New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! Subscribe today.
Whenever we gather to review tester feedback and choose the season’s best running shoes, I almost always float a well-rated Altra model. And I inevitably get reminded that many runners, including some of our lead testers, “Can’t run in Altras.” So the shoe gets relegated to a niche award like “Best Zero-Drop,” or “Best Natural Ride.” Altra, aware of the niche it’s been stuck in, is counting on the Experience Flow 2 to finally make the brand mainstream.
The reason some people couldn’t run in Altras is because, up until recently, all of the brands’ shoes had no heel lift, which moves stress from the knees and hips to the achilles tendon. If you’re accustomed to shoes with higher heel-toe drop, at best, that feels awkward. At worst, it leads to injury.
That’s unfortunate because the other defining characteristic of Altras is a foot-shaped design in which the forefoot is wide and roomy enough to allow the toes to splay and the foot to flex—a design element that not only is amazingly comfortable but that even the founders agree is more important to the stride than the zero-drop. A low heel just encourages and rewards a more balanced, efficient form, but a cramped toe box prevents the foot from engaging, blocking its ability to naturally stabilize the stride and act like a spring for cushioning and propulsion.
Legendary Fit, Zero Fear
The Experience line of shoes, with a four-millimeter drop, was launched a year and a half ago to enable runners to experience the Altra fit and ride without fear of getting injured. While many found the first Flow, the neutral road shoe in the line, to be a comfortable, light trainer, others, like one of our lead testers, deemed it still “too minimal” to be worn often. That was partly because the foam was firmer than most and lacked the rebound expected from today’s midsoles.
The Experience Flow 2 debuts a new Altra foam blend that promises to elevate the ride and make the shoe a strong competitor as a mainstream daily trainer. We took the shoe through its paces to see if Altra succeeded.
Altra Experience Flow 2 Overview
Weight: 8.2 oz (men’s); 7.1 oz (women’s)
Stack Heights: 32–28 mm (men’s); 30–26 mm (women’s)
Heel-to-toe Drop: 4 mm
$140 at Altra (Men’s) $140 at Altra (Women’s)
At a Glance
Pros:
+ Exceptionally comfortable fit
+ Soft and springy midsole
+ Smooth forward roll that feels “normal”
Cons:
– Wallows a bit with heavy heel strike
What’s New:
- New midsole foam, called EGO P35, blends 35 percent bouncy polyolefin elastomer with Altra’s proprietary, cushioned and responsive EGO MAX compound. According to Altra co-founder Brian Beckstead, the new blend is 25 percent more durable with 12 percent more energy return. “You’re getting a lot of the benefits of a supercritical foam, while keeping the price down,” Beckstead says.
- Refined upper with better breathability, more sculpted heel fit, and improved snug-down over the instep
Altra Experience Flow 2: First Impressions
I’ve worn the Experience Flow 2 for a week, with several 30- to 40-minute daily runs at nine- to 10-minute-mile pace and one short interval session with multiple 30- to 50-second pick ups, topping off close to six-minute-mile pace.
So far, I’ve been strongly impressed with the new foam. Compared to the first Experience Flow, this midsole is simultaneously softer on contact and more responsive on stance and push off. The foam sinks under weight, but firms up quickly and rebounds energetically. It doesn’t quite have the trampoline-like bounce of a supershoe foam, but it has similar properties while being more stable and appropriate for a daily trainer.
The foam’s cushioning felt comfortable without being squishy at easy paces, and its snappy rebound kept up when I accelerated, even when running as fast as 5K race pace (which felt fun and easy in the light, responsive shoe). Only when I tried a full sprint did the midsole start to feel sloppy and slow to respond underfoot.
The beveled heel created a gentle transition onto the midsole platform on landing, and the lightly-rockered forefoot complemented the flexible sole to roll me quickly and smoothly off the toe. I had no issues with stability given the wide forefoot that flares under the big toe and the moderate-height stack of responsive foam.
The upper fit is secure up to the ball of my foot and luxuriously roomy farther forward, allowing uninhibited toe splay, even wearing Correct Toes—spacers that help correct for years wearing pointed-toe shoes. I did have to tighten the laces several times during the first couple of runs, but then got the fit dialed in such that I could feel my feet relaxing, opening up, and engaging.
In answer to the big question—does this Altra ride like a mainstream shoe?—I’d answer yes, with an asterisk. Compared to a zero-drop shoe, the Experience Flow 2 provides a gentler landing for moderate heel strikers, and a smooth roll over the plush forefoot cushioning that sinks under the ball, creating a bit more “functional drop” before toe-off.
Compared to an eight-to-10-millimeter-drop shoe like the Asics Nimbus 27 (I ran in it for a mile then changed into the Experience Flow 2), it feels initially like the Altra’s heel is late touching down, but not so much that it was straining my foot or ankle. I adapted quickly, and the shoe soon felt smooth and normal—with one exception (hence the asterisk). When I let my stride get slow and long with a heavy heel strike, the Experience Flow 2’s soft foam sunk under the heel and made my stride wallow a bit as I worked to get up and over the thick forefoot.
It’s not the only shoe that wallows with a heavy heel strike (most cushioned shoes do), but the low drop makes it even more obvious. As such, it encourages and rewards a taller, more forward-balanced, quick, efficient stride, like all Altras do—but with less penalty while adapting.
Altra Experience Flow 2: Who Is It For?
The new Experience Flow 2 is for any runner who wants a simple, comfortable, lightweight, moderately cushioned, smooth-rolling daily trainer with a bit of bounce. It is especially attractive for those who want the comfort and foot-releasing activation of a wide toe box but haven’t felt like they could run in Altras before. And it is still, like all Altras, a great shoe for those looking for help (along with doing targeted stretching and strength exercises) to make their stride more efficient—plus a game-changer for anyone with bunions.
Similar Shoes
Topo Phantom 4, Mount to Coast R1, Hoka Clifton 10, Brooks Ghost 17