Ultraventure Pro felt weird to me too, almost as if there was a disconnect by the arch midfoot to forefoot, definitely not as refined of a feel as the Altra Olympus or New Balance fresh foam More v1 and v2. I'm hoping Topo does a higher end max cushioned trail runner because I love the narrow heel spacious toe shape better than anything else out there. Speaking of which, Altra Timp 4 toe is not as clown shoe huge as most Altra's, it is a lot like a Topo only for me the Timp 4 has a screwed up break point where the upper folds up pushing inward by the metatarsal as it flexes.I have not tried this particular model, but the drop is right around what I like in a running shoe. I have one of their trail runners (the Ultraventure), but I didn’t realize it’s a stability shoe when I ordered, an it just doesn’t feel good to me. I’m actually just about to look at REI to see if I can pick up a different model during the Labor Day sale!
These days I've been reaching for the NB FF More v2 as my first pick of my shoe rotations. Ironically I used to pick the Altra Olympus over the FF More v1.
NB FF M v2 is much improved over v1.
I find NB FF More 4mm drop feels right, these days I'm liking it better than the zero drop Altra Olympus 4 (have yet to try Olympus 5). I only wish NB FF More had more of a Altra Timp 4 and Topo toe shape, it is not narrow and pointy like Hoka but it lacks the more blunt toe of Altra and Topo, as such when my foot moves forward within the shoe the ends of my toes hit the sides (square peg into a round hole), I hate that. On the good side, FF More v2 Vibram outsole is much stickier than that of v1 which were like ice skates on rocks with a fine dusting of silt after the rain as well as wet rocks and such, huge improvement, as well as being more stable less twerky than v1 due to the v2's rear (heel) having a wider platform (footprint) than v1.
@Tony S, I'll say try the Topo size 8, I find they tend to run shorter than other brands because of the generous "footprint in the sand" toe shape which doesn't need and lacks the shitty pointy and long bunion maker toe shape of 90% of the dreck out there. Plus Topo are more narrow in the heel and across the instep to hold your foot in place while allowing for "free range" toes. Size 8 may work for you.
I wear a size 8 in all of my running shoes, I could never fit a 7 or 7.5 running shoe, I mreasure a size 7.5 with a size 8 arch length (short toes). My Altra Olympus 4 in a size 8 have curled up and now feel 1/2 size to small, can no longer wear them without my toes either feeling like they are hitting the front and or tops of my toes lifting and hitting the upper with every step. I think the latter is probably an issue with the zero drop although I never had the problem with the zero drop minimalist Merrell Trail Glove.
Btw, outsole curling happens in time with a lot of my running shoes, some sooner than others, at which point I toss them in the recycle bin or goodwill box if not too terrible.
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