I will be on the floor for two days at the Outdoor Retailer trade show, Gaviota 2 will be my shoe of choice.
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Hoka OneOne
- Thread starter Jenny
- Start date
This is why we have so many different brands and style within the brand.
Glad you found your New Balance!
Yeah, that's what the "Ugh" was for.
As I was thinking about new shoes, I texted a friend who has some diabetes-related foot issues and asked about premium brands and what her podiatrist recommends. She has to wear orthotics. The podiatrist recommended Skechers.
New Balance, Skechers, and Saucony all work for me. The Saucony I have now (squishy mesh upper) just doesn't provide the stability for the sides of my feet.
Have Skechers changed? I always saw them as kind of a down-market cheap-materials brand.
I'm not sure about all models of Skechers but every time I have tried them on, I didn't feel that I had enough support on the sides.
I was surprised too, @Tony S. I had one pair of Skechers walking/running shoes a few years ago. They were fine, much better than the Saucony has been. I have wondered if Skechers started cheap for market share and name recognition, then upgraded ... and perhaps Saucony started high for recognition of quality, then downgraded.
I've never tried them - always figured they were as @Tony S said. Now that I have the orthotics it's worth a shot.
I still wear the Hokas, just without the orthotics. But they’re at least temporarily not my everyday shoe. Not sure the orthotics are doing the intended job, though - still searching for the perfect combo of footwear and comfort.
PSA Cliff Notes on the PSA video: 5 tips to help deal with bunions and bunion pain, 1. wear shoes with a wide toe box, 2. use toe spreaders, 3. wear toe socks, 4. improve ankle mobility, & 5. strengthen the arch.
I like my Altra Lone Peaks for hiking shoes, and getting them in a Wide width was liberating. I also have the Hoka Hupana Flow in a Wide width, they're for less dusty pursuits. Never thought my feet were wide, but if the shoe fits....
I like my Altra Lone Peaks for hiking shoes, and getting them in a Wide width was liberating. I also have the Hoka Hupana Flow in a Wide width, they're for less dusty pursuits. Never thought my feet were wide, but if the shoe fits....
...but Kofuzi seems to like them and I'd say that's saying something to me, although I never tried a pair, road running isn't really my thing -
and a more current review -
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I use Altra Lone Peaks for hiking too. I love them! They're not going to last long, though. After one season I've had to change out the Altra insole for an Oboz one, and the upper looks like it will come apart fairly soon.
I use Altra Lone Peaks for hiking too. I love them! They're not going to last long, though. After one season I've had to change out the Altra insole for an Oboz one, and the upper looks like it will come apart fairly soon.
SOLE Performance Medium Wide Insoles | REI Co-op
Created for soft, supportive comfort in wide or natural-splay footwear, the SOLE Performance Medium Wide insoles keep your feet happy and balanced on day-to-day journeys and high-intensity pursuits.
^what I use in the Altra Olympus 4.0
I've been trail running in the shoe since April and they are holding up very well as I'd expect from a $170 trail running shoe. Unlike when I spent as much on a Salomon S-Lab trail runner designed by some champion and meant for racing with an expected useful life of no more than 200 miles, the uppers are great, their soles felt like a flat tire by ~ 200 miles and I haven't used them since:\
Apparently Sole also makes a thin version of the cork insole which I imagine would work well with the Altra models of the line up that have low toe box uppers -
Performance Wide Thin - SOLE
The thinnest version of our sustainable recycled cork footbed specifically for wide and natural splay footwear, with a wider forefoot for a seamless fit. No bulky foam, just the essential support of our signature shape and the unbeatable sustainability of ReCORK recycled natural wine corks. Easy...
yoursole.com
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I thought your video on toe splay was interesting and yes bunions are preventable, but as someone who has struggled with them for quite some time I explored every option possible before ultimately going under the knife. Simply put we are all built differently and have different issues. For me the right model Hoka One in the right size with the right orthotic is pretty amazing. You can buy Hoka’s in wide and extra wide sizes which really does change the toe box. I also have a shoe stretcher at home and use it to further customize the fit of my shoes and essentially make more space where I need it. For me Hoka’s are one of the few shoes that are pretty much good to go out of the box. Will be hiking in some tomorrow and will be using my Hoka’s Sandals for white water rafting on Tuesday
That's the cushiest model, right? I ordered the Altra Timp 2, which is the middle model, between the Lone Peak and the Olympus, but there's something about the last that doesn't work for my left foot (had surgery a few years ago, it's shorter than the other). I've tried a bunch of Altras for running, but they always feel dead to me. I've decided I like a little heel-to-toe drop. I run in Brooks Pure Flows (4 mm drop). For trail running I have Brooks Caldera (same drop). I used to run in New Balance, but I didn't like the FreshFoam. I do still have a pair of 1400s that I loved when I was faster.
I have those Sole insoles, but haven't used them yet. The Oboz is perfect for hiking, and for running I just use the stock insole.
Back to Hoka...many of the surgeons I work with wear Hokas at work, since they spend so much time standing in place. I tried a pair of Hoka Speedgoats that I was going to use for trail running/hiking, but the last is wrong for my damaged left foot. Otherwise they would have been good for hiking. The times I ran in them, they are just a little too cushioned for me. I gave them to my sister, and she likes them for walking and hiking.
I am headed to the Outdoor Retailer show and I will be indoors on a hard floor and on my feet all day. Gaviota will be my shoe of choice.
Back when I had the Hoka Stintson ATR, I had to use a ball & ring boot stretcher to make some room for the e tips of my big toe, along with only wearing the thinnest of socks. They were never really the correct fit. At the time and after explaining my narrowish heel squarish toes like a foot print in firm wet beach sand foot shape to Hoka customer service, it was recommend I get the Mafate, of which I was told is /was the widest shoe in their line. It fit like a bucket, was a completely insane recommendation for me! Not much different than the dad shoes New Balance model's wide sizes which not only fit like a bucket but still have a toe shape that squeezes the ends of my big and little toes. But thanks for the info, no doubt it'll be useful to some.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Topo's. I tried Hoka's in wide and still not right: Topo Ultraventure is like a Altra with some drop. Really nice compromise with Altra-size toebox, Hoka-level cush, and some (moderate) drop.
I think I tried those on, before I had the orthotics. IIRC, they were definitely cushy, but I pronated way to much in them. And I’m not sure they'd have room for orthotics, either, but I haven’t tried.
Good one.
I have two pairs of the very first Topo minimalist trail running shoe (first pair fell apart and Topo sent me another), the sole being thicker than my still favorite Merrell Trail Glove minimalist shoe with minuscule cushioning. Then I went to the Salomon $-Lab whatever it was which was still minimalist but with the cushioning I needed for the technical trails I run. Too bad I didn't know it was a race shoe with a 200 mile useful life at time of purchase, but really the toe shape wasn't so good for me and I didn't lose any sleep over chucking those what was a stupid expensive shoe in it's time.
I still love the Merrell Trail Glove Knit minimalist shoes. I'd be very happy if Merrell would put them back in production. They are my go to shoe for walking around town and for after being in my speed skates. Love the way they move, stretch out and massage my workout sore tired feet. I just got too old to handle the lack of cushion on my very technically variable terrain trails.
I never wear my Maximalist highly cushioned shoes outside of running and or hiking, once done, off they come. Just don't like them for walking around town (so to speak).
Anyway, I like the Topo fit for my foot. Actually ordered Topo Ultraventure along with the Altra Olympus 4.0 as the alternative so I'm not in the same shoe every run, i.e. recovery runs etc.
Had Ginger Runner's NewBalance Fresh Foam More Trail V1 video review not appeared in my feed I'd have been perfectly happy keeping the Topo Ultraventure with it's (subjectively), sane stack height. But it did, and piqued my interest to order a pair. The NewBallance FF More Trail V1 had a more flexible outsole, more cush feel and better suited for my running needs. I think the firmer flexing sole of the Ultraventure is better suited for hiking than running in comparison to the NB FF More Trail V1. I also like having the NB FF More Trail's slight drop alternative to exclusively wearing zero drop all the time, gives my Achilles a bit of a rest. I think the Topo Ultraventure has about the same drop as the NB FF More Trail.
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I've had the lower drop Terraventures for about a year and really like them. Had to move to a higher drop shoe for road miles when my mileage started creeping up, but they're still my go-to on the trail. Huge fan of the fit, and I like the more minimal-leaning style for trails; I feel like it helps me stay in tune with the ground a little more.
