Customer Reviews Altra Rivera

I have a fallen metatarsal on my right foot and have tried everything from pt to metapads and insoles. The pads work for about a month work then break down and the pain on the ball of my foot is excruciating. These shoes have made my pain go away completely!!! I have bought 3 more different pairs and they all keep the pain at bay. Life is good again

A little early to tell how they will wear. However I think the style of the toe box is just what I need.

This is the first road shoe I've bought in a while (I'm mostly trail running) and I have been very please so far.

Early morning runs

Out of the box, it looks narrow to the consistent Altra fan. Strangely it isn't because the last is amazing and true to the un-oppressed, un-bent ball of the foot. The inner feeling of the footbed "feels like" it's mapped to the bones of your foot, another surprise! As if walking in sand, but without any drag or resistance so sand is not a perfect analogy. The shoe is very balanced, not too much or little of anything. No tongue problem like with another great shoe which often gets mentioned. One suggested "improvement" for the 1.5 or 2.0 Rivera would be IMHO a more mesh-like substantial FABRIC upper like the Escalante 1.5 or 2.0. All in all an amazing and "surprisingly" GREAT yet unassuming (in a good way) shoe...!!! Amazing.

I've run in the Torin 4.5 and Escalante 2.0 and 2.5 and have enjoyed each of these shoes but always found something lacking or that didn't quite work for me. The Rivera, for me, really combines the best of the Escalante with some Torin qualities to make a killer shoe. The toe box is narrower than these other shoes, as others have described. But, I actually experience less rubbing in these shoes for some reason than with the Torin 4.5, so I am preferring the slightly narrower toe box. The Ego midsole retains that bouncy quality from the Escalante but the extra 2mm stack reduces the harshness of the Escalante, making these more fun for longer runs. The upper is very breathable and extremely comfortable. There's nothing overtly flashy about the Rivera upper, but its simplicity is its strength. It disappears on my foot, and that's about the most I can ask for from a shoe upper. I also weighed my Rivera against my Escalante 2.5. I was surprised that the Rivera was around 0.4 oz lighter than my Escalante (both size 7). Finally, the Rivera hits the sweet spot for me in terms of flexibility and stability. My foot always feels secure in the shoe, unlike the Escalante, but retains much of the Escalante's flexibility. All in all, this is the road shoe I had hoped Altra would make and my shoe of choice for my marathon training.

I use them as a daily trainer on streets, sidewalks, and trails. They are very comfortable right out of the box. There's great cushioning without being too soft. The feel is light without feeling flimsy. The zero-drop promotes a forefoot strike and overall better mechanics and form. I'm looking forward to many more miles in the Riveras! Thanks, Altra!

These have worked their way into my shoe rotation for marathon training and they really have the best of both worlds for me that is a great mix is cushion and feel/firmness/support.

Comfort of Escalante with stability of Torin! Love 'em!

I have been running in Altra shoes for the past 3 years. I've had the provision 4, Superior 4, Viho, and now the Rivera. The provisions were recommended to me but I find that the Rivera's are much more comfortable. A bit more narrow than my others but I have average width feet and it isn't an issue, my toes stay nice and spread out. I am a mid foot striker and they seem to be wearing as expected for the amount of rubber on the outsole.

I normally do not write reviews. Too lazy :-) I used to run in Torin 4. Tried 4.5 at the store- Hated it. the guy suggested Rivera. I love these. it's like running on water. Very light, soft and the upper mesh is very flexible. Allows for lot of room for the big toe. They look great too (bright color etc.) and narrow yet take the shape of your foot due to flexible upper mesh. Altra - PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING WITH RIVERA.

This shoe feels great. Moderately light and the cushion is comfortably fast. I wear these on up-tempo runs and marathons/half marathons. Love them:)

More snug in forefoot but feels nice on the pavement. My favorite road shoe by far. Coming from escalate and lone peak (for trails)more stable than escalante softer than lone peak. For ultra training.

I have run about 60 miles in these shoes and have had the escalates and the viho to compare it to. With previous models my big toe has been near the middle of the shoe and I have gotten blisters from swimming around in the oversized toebox with my bony feet. I still rated all of them five stars because I love Altra's and understand that my feet are not the same as others. This shoe is exactly my foot shape and has much better lockdown than any other shoe but still had room for my toes to splay. The midsole on this model also just feels much faster than the escalante and more comfortable while still being responsive. Thank you Altra for branching out and trying new foot shapes.

Running on road and trail roads up to 30 miles a week, these shoes snap, light responsive and so comfortable.

Altra has been my exclusive running shoe for the past 8 years. I'm on my 14th or 15th pair, and I'd consider myself a "faithful" Altra customer. As someone with very wide, almost flat, feet, the reviews about the narrowness worried me. I decided to try them on at a local store, and they felt great. After several runs, I gotta say, these are great shoes. So light and springy, with just the right amount of cushion. They almost feel like the old Impulse that I loved so much. They may be slightly narrow, but just SLIGHTLY. That said, the upper is not restrictive at all so the width is a non-issue for me. Again, I have very wide feet and they are great. I hope this model lasts for many years to come!

I love this shoe. It is a great mix between the escalante and the torin plush. Just recently ran a half marathon in them and it preformed brilliantly. I will be buying many pairs of these in the future.

I am a physical therapist and have been using this shoe at work. It is comfortable and great for exercising in and walking around the clinic. Have not yet run in these, but love the feel of them so far.

Since picking these up 6 weeks ago, I've put 175 miles on them. They're the shoe I didn't know I was looking for. I loved the original Escalante and used those for everyday runs as well as races as long as a full marathon, the updated versions not quite as much. The Rivera takes that sock-like one piece seamless and knit upper along with a more well padded tongue and puts it on top of a larger stack of EGO foam. The result is a comfortable responsive ride that feels like I'm cruising along on a cloud without sacrificing flexibility as you do in some other moderately cushioned shoes. The toe box is your usual Altra roomy-than-most-brands, and they include the extra eyelet for lacing with a heel-lock if you'd like. They felt a little short to me compared to the Escalate in the same size, so I sized up a half size to avoid smacking my toes into the front if I could avoid it. I had experimented with the Paradigm 4 to have a daily trainer with some more cushion, but they were so much less flexible than I preferred, and felt not-quite-zero-drop to me. The Rivera fills that gap, and I've even used it for a half marathon race so far without complaints, but would probably stick to the Escalante if I was really going for speed. At 175 miles they still feel good, and I'm wondering if the extra foam will lengthen their lifespan. Even after just 200 miles Escalante shoes start to feel noticeably different.

Altra's best and most valuable road shoes to date and I have lots of their's. If you want a sloppy sneaker with altra's overly generous toe box of old this may not be for you. If you're a serious runner whose feet have benefitted from years of generously wide toe box sneaker training and are ready for swift speed, tie down, and cushion. Altra has finally evolved to not leave you in Hok@'s dust when it comes to speed. Because that other brand is constricting and offers artificial foot support those runners will often suffer ankle issues down the road. Just cause it's natural foot centered, zero drop and without artificial arch support it doesn't mean it has to be speed compromised. This shoe is proof, so... You shot yourself in the foot Altra, I'll be expecting more of you from here on out and I was already a devoted loyalist. The modest look and great performance makes this a road running sleeper that you'd never suspect as being as capable as it is.

I bought this shoe fir my stepson, he absolutely loves them. My whole house owns a pair and yours should too.