I have been wearing Timps since 2020 and they have always been my absolute favorite. I have probably purchased and worn at least 8 pairs of the Timp 4s. For me they have been pure perfection with one exception, they tend to wear out pretty quickly. I am lucky if I get 300 miles out of them I was very excited to try the new 5s and as of now have put about 250 miles on them. Right out of the gate I HATED the tongue. It is not the low profile one of the 4s. I know some people had issues with the tongue of the 4s but for most, after a couple wears, they were fine. For me, the second I put them on and ran in them, they were great. On the 5s, the tongue does break in a bit over time but I still find it is not quite as comfy as the 4s. I also found a fairly major flaw with it for winter running, it catches and holds ALL THE SNOW!! Mind you, I am in Colorado and we can get some pretty deep snow at times, but even in active snow it seems to build up and become a ball of snow ice. I have tried tying laces tighter, adjusting, etc, and nothing helped. I can't wear gaiters normally because they just get torn off or hold MORE SNOW. No one needs frost bite I have found that the soles and shoe fabric hold up a lot better and the 4s seem to. I have done a lot of snow and ice running in them, but also with running spikes, shale, crushed granite, boulders, you name it from the CO trails and they barely look worn on the soles after 250 miles! That's pretty amazing if you ask me!! The fabric also does not seem to wear as bad and have holes the way the 4s would typically have by now. There is for sure wear on the laces and heel lining mostly, but I think this is from the sand papering the snow was doing to them when I was consistently in knee to thigh deep snow Cushion and response wise, they are amazing I can feel the rocks and boulders beneath me but I can also run in comfort for 20 miles/4-6 hours with no real soreness, rubbing, etc. I have also noticed something 'strange' about the laces. For one they are way shorter than the 4s and you would think that's not such a bad thing but trail runners know you MUST double knot your laces! Unless you wanna stop all the time to re-tie The shorter ones are definitely on the short side for double knotting and on days after long or harder runs, or when your feet are just a little extra puffy, it's definitely more difficult. Also, I can't seem to get the lacing right on them. I take my time to adjust as I alway have when first putting on, but then without fail, I have to stop at some point and adjust them somehow With the 4s, I'm not sure if the laces or 'lacing pattern/placement' is somehow different, or if the fabric being different somehow affects the expansion/contraction somehow, but it's a bit annoying. Overall are the Timp 5s a 5/5 for me? No. Would I buy them again, absolutely! Would I recommend to a friend? I already have There are some things I would tweak about them, but overall a solid shoe and still my go-to when I am getting out on the trails every day. One last ask Altra, PLEASE make more colors and better colors!!!!! The current selection leaves a lot to be desired. Im not sure how the colors are decided, but just look to the men's shoes. They always have better color options!! I get it, some people like flashy or girly colors, make a couple options for them. But, the rest of us want 'practical' colors. Blacks, (not what you are calling black but is actually dark grey and blue), deep greens, greys, terracotta (Ok, I'm a bit partial to this one. But I do run on red rocks and dirt a lot). Just give us more :)
