Altra Men's Superior 5 Sneaker, Medium

Product Information

All Altra shoes are zero-drop, meaning your heel and your forefoot sit at the exact same height from the ground. That’s not true of most other shoes on the market. Ego debuted in 2016 on the Escalante and King MT. Compared to traditional EVA foam, it’s formulated to provide a springier feel and more durability. Ego Max debuted in fall 2021 on the Torin 5 and the Paradigm 6. It’s made from compression-molded EVA and tuned for a softer feel than Ego, but it isn’t as responsive. Ego Pro is Altra’s top-shelf foam, and it’s made from thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) formed in a supercritical fluid process. The result is Altra’s lightest and most responsive cushioning material, and it debuted on the Vanish Carbon racing shoe. The Superior 4.5 was a popular shoe at Northern Runner. For those runners that like firmer more responsive feel to their shoes and a bit of feel for the ground. There isn’t that soft pillow-like cushioning that you sink into in the softer cushioned shoes. This makes the shoe feel faster and more responsive. The Superior 5 has the same midsole and outsole as the 4.5. So, it has an equally zippy feel. The dynamic lace stays and super fat laces work well to cinch down the foot nicely. The tongue is integrated on one side and gusseted on the other providing a superlatively secure lace cage.

Altra have dispensed with the retro-futuristic wireframe mountain graphic on the side of v4.5 and delivered a clean, sleek, modern vision with understated branding elements and a sublime colorway. Additionally (to my happy surprise) the upper fabrics do an impressive job of shedding mud and dust, and my sample pair look just as good after ~100 miles of running as they did out of the box. Over the past few years, shoemakers have poured resources into developing newer and better cushioning foams, and Altra is no exception. The company uses three main cushioning materials in its shoes: Ego, Ego Max, and Ego Pro. (Quantic, another cushioning material the brand developed, is being phased out.)

Altra Women's Superior

Some runners prefer the narrower toe boxes of shoes like Reebok’s Forever Floatride Energy. Lakota Gambill A Natural Take on Tech I’d suggest doing a few short runs first to ensure you’re not going to get any rubbing before heading out on long runs. Now we know where the shoes differ, let’s look at the similarities. Overall, I feel the shoes have the same DNA. And if you’re comfortable in one, then the other will “feel” like the same type of shoe, with a couple of unique features. Flexibility and Structure The base of the Superior 5 is slightly broader as the midsole splays out. This makes them look wider than the Superior 4.5. The width of the shoes internally is the same. The broader base is designed to make the Superior a bit more stable. The ride of the shoe is slightly different to the previous version. It feels slightly less nimble and slightly softer.

The tongue is solidly attached to one side of the upper and gusseted on the other. The combination results in a tongue that stays put the whole run. Well done Altra! Like all Altra shoes, they are designed to allow your feet, ankles and lower legs to function more naturally. They are Zero Drop and have a broader, rounded toe box. This encourages you to land more on your midfoot and utilise your body’s natural cushioning from your feet, ankles and lower legs. If you are used to shoes with a pointier toe box and an elevated heel then it would be advisable to gradually increase the time you spend in Zero Drop running shoes. This way your feet and legs will get used to the extra movement and strengthen up gradually. Anchor for gaiter has been removed from the front of shoe; velcro attachment at rear has been downsized. Dom: For the uninitiated, the Superior is notable for being a soft, flexible shoe with a compliant, unstructured upper. It has a relatively wide toe box, but fit is generally less spacious than traditional Altra shoes. In regard to fit, compared to the previous iteration, version 5 is slightly tighter-fitting, which seems to be due to three factors: a more voluminous footbed, increased padding in the heel, and a shallower toe bumper. Offsetting this is a little more stretch in the forefoot fabric.However, the shape, width and volume of Altra shoes does vary depending on the intended use of the shoes. In summary the Superior 5 is as comfortable as the previous versions but, tweaked to make it better for longer runs than the previous version. I’ve never had any rubbing on the heel from the Altra Superior, but that’s not saying too much because it’s not an issue I often face. But it should be known that this heel counter is pretty stiff, for an Altra shoe. If you’re coming from the road lineup, and in particular the Escalante, you’ll notice a big difference in the heel. The feel of this lightweight trail racer is beyond comparison. I found my first few runs with the shoe to be similar to the childlike fun of sprinting through the forest. The tongue of the Superior 5 is fairly unique