Most similar road shoe to Altra Lone Peak?

zero drop fan wrote:

Hello LRC. I've been running in the Altra Lone Peaks for the past several months and now I am a convert to the zero drop ethos. However, I bought their Escalante 2.5s and found that the lack of cushion/stack is too much for road running, at least for me at this time. Their website had the stack for the Escalante 2.5 at 24mm, which is theoretically comparable to the 25mm stack for the Lone Peak 5, but my physical measurement of the Escalante 2.5 has the stack at around 20mm.

Does anyone here have any insight on what zero drop offerings are out there that are a road running equivalent to the Lone Peak 5?

The Altra Torins are nice although they almost seem a little too cushioned for me compared to the Escalantes. But maybe that's what you're looking for.

The Rivera is another good option. It has 28mm of stack height while the Torin has 30mm, so I think both would be great. I haven't been able to try on either, but the Torin sounds softer and wider due to the Rivera being surprisingly narrow for an Altra. I would try both on in a store just to make sure you find what you prefer though. And I could be wrong, but I believe Altra and Topo are the only brands currently making zero-drop trainers. Unfortunately, the Topo Magnifly 3 is only 22mm and that's currently their only zero-drop model.

Also, I think different sources measure various metrics somewhat differently because RW says the Escalante stack height is 28mm (in a men's size 9, the typical standard) which is where I got all of my numbers from.

zero drop fan wrote:

Hello LRC. I've been running in the Altra Lone Peaks for the past several months and now I am a convert to the zero drop ethos. However, I bought their Escalante 2.5s and found that the lack of cushion/stack is too much for road running, at least for me at this time. Their website had the stack for the Escalante 2.5 at 24mm, which is theoretically comparable to the 25mm stack for the Lone Peak 5, but my physical measurement of the Escalante 2.5 has the stack at around 20mm.

Does anyone here have any insight on what zero drop offerings are out there that are a road running equivalent to the Lone Peak 5?

I admittedly haven't tried the Lone Peaks (I run trails in the Superior). The Riveras (which took over for the old regular 'ol Torin) are a (little) bit firmer than the Escalante but with more stack and a different geometry (and it being a bit stiffer) they feel more protective and have a different, and arguably smoother and more forgiving ride IMO. Think of it as more like a Kinvara, but to me better. That may be an option. The new Torin 5 is the old Torin Plush and may also be an option. They're my favorite daily/recovery/long run shoe but they're not so "recovery/long run shoe" that I wouldn't do any sort of pace work in them, I've taken them up the gears and they do fine down to 5K pace for me (low 6:00's), I just prefer the Escalante Racers for workouts since they're lighter and more responsive.

Lone peaks are trail shoes, no?

I haven’t run in the Torin since version 1 so can’t speak to the current models. By and large I like the Rivera but the upper is a little warm during the summer for my taste. I like that it’s a bit firmer than the Escalante because I found that shoe little too mushy in the midsole for me.

Look at Skechers.

Try Torin 5 or Rivera. They use newer softer and more responsive midsoles.