Coming right up we’ve got a multitester review of the Altra FWD Via, a max cushion road shoe packing a brand-new supercritical midsole foam – Altra EGO FLO. Altra says this shoe is designed for a smooth stride for miles. But does it deliver? Hit play to find out in our Altra FWD Via review.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:20 – Details: Stack height, Drop, Weight, Price
0:41 – Shoe Whip Round
1:43 – Run Test
9:05 – Verdict
12:58 – How’s the fit?
15:39 – Now watch this: Altra FWD Experience
Hey people welcome to the Run testers Coming right up we've got a multi- Tester review of this the outra forward Via it's a Max cushion Road shoe packing A brand new super critical midsole foam Alra ego flow alra says this shoe is Designed for a smooth stride for miles Does it deliver let's get into it in our Outra forward via Review quick details then starting with A stack which has 37 Ms in the hill 33 m In the 4ot for a 4 mil drop one of out Low Drop shoes they weigh in at 9.2 Oz Or 262 G in my UK men's 8 and a half Test shoe on price they land at45 in the UK or $160 in the [Music] US moving on to the shoe whip round then Starting with the Midway you've got what Alra describes as a Max stack of new Nitrogen infused alra ego flow Mido foam That's a TPU Eva blend in light of Recent Trends and recent shoes this is Arguably though now a mid stack shoe it Comes with a lower drop and a rocked Midsole to help smooth Transitions and Create an efficient toe off up top You've got engineered mesh uppers that Are pretty classic outra you've got alra Signature foot shaped fit here that kind Of sweeping anatomical toe box it's Really lovely and roomy similar kind of Texture to the office here as a lot of Other outra shoes you got gusted tongues
That are on the plush side and balance Padded heel collars with a good heel Counter in there for extra EXT RA Support flip them over and you've got This kind of flex grooved covering of Outsole rubber that's there to provide The grip and durability s decent amount Of coverage into the heels and in all The high impact Areas so in testing I've done around 20 Miles in the outra forward V across a Mix of Paces on the Road River paaths The usual test conditions that we'll put Each shoe through for these reviews First up let's talk about the Comfort How they feel on the foot well these Feel nice nice and light with really Good stepping comfort from the off They've got that trademark roomy toe box Nicely balanced heel colors and it all Adds up to a nicely disappearing feel on The foot from the very first run moving On to the ride and while this shoe might Have a big stack here it's certainly not A soft stack the new ego flow foam is Definitely on the firm side you notice It the minute you put them on it's Firmer than I'd expected from a super Critical foam so despite the claims from Altra this is a Max cushion shoe I would Say it's certainly not in the same soft But energetic gam of shoes like the Brooks Glycerin Max in fact even if You're coming from shoes like the Brooks
Glycerin 22 or the New Balance 1084 axd Nimbus territory all that kind Of stuff you'll immediately notice that Harder Edge on these shoes now on my Slower easier runs I've got some shock Absorption but when you're moving faster Punching a bit more into the ground you Don't quite get the forgiving protection That you'll get from some livelier Slightly softer tuned super critical Foams and I think some will want that Softer Edge it's lacking a bit of Bounce And life as well there's certainly no Energetic super trainer thing going on Here Everything feels a little bit Clunky there's a slight bit of softening From the footed and when you're moving Steady or with a fast foot turnover on Light feet I do think things smooth out A little but generally speaking I got More ground coming back up than I wanted Across the sort of Ranger paces and more Than I really expected from a higher Statue now having said that if you like A more solid sort of ground connected Ride and some reason you wanted that in A bigger stack a shoe that's going to Give you a bit more additional stability And reliability from that foam midsole Perhaps or you like to run in shoes that Just benefit from fter feet then the Forward via does feel light and Relatively precise for that kind of Profile shoe but it's a bit of an odd
One having like a big stack but not much Softness or energy reviewing Ultra shoes Is a bit tricky um because if you are Reviewing them for people who know Ultra Shoes then uh it's quite easy to compare Them to previous versions of the shoe if You've not tried Ultra before it's quite A difficult shoe to review because it's An experience that's very different than A lot of other shoes the first reason is You have all this big space in the Forefoot um I'll cover off the the upper First because I think the big thing About alra shoes is that they are the Upper is the main feature of them or has Been in the past that's the selling Point um for a lot of people because you Do get this big spay um natural feel to The to the front of the shoe which is Very nice it's very comfortable when You're out in the Run um you definitely Notice it if you're used to running in More conventional uh running shoes Because there is loads space in there It's nice I I I think Ultra is onto Something with that with that spacing in The forefoot the problem with ultra Shoes is and I've tested quite a few in The past um when it comes down to the The technology that sits in the midsole Uh I don't particularly like uh zero Millimeter drop shoes I don't really get On with them I think they're are I think You have to get used to them to uh
Really uh really get the best out of Them and I think um they do work better For some people on Trails which is alra Have a lot of trail shoes and they Popular with Trail Runners um and I've Run in a lot of ultra shes on the trails And I I don't mind the zero drop on the Trails because I'm you're on uneven Surfaces things like that it feels quite Nice feels quite natural I'm not racing I'm not trying to get a nice consistent Pace I'm just out having fun works very Well for that those zero drop shoes uh When it comes to Road I struggle with a Zero drop shoe because I'm not used to It um I don't feel like I get any sort Of momentum going it just feels a bit Slappy uh for me um which some people Like I imagine if they're used to Running in barefoot shoes or Ultra shoes Things like that that have zero drop Drops in them uh for me I I do struggle With them a bit um the some of the new Isues like this have the 4 mm drop in And it does make a difference so um when I have been testing this shoe out it Does feel like a more conventional shoe When it comes to the midsole Uh upper side because that does feel Different the Mido does feel very very Natural and very normal so it feels like You're running in a normal running shoe Basically not an Ultra Shoe with a zero Zero drop um the there are quite a few
Changes to the midsole in the ultra Forward via um so it has this nitrogen Infused midsole in it it's got this ego Flow um updated Mido which I believe is Meant to be super critical um but to be Honest I don't get a lot from this mid Cell it doesn't feel like uh a very um Technologically advanced midsole it Still feels to me a lot like the Previous Ultra moles which very sturdy Um very solid uh but they don't really Have a lot to them they're not there's Not loads of energy returning this mid It's quite firm even though there's Fairly big chunk of it in there um and I Can see why that would work on the Trails when I'm running on Trails I Don't want bouncy squashy Foams and Things like that but on the road I do I I like really soft Foams I like bounce I Like energy return all those sorts of Things and you you don't get it from um This shoe it just feels very solid um Very sturdy And quite firm when you're out on the Run however um it does feel more like a Conventional shoe when I've tested uh The earlier versions of some of the road Shoes from Ultra I I really haven't Gotten with them especially the zero Drop ones this one actually feels pretty Good um I I I've done probably about 40K In this shoe so far I've mainly just Been doing easy runs I've picked up the
Pace a little bit in it but uh it's Definitely not a shoe that I would I Would use for running faster um partly Because of the geometry it doesn't feel Like it's really giving you a smooth Transition um pushing you forward partly Because of that 4mm drop but also that Midsole doesn't really give you a lot Back either it's very much a shoe Designed for U easier runs solid Consistent pce runs nothing it's it's Not a versatile shoe for me so um it's It's fine if you're going out and just And just chugging up the miles on the Road um there's definitely shoes i' Would much prefer to use other than this Because the midso for me is just a Little bit flat um and a little bit too Hard for what I like from a an easy in Recovery run or longer run but I do Think it's a a much more accessible shoe For people that want Um uh an experience like other running Shoes so um you might you might compare It with things like the Brooks Glycerin 22 or something like that that's a bit Softer but it's it's more in that realm Now where it sits in that easy recovery Day um daily running shoe Vibe uh and It's quite comfy uh for doing that um Other than that the outs soole yeah it's Pretty good um the the uh there's quite A big Expos section on the the Mido of The midsole U but it does seem to be
Quite a sturdy Mido foam it's quite a Firm um foam this um this ego flow um And it seems to be pretty sturdy on that Section there so I'm not too worried About that and you do have quite big Chunky bits of rubber on here which do Feel a bit like a a trail shoe very Similar to a lot of the trail shoes I've Tested previously so good outsole on it Um but overall uh I've not I don't think It's a shoe that really excels at Anything apart from that foot shape Design which some people really Love verdict then and for me the alra Forward VR is at best a mixed bag I Don't mind running in stiffer firmer Shoes and on some runs in some Conditions I found the ride of this shoe Okay it basically worked best when I Moved with a lighter form or I was Moving with faster feet at any Pace Whether that was slower or faster However I struggle to really see the Benefit of having that extra stack if You're not delivering sort of some extra Cushion or some extra bounce now if I'm After a stiffness and firmness and Reliability I sort of tend to reach for Something that's a little lower profile I also fear this all might be a bit too Firm certainly for runners who like a Good amount of cushion on easy runs Anyone looking for that big bouncy Springy energy on their fastest runs
Aren't going to get it here either it is Light enough to pick up the pace and you Could say there's some firm energy to it If you're being generous but I think It's quite a specific ride that might Only suit Runners chasing that combo of Stiffness firmness and some protection From the bigger stack and if you want an Anatomical toe box in a shoe that's Nicely balanced I give that sort of Balance of directness but still Protective energetic but stable and you Don't mind a smaller stack and I think I Much prefer the innovate roadfly that Come in considerably cheaper than these Shoes as well when it comes to Max stack Shoes I think softer Alternatives that Don't necessarily give away too much Firmness things like the glycerin Max And I choose them over this there's some Stiffness and reliability to that shoe But it soaks up more of the road and Gives a bit more energy back so my Verdict on the ultra forward v um I do Think it's a good uh development from Alra I think it's a shoe that is lot More accessible to people who are used To more conventional shoes 4mm drop the New foam is slightly more accessible Than what I've seen previous version of The shoe but not massively um and I Think the feel of the shoe just you can Pick it up and go for running it and You're not thinking you're running in a
A zero drop shoe because it isn't but You're not it doesn't feel like a shoe That isn't designed for the road it Feels like a road shoe now um I do think It's an acquired taste I think for some People who have certain shape foot or if You're a runner who is used to running An alra shoes on the trails or maybe You've tried some of the previous Road Shoes I think you'll probably like this Um I think I think it's a nice Development and I think it's definitely An improvement for me on um some of the Previous Ultra shoes I think if you Haven't tried Ultra shoes and you're Used to running in Stander shoes or from Lots of other brands you're used to Softer midsoles you're used to 8mm drops 10 mm drops I think you're not going to Get on with the outra shoe um just Because it's it's a bit of an alien Concept and you're not going to get a Lot of the things that you get from from Those shoes it's not it isn't a um a Substitute for those shoes it's a very Different shoe um when you're out on the Run but um I do think it's comfortable I Do think it's a solid all around running Shoe I think it's a good daily cushioned Cruiser um for for certain people and um I think that it's very staple as well And that's something that um is probably One of the biggest selling points of Ultra shoes they are very stable which
Is why they're very good on the trails So if you're looking for a load of Stability uh and a bit of a firmer Mido This probably a good option um Alternatives for me to this shoe I think You're looking um in the in the normal Realms of running shoes um you're Looking at things like the Brooks in 22 The Brooks ghost maxed Brooks I've Picked there because Brooks tend to make Very solid stable shoes that um have a Good thick midsole in the not too soft Maybe something like the Sak hurricane 24 as well which is essentially a Stability shoe um but even all of those You're still getting a much more Noticeable drop uh than you're getting In the the the ultra so um yeah it's It's a tricky one to to to sell in but I Think um if you are an ultra fan it is a It is a nice positive development in the Shoes I think if you're not it's a bit Of a tricky one to to to sing the Praises of So I'm a size eight in the UK this is a Size eight but the ultra shoes are very Different fitting than a lot of other Shoes so if you if you running alra Shoes you'll know about the fit and it Be quite easy for me to to give you a Fit guide based on that if you're not Used to alra shoes um then the fit can Be a bit weird so the uh front section Of alra shoes are meant to be very wide
You're meant to have loads of space for Your feet to sit naturally uh your feet To playay and your toes to spread out so There is a a lot more space in the Forefoot of an Ultra Shoe um before the Big toe there's loads and around the Sides of the shoe there is also loads It's a very wide shoe that's the design So you wouldn't want to size down to try And remove some of that sizing because That defeats the point of the Ultra Shoe Um the the rest of the up is absolutely Well pretty is what you'd expect the Heel collar is very comfortable nice Little bit of padding on there the Tongue's very nice and despite the fact That you have this massive roomy section At the front the Midfoot it locks down pretty easily it's It's not a really roomy shoe overall It's really just in that in that toe Section of the shoe and as a result I do Find it to be a very comfortable shoe I've always found the uppers in Ultra Shoes to be really really nice I like The feeling of having that space in the Shoe um and I would definitely stay to My UK size 8 in this I wouldn't go down Because sort defeats the point of um of The shoe if you start trying to remove Some of the space in it um but despite The fact that it does have all the extra Space you do get a nice lock down fit From the midfoot of the shoe so I
Definitely say my UK size 8 in the alra Ford VI quick word on fit then and I ran In my regular alra running shoe size Which is a UK 8 A2 and you've got some Textbook stuff here from Al youve got This kind of nice anatomical roomy toe Box creates a really roomy fit there's Decent wiggle room for the toes lots of Room for the toes display I would say Coming back to this kind of toe knuckle Area they sort of hold really quite snug It is nice and secure I wouldn't say It's tight but it's not far off being a Little bit tight um back up into to the Midfoot I get good lace lock down Security the tongue does its job nicely Taking the lace pinch off and just Holding everything securely particularly Sort of across the top of the foot here When you move back into the heel collars They hold really nice and tight and Secure there is this tab which comes up A little bit High here that does it Doesn't rub but I'm aware of it that's The only thing when it comes to that but Overall I would say it's a nice Comfortable disappearing feel on the Foot I like the roomy toe box I like the Anatomical fit of the altras and overall I recommend going true to sizing these Shoes today have it that's been our Review of the outra forward via hope you Found it useful give us a like maybe hit Subscribe if you're not already if
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