a wide margin. Additionally, there is almost zero wear in the upper: no fraying spots, no broken overlays, and hardly a scratch. I did once have the toe cap collapse on me, but my wife easily fixed that with a hair dryer. The durability of this shoe is quite a treat considering the bad luck I have had with my other shoe company recently.

Close up of the outsole after 400 miles

Close up of upper after 400 miles

I'd be hard pressed to say a negative word about this shoe. If I had to knit-pick, I suppose I'd say that the versatility makes it not quite a "perfect" shoe for any particular type of run such as speed work, trails, or longer races (though I did run a marathon in it). And, I find the sizing just slightly off -- an 11.5 feels good with a nice light sock and a bit too snug with a thicker sock. But both of those are very minor complaints. I've enjoyed this shoe so much that I already have another pair waiting in the wings (maybe for a long time!). And, I acquired a pair of Ultrafly because they appear to have been built on the same last. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can say is that I am enjoying these twilight miles in the shoe when I am typically dying to retire a shoe at 400 miles, dreading each run.

Topo Athletic Shoes

Several years ago, I ran the San Juan Solstice 50 and my feet to a pounding in an original pair of Brooks PureGrit. I was training for the Leadville 100, my first 100, and became quite concerned about my feet. So, I posted in a forum for Leadville runners inquiring about shoes and someone suggested Altra Lone Peak. It was the first time I'd heard of Altra. Concerned about transitioning to zero drop, I didn't go to Altra right away but eventually got a pair of Altra Instinct on sale and decided to give them a try. That pair of shoes changed everything for me. I fell in love with a simple shoe that I could wear all day in total comfort -- no squished toes, durable outsole, great for cross-training, etc... They were ugly, but I loved them. I became an Altra junkie and have now run more than five thousand miles in their shoes. However, it is no secret that I've had issue with Altra along the way. Altra seems to have lost their way to me, preferring to compete with the likes of Hoka instead of staying true to the original things that made their shoes great. Worse, they seem to constantly rush cheap shoes to market, willing to let the consumer pay more than $100 for shoes they know aren't holding up. The trouble is that very few shoe manufacturers make a serious wide-toe shoe these days. Even wide-model shoes fall well short of allowing my big feet the room Altra gave me. I searched for months until I came across Topo, named for Tony Post, the former CEO of Vibram.

As an REI member, I don't know how I didn't come across Topo Athletic sooner. After I discovered the brand, I did a little initial research and bought a pair of Topo Runduro. The Runduro appeared to be a perfect replacement for the original Altra Instinct I loved so much -- firm sole, low drop, good road feel, light weight, a true wide toebox, and an everyday trainer. The Runduro are on my feet nearly all day now, including gym work, walking and all my "hang out" time. I've worn them for runs between 5 and 13 miles without issues. With 100 running miles on them (and dozens more hours of wear), they appear to be a high quality shoe, hardly showing any wear. I think enough of them that I've already ordered a second pair. This looks like a perfect choice for me, and I've begun converting my friends, many of them I brought with me to Altra. I am so happy to have a simple, comfortable, natural, all around shoe again.

In addition to the Runduro, I took a dive into their trail lineup with a pair of the MT. They fit much like a "trail version" of the Runduro, which is exactly what I wanted. (That was another thing I couldn't figure out with Altra, why they had so much diversity in the lasts and things in their shoes. Build a great shoe, then throw some lugs and trail specific feature on and call it a trail model.) The MT are light, minimally cushioned and have no added protection. I took them out for a trail marathon along the Colorado Trail right out of the box. That proved to be a bit of a mistake due to the lack of protection on such a technical trail, but I loved everything else about them, in particular the weight and the fit. I knew the Runventure were a better choice for technical trail, but I have plenty of shoes currently in my line up for that. Anyway, I don't have much experience with the MT yet, but stay tuned as I get them out on the trail more and see how they hold up.

I am very happy to have found a replacement for Altra, though I will continue to try their products in hopes that they will revert to making shoes like they used to. I have very high hopes for Topo and plan to buy several more models in the near future.

Altra Superior 2.0 Review

I've been meaning to do some updates on Altra shoes for a little while now. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time and I really want to wear shoes for 200-300 miles before I critique them. I was really excited to learn of the Altra Superior 2 release over the winter and quickly snagged a pair of size 12.5 in black. I had the original Superior and liked them a lot. My hope was that they would be a trail version of One Squared, one my favorite shoes I've ever worn (and I'll review soon). The original fit of the shoe and feel of the shoe made me quite optimistic that they were at least close to achieving that....

Things I liked:

In general, I found the shoes very comfortable and light weight. Even as a larger runner, I enjoy more minimal feeling shoes and these fit the bill. Also, I felt quite comfortable wearing them as a road shoe when circumstances dictated (like combined road/trail runs during the winter months). I think they nailed the cushion aspect -- just enough enjoy the ride, but not so much that you couldn't feel the road or trail beneath your feet. I really found this an upgrade over the previous models that had significant trail feel and were much heavier. The upper material is quite breathable and dries fast as well. The lugs are more aggressive and grippier than earlier models. The addition of the gaiter trap is a great feature in this shoe as well. And, I think the "removable" rock plate is a genius idea! However, I find myself wanting to put that rock plate in other shoes (like Byron Powell) these days, because...

Things I disliked:

Honestly, the simplest thing to say is that the shoe feels quite cheap to me -- a shoe built to last about 250 miles. I don't mind having a shoe like that, but not at a $110 price tag. Pretty much every element of the shoe is falling apart quickly from 150 miles on. At 200 miles, I completely blew out the lateral side of my first pair. I called customer service and was told that was a common problem. I checked reviews on their website and many customers reported the same issues. I have two friends that have had blow outs on the lateral side as well (one at 122 miles and another at 250 miles). As an aside, they seem to have purged all their reviews from their site, eliminating at least a dozen poor reviews of the Superior 2. I know some of the former reviewers. I don't know if this was on purpose, but it sure stinks.

In addition to my lateral tear, you can see very rapid wear in the lugs both in the front and the back of the shoe. The lugs in the front appear to be chipping away and creating edges that would likely catch and shred, if the shoe was still wearable, that is....

Total shred on the lateral side.... fail!

Cheap looking lugs!

Lugs wearing and showing gaps.

Some lugs off a friend's pair after 232 miles

Another issue I consistently have with Altra is their sizing. I measure out at a true size 11.5 but sometimes wear all the way up to a 13 due to their screwy shoe fits. I found the size 12.5 pretty snug around the tips of my toes -- to the point I got blisters on the tips of my toes on a 38 mile run. I later purchased a pair of size 13s (that I still own and wear). The size 13s feel gigantic to me. How can a size 12.5 feel so tight and a size 13 feel so large? I had the same issue with the original Olympus. Anyway, the newer pair (not pictured) is showing significant wear along the toe-bumper area from toe-scuffs. This section appears like it will wear out quickly as well.

Overall I really find these a comfortable shoe that nearly hit the mark as a serious shoe for those not inclined to go with more and more cushion. The changes from the original Superior were spot on to establish the shoe in this space. Unfortunately, it is a continuation in a long line of quality issues for Altra. And, I continue to find myself wishing that Altra would start to refine what they do instead of reinventing themselves every six months. I'd like to seem some standardization among the lasts they uses so the heel, forefoot, and midfoot are more consistent from model-to-model and year-to-year. I'd also like to see them consider wide options because a wide toe box does not mean a wide shoe.

Is Altra Growing Too Fast?

A year ago I became a HUGE Altra fan after discovering their Instinct 1.0 on sale at Runningwarehouse.com. In fact, I applied to be an Altra Ambassador and decided to to go all Altra in my training and racing. After only a few months, I owned five pair of Altras for myself. I have recommended Altras to at least half a dozen friends and my wife and son. Buying a pair for my son was a big deal: they were $50, more than double what I normally spend on shoes for him. After all, he is 8 years old and tends to wear out or outgrow shoes every 6 months. Only three weeks after purchasing them, the shoe literally fell apart. Admittedly, he is a boy and hard on shoes, but come on? Look at the photo below. Yes Altra replaced them, to their credit. But it just one example in what is becoming a trend in quality complaints for them.

Last night I was commenting to a friend how much I love my Instinct and was making plans to buy a pair of Instinct 1.5 for myself. Then I started doing some reviews and discovered that they are getting ripped on their own website for a shoddy upper that is wearing out. I had to write this email to my friend this morning:

Steve -

I know you seemed intrigued by my post last night about the Instinct. If you like the Lone Peak, then you'll love the Instinct. I wear mine everywhere -- the gym, cycling, work, around town, etc... -- and they are durable and comfortable. They have 350 miles on them and probably 2x that in equivalent wear from all the cross training.

That said, if you want to get a pair, I highly suggest getting a pair of the 1.0 from a discount/liquidation site. That is the version I have. I Googled and found a few lying around. The new 1.5 have received pretty poor reviews for durability, many people complaining the upper is wearing out after less than 200 miles, some as little as 100 miles.

I am frankly a little disappointed with Altra right now. They had a really good thing going with just a couple of well made, high quality shoes like Lone Peak, Instinct, and Provision. After one year, they doubled their models with new shoes like The One, 3-Sum, Instinct Jr, Olympus, Superior, Torin, and growing. The quality seems to be going downhill with this explosion in models.  Dylan blew out a pair of Instinct Jr in less than a month. The entire out sole just cracked and fell off the shoe. My Torin have held up to less than 100 miles so far, but they feel cheaply made and there was a manufacturing goof where some shoes went out with 6 eyelet and some with 7 eyelet. We'll see if they last. My Superior are starting to shred on the lateral side after 235 miles.

Anyway, I love the Instinct, but would not recommend the 1.5 unless you get a screaming deal and can tolerate a blow out after 200 miles.

There you have it, I went from being one of their biggest fans to being nervous about recommending them to my friends in less than one year. It is worth noting that I am the one who convinced Steve to buy his Lone Peak and watched him destroy the Leadville Silver Rush 50 course in them, wearing a pair of my own as I crewed for him.

Is their insane growth responsible for these issues? I think it contributes. As a fan, I would love to have seen some refinements to the existing models, including new colors and a little more stylish look. But I cannot help but wonder if all the new models were necessary. When I compare their rise to a shoe with a similar cult following, the Hokas have only recently added a 4th model. In fact, they used to offer their shoes in unisex sizes. They started by building a few shoes really, really well. (UPDATE: Hoka is now also making an insane number of shoe models.)

Whatever the case, I really don't care why this has happened, but I know it makes me disappointed. I maybe just a midpack runner with a small blog, but I sure hope my experience with Altra help other runners steer clear of expensive mistakes. I love some of their shoes and the idea on which they created them. But I certainly don't want to continue to spend $100 on shoes that fall apart. And it will be very hard to convince my wife to buy another pair of them for my son if his Instinct Jr don't hold up for at least six months. Make no mistake, I am pulling for Altra, but I am a skeptic of the explosive growth and change right now.