FIRST REVIEW - ALL NEW ALTRA TORIN 7
Posted on August 21 2023
New for Fall/Winter 2023, Altra has launched the latest update of the TORIN road shoe. Now the TORIN version 7.
We have been lucky enough to get advanced samples of the model and have now put in more than 300kms in the shoe.
I have been running in the TORIN since version 4, the 4.5 Plush and then the 5,6 and now 7.
The TORIN is positioned by ALTRA as a MAX cushioned, neutral road shoe, designed for putting in many miles in your regular training routine. A shoe you hardly think about but slip it on get you training run done and it provides a comfortable, plush, flowing experience.
Did it fulfil that?... well let's take a look.
First the technical spec........
- Weight: Men's 278 g / Women's 230 g
- Midsole: Altra EGO™ MAX
- Footshape™: Standard
- Outsole: Innerflex™
- Cushion: Max
- Stack Height: 30 mm
- Drop: 0 mm
- Upper: Engineered Mesh
EGO™ is ALTRAs proprietary midsole compound and the EGO™ Max is the middle offering between EGO™ and EGO™ Pro which is used on their racing shoes.
This iteration increases the midsole by 2mm up to 30mm and that has been achieved without a significant weight increase over the TORIN 6.
The shoe has a STANDARD Footshape™ which again is the middle offering from ALTRA
The upper is a redesigned engineered mesh which fits well around the foot. There were some complaints around the TORIN 5 and 6 about the sharpness of the tongue. For no-show sock users that did have a habit of cutting into the foot. The tongue this time has been redesigned and that no longer is an issue.
The outsole uses what ALTRA refers to as INNOFLEX™ technology. This is actually the rib patterning on the outsole which is designed to mimic the bone structure of the foot and provide support for the foot whilst also reducing the weight of the shoe.
So how did this all come together during my time in the shoe?.
1. PLUSHNESS. For me, of the previous iterations the TORIN 4.5 Plush was my favourite, I did over 1000km in my first pair and they always felt extremely comfortable and I felt my running shape was so relaxed, even when tired. ALTRA achieved the "PLUSH" ness with and extra couple of extra mms on the strobel board.
The TORIN 7 reminded me of that shoe. The extra 2mm in the midsole brings an extra level of plushness again to the shoe compared to the 5 and the 6. For me this is a very positive development.
2. FIT AND RIDE. When I started running in the 4.5 Plush I had just started to run in ZERO drop shoes and this was one of the first shoes I tried. Since then I have almost completely transitioned to ZERO drop and I really like the natural flowing gait that this helps the runner to achieve. ALTRA talk about this being in the "FLOW" grouping of their product range and that is the feeling I get from the shoe.
I also now really like the breadth of the FOOTSHAPE toebox. Bear in mind this is not a wide shoe and I don't have wide feet, In the midfoot area the shoe wraps nicely around my foot leaving space in the toebox for my toes to spread. Over the years I feel my toes have spread more and more and it really does feel like a very natural running style.
The shoe runs true to size.
The heel cup, collar and tongue combine to give a nice locked in feeling with no more of the sharpness of the tongue that some people felt a problem in the 5 and 6.
The only slight criticism I would have is I felt the heel collar was a little higher than in the 6 and when walking in the shoe I felt it pressing into the underside of my ankle bone. This disappeared as soon as I started to run but is might be a concern for some people.
3. OUTSOLE AND GRIP. A lot of my running is on the waterfront in Hong Kong and whoever decided on the underfoot finishing seemed to pick tiles that when wet can be pretty slippy. (I mean why tiles at all?). The outsole of the TORIN 7 coped pretty well with this. No scary moments. On normal roads, absolutely no problem.
The outsole compound also seems reasonably durable .. at 300km in the level of wear is reasonable. I land on the outside of my foot so excessive wear happens there with all my shoes. Nothing unusual about the TORIN 7.
4. CONCLUSION. The TORIN 7 is a great update for the TORIN range. The extra 2mm of cushioning is the most remarkable update as well as the tongue issue being solved. Its a durable, neutral, very comfortable everyday trainer that will keep you happy over many many miles.
The EGO™ MAX midsole provides excellent energy return and after 300km, no noticeable signs of loosing the bounce.
I really love the openness of the toebox and don't think I can go back to tight narrow shoes anymore. The engineered mesh provides nice breathability which is absolutely needed in Hong Kong's steamy, wet summers.
All in all, this is a capable, everyday trainer, designed to be the shoe you forget you have on your feet. Just get on with crunching the miles.
Check out the TORIN COLLECTION HERE:
https://gone.run/collections/torin-7
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