Reviews of Altra Men's Superior Trail Running Shoe

Customer Ratings:

I have been running in Vibram Five Finger shoes (Bikila LS) for almost a year now until it was getting quite cold and snowy/icy rain out. It's no longer comfortable to be running in the VFF. I switched back to running in my Brooks GT12 (the shoes that I started with until I discover bare foot running). I hadn't run in GT12 for almost a year and wearing them to run again really felt weird. I felt like I had to work a lot harder to keep my heel from touching the ground, but they kept me warm and dry so I kept running for a couple of months. On one weekend the weather was warmer so I went back to my VFF again. One day after, I was having a hard time walking because my calves were sore. This meant that my running style changed! The GT12 shoes have a lot more cushion so my calves were not doing the work and support while I was running anymore. I was concerned that I might be slipping back to the old bad running habits.

Not wanting to get back to the old running style, I went to the local running shoe store to find something that could help keep my feet warm while allowing me to run the same way. They recommended these Altra Superior running shoes. I normally wear an equivalent of 8 to 8.5 US size (39 for Bikila LS) and I need wide front. So the store fitted me with a size 9 and these shoes are already wider by design. The sizing apparently needs to be 0.5 size bigger or it'll be too tight. I took these for a spin this morning for about 4 miles. They feel a little different than running in VFF, but the zero drop allows me to land my foot about the same way.

So far my legs and calves feel good. No rubbing or weird pain. The calves got some work out and it felt similar to running in the VFF but not exactly since there were still more cushions in the Altra. I'll have to run in them more and see how well these shoes hold up especially in snow. For now I'm satisfied and happy to rate this 5 stars.

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I have loved all the pairs of Altra's I have owned to date (Instinct then Samson). My feet love the roomy toe box, and the zero drop heel to toe design. These shoes are light, but not crazy light, the rock plate works well (you won't have to have feet made of iron to run over technical trails, strewn with roots and stones). Not sure how well they will hold up in thick mud inches deep, but I rarely encounter that so I am not too worried. The supporting laces on the outside of the shoe concern me a little should I run through debris ridden forest trails and catch the odd branch or twig here and there. Overall very impressed so far.

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Awesome shoe with unbelievable comfort in the toe box. For anyone with a narrow heal and wide forefoot--this is your shoe. I've definitely found mine.

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I purchased the Altra Superior trail running shoes on recommendations from my family and friends. They raved about the comfort achieved from the Altra shoe. They did not have this actual model however due to the fact that they run more on road and I focus on trail. Thus, I purchased the trail model. The key take away so far is the fact that there is no cushion or rock guard in this shoe. Each and every stone is felt by your feet. After some break in on road and non-rocky trail I took these on a longer jaunt which included quite a bit of logging road, etc. which was covered in stones. After a short period of time it felt as if I was walking on hot coals and basically could not take much more.

The fit was great and overall general comfort is great, I just don't recommend wearing them on trails you know will have a large amount of rocks. Quality seems good so far.

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Ok there are good and bad points to every shoe. And of course it must fit the foot! So make sure of that before you buy it online. I buy my shoes from a local store but wanted to write a positive review on Amazon.

FIrst of all I am not a world class runner. Ive ran lots of 50k distances and a 50m race in these shoes and have run in them for nearly a year. What i bought them for is the wide toe box. I have wide feet and finding a trail shoe in wide is nearly impossible. The "zero drop" thing never really hit home as a compelling reason but over the course of 6 months I found some serious benefits.

Pros:

-Wide toe box

-long laces

-excellent bi-directional tread

-well suited for both trail & road/track

-longevity

Cons:

-Mesh tears after a few hundred miles for me ( I have yet to read another review where people are having this problem and while not recommended i super glue it and stretch the shoes past 700miles)

-Adjustment: Just be prepared that this shoe doesnt have a lot of protection from rocks and the zero drop will be new. Its not a true "con" but more of a serous consideration.

-Availability locally....local stores seem to run out a lot

Hats off to the Altra team for doing something unique with their shoes and keeping dialog open on proper running form.