Sunday, July 16, 2017

Topo Ultrafly 100 mile review

The Topo Ultrafly is holding up well as the odometer hit 105 miles, and has earned a central place in my running stable of shoes which include the Topo Fli-Lyte 2 and the Altra Torin 3.0. The Ultrafly is an extraordinarily well made shoe and wears as well as any shoe I've had since the Adidas Supernova Glide Boost 8. Here are some earlier thoughts on both Topo shoes.

I am enjoying the heavier build of the Ultrafly with a touch of stability. I've had some hip/psoas tightness which seems to benefit from a more built up shoe, and the Ultrafly is doing the trick. And my sore right heel (not sure if its from excess heel striking or tight calves and achilles) responds well to the more rubberized, cushioned feel of the Ultrafly and possibly the 5mm heel to toe drop.

The only real drawback of the shoe is its weight - it is 10oz in the men's size 9. I would like an ounce or ounce and a half lighter normally, but the weight is not a detriment to my middle of the pack pacing most of the time. For faster races I can go to the Fli-Lyte 2. But I think I'd wear these in a half or full marathon distance.

The upper is holding up nicely. There's a little puckering but no holes in the material. They do seem to be a little more stanky than the usual shoe. It could be the fact the upper isn't as breathable as it could/should be (hope to see some minor improvements on that count in the next version of the Ultrafly in 2018), but it might be nothing more than the humid DC weather.



Edit: Holy crap. Not even 20 miles after writing this, two holes have opened up on the upper, right on the spot where I mentioned the puckering, above. This is for normal road and some dirt trail running - I haven't taken this on trails where they could get scraped up. Sort of sad to see this happen on a shoe so young in its lifespan. You can see my finger on the other side of the holes. So much for what looked like extraordinary durability.




The outsole wear patterns are usual for me - some wear on the outsole near the ball of the foot and the outside of the heel. The heavier rubber is holding up super well - I don't think all the rubber is going to get worn away before the midsoles lose their effectiveness after 300+ miles.









Saturday, July 1, 2017

Altra Torin 3.0 review

Upgrades to good shoes get me nervous. The Torin 2.5 is a great all-around trainer. However, nothing's perfect - it has a few drawbacks spelled out in my earlier review.  


Torin 2.5


  • The midsole is very "foamy" - meaning it is soft and cushioned but doesn't have much responsiveness. It feels pretty dead when I am out on a run - like there is a lot of energy lost on impact with no bounce.
  • The wear pattern on the rubber pods on the outsole is uneven and early. I was seeing too much wear even with +/- 50 miles on the shoe for a $120+ purchase.
  • Others have complained about the plastic-y upper material that isn't very breathable. I didn't think it was that bad - it has mesh areas on right/left of your big toe that allowed breatheability - but it was certainly not the most airy upper I've worn.

Altra's Torin 3.0 seems to have successfully addressed each of these issues. 

The midsole has a little bit of bounceback sorely missing from the last version. According to the Altra website, they haven't made a change in the midsole material - still "Midsole Eva With A-Bound Top Layer & InnerFlex™." I don't believe it. While it's nowhere as bouncy as Ego, it has something else in there that is an improvement. A Torin with Ego is something to dream about...

The wear is improved for me. I'm around 46 miles and the rear outer pod on the heel is not worn down to the foam. Hopefully it can hold out for a good while longer.

Torin 3.0

Not so good on the Torin 2.5

Altra has also shaved off .7 oz - always good to see when a manufacturer can go lighter in an upgrade without destroying the shoe's good qualities. They possibly shaved some weight off the upper or even out of the midsole.

The shoe's upper is definitely much more breatheable compared to its predecessor. I have run under blazing hot summer conditions in DC and on a 4 hour trail race and my shoe hasn't turned into a sweatlodge. It's obvious how much breatheability is built into the upper - just hold it up to a light to see how much light gets through.




I referred to this shoe earlier as a Clifton that fit me right. I think that anyone looking for a cushioned zero drop shoe who has liked the Clifton but found one aspect or another of that shoe lacking (the Clifton 3.0 upper wore badly and stretched out, the 2.0 midsole was too hard, the 1.0 tongue didn't work for me) should check out the Torin 3.0.

Edit 10/10/17: The upper and the midsole of the shoe is holding up nicely through 150 miles. No wear or tear is visible on the mesh; the midsole has a lot of cushioning remaining by feel. The rubber pads on the outer heel are starting to wear away as with the 2.5. I'm still very positive on this update despite this issue which needs to get addressed by Altra on the next version of this shoe.

Edit 7/25/18: Altra Torin 3.5 knit review here.