I was a bit worried at first that the One2 would feel mushy on the run. They don’t, they actually feel pleasantly springy, but not in a racing-flat kind of way. More like adidas Boost, Skechers Resalyte (midsole material for the GoRun), or maybe a Brooks DNA-BioMogo blend www.dannywinstanley.co.uk midsole. Nike Air Pegasus 83 Hombre They feel softer when walking than when running. The midsole is composed of a blend of EVA and Altra A-Bound (latter is the stuff from the sole of the Altra Instinct), and I’m wondering if this combo is what gives the shoe it’s cushy yet somewhat springy feel.Altra The One2 StoneThe deep flex grooves in the sole of the One2 make for an enjoyable ride for me. The shoe is both longitudinally and torsionally flexible, and gone is the slab-like feel of many of the other Altra shoes I have tried. One drawback of the flex grooves is that they will trap rocks – I’ve pulled several out of my pair, but do not notice them while running.With the change in sole comes a change in purpose for this shoe. The original Altra The One was more a firm racing flat, whereas the One2 is more of a lightweight trainer/distance racer. This isn’t a Nike Air Max 90 Mens Black shoe I’d Nike Air Huarache Womens choose for my next 5K, but it’s a shoe I’d definitely consider for a marathon. I did do a few sprints in them at the end of one of my runs, and they were fine, but top speed is not what this shoe is built for.One attribute of the outsole that might concern some is the lack of rubber under the lateral forefoot. There are patches at the back of the heel and under the big toe, but forefoot strikers may wind up eating the exposed EVA up along the lateral forefoot. There’s a balance between feel and durability though, and I tend to really like running in shoes with lots of exposed midsole(e.g., Skechers). That might be why the sole of the original Kinvara was one of my all-time favorites, and Saucony told me that they were hesitant to add rubber to that area for fear of altering the ride. I’m a mild heel striker most of Adidas Tubular Femme the Adidas Superstar Hombre time, so I can’t comment on forefoot durability, though I’m sure Thomas over at Believe in The Run will touch on this if/when he reviews this shoe (he destroyed the original Kinvara in this area).
One point of concern about the sole – I noticed this morning that the white paint along the upper portion of the sole was flaking off. Purely cosmetic, and hopefully Altra can get this under control in production:
Some are going to hate what Altra has done to The One, but I for one really like the One2. It’s the first Altra shoe that I’d truly consider for a marathon distance race, and it combines softness and flexibility in a way that I have yet to see in any other Altra (I haven’t yet tried the Instinct 2.0).I personally think Altra would have been wiser to release this shoe as a new model and retain The One as a speed shoe/racing Nike Air Vapormax Mujer flat – Nike Air Max 90 Mujer Negras I’m not sure of the reason behind their thinking with going the update route instead (Update: just got an email from Golden Harper about this, I think the idea is that the 3-Sum will continue to be the racing flat and will become less a Tri-specific shoe; it is on the same sole as the original The One). It’s surely a shoe that will appeal to a broader audience than the original The One, and I think the hope is that if it and the other new shoes/updates in the Altra lineup sell well, they can start adding back in more niche shoes at the more minimal end.