Customer Reviews Altra Rivera

I bought these as a Follow up to my Escalantes. They felt much better and more padded while still keeping to the lightweight, if not quite minimalist feel. Over the course of using them, I have really enjoyed them running from the mid 90's heat to 25F. My feet got cold, but never unbearably so. I also felt that they are secure and narrow where they need to be, but allow my forefoot and toes plenty of room. I have not had the issues with heel lockdown as others have, but that may just be a foot shape thing. The soles have also proved plenty durable for all the running on asphalt and some concrete that I do. Here's my quibble. After 150 miles I noticed a distinct decrease in the plushness of the midsole. The wonderful floaty feeling I had had seemingly slipped away. Now at 175 miles (I don't run long runs) they feel like everyday shoes. I will get at least 200 out of them before I switch, but I am already starting to look at a new pair. Not a deal breaker by any means, as I expect 2-400 miles out of shoes, these are just on the lower end. Hence 4 starts instead of 5

I've been running exclusively in zero-drop shoes for several years. I cut my zero-drop teeth on a pair of Altra Escalante 1.5s and was instantly a fan of the responsiveness and cushion level of Altra's EGO foam. Between then and now, I've also been running in Altra's Kayentas, which raised the bar for me for what to expect out of a shoe. Sadly, the Kayenta is discontinued (*sigh*), and my current pair is winding down, so I've been on the hunt for a replacement, ideally still zero-drop. I've heard good things about the Rivera, so I decided to start with it. Right out of the box, the fit was super familiar when compared to my venerable old Escalante 1.5s. I know there have been some recent complaints from people used to the ultra-wideness of old-school Altras who felt the Rivera was too narrow and somehow marked the end of an era for Altra, but I didn't have any trouble with that at all. The upper material is very breathable and felt great from the midfoot forward, and there was plenty of room for my toes to do their thing. Padding in the upper part of the shoe was a little bulkier than what I prefer, but nothing I couldn't have worked with. Unfortunately, there were a couple not-so-great things that stood out to me: 1) Heel lockdown: I don't know if it's the slippery material in the heel collar area, or the overly high level of padding that extends halfway down the collar, but no matter how tightly I laced the shoes (even with runner's knots), I could not get a solid heel lockdown. My left heel especially kept drifting up and down inside the collar, which is a recipe for chafing/blisters. 2) "Cushion": What happened to the original EGO foam, the soft but responsive kind used in the Escalante 1.5? This new generation of "EGO" feels much firmer, almost Escalante Racer-like. My Kayentas have several mm less stack height but are infinitely more cushioned, while significantly lighter and more responsive thanks to the Max LT foam they're built on. I had been excited to try a different shoe with EGO foam, but this newer version of it doesn't do it for me. So who is this shoe good for? Well, if you're looking for a snappy, zero-drop shoe and don't typically have trouble getting a good heel lockdown, I'd encourage you to give the Rivera a shot. It has a lot of the pros I'd typically associate with Altra's shoes, and I'd still recommend it to others. It's just not the shoe I was expecting, and I'll be returning this pair in hopes of finding something that fits my feet and comes a little closer to what I've come to love about the Kayenta.

Light, responsive. I run w/o socks and shoe fabric is soft. Forefoot cushioning hits where it should. Enough cushioning for the old, hard streets. Only quibble is heel is a little wide and lets in pebbles.

Love these shoes . Took a few runs to adjust to them but after that love them so far . Did many training runs and a 1/2 marathon and a 22 mile run . Very comfortable! .

Comfortable shoe with a great vibrant orange color. Different from the escalate almost as comfortable.

My Saucony Switchback Iso have finally given up the ghost. And sadly, they don't make them anymore. I loved them almost specifically for the BOA fastening system as nothing would erk me more than floppy shoelaces during a run. That meant I was open to a new experience in a running shoe. The open toebox of the Altra brand intrigued me enough to buy a pair. Everyone should give them a try. Your feet will thank you. I wasn't sure where to jump in with the Altra lineup so I went in the middle and chose the Rivera. I would refer to these as having a very plush cushion and excellent for those trail to road transitions. My next shoe will be from Altra as well but something for those more aggressive runs. I'm really salivating over the Escalante Racers. If you're looking for a different experience Altra's are just that.

I was not excited about running in this shoe after the first couple of runs. The fit felt a tad small in the store, so I sized up a half size from my normal 9.5 and I really felt that extra volume in the toe box. I thought about returning but I kept giving the Rivera a go and after 50 miles or so, I'm happy I held on. They're a no frills, easy going, disappear on your foot kind of shoe. They're not super soft or especially responsive, but they get the job done and help keep me injury free. I think they're a great option for daily training if you're hitting anywhere in the 5-12 mile range. Moving forward, I think Altra could streamline the Rivera by thinning out the upper a tad and slapping on a less puffy tongue.

The Rivera is certainly the best fitting Altra shoe I've worn and I've worn many Altra shoes over the years. It's my favorite shoe for road and treadmill and it does pretty well on most trails. The midsole foam seems to be compacting a little quicker than most Altra shoes I've used.

I see a theme here - if you like Torins you might not like these. i don't care for Torins and after owning 3 pairs (including the Plush model) I've moved on. I've been on Escalantes for 4 yrs until they moved harder though longer lasting foam. I needed more cushion. Riveras have the cushion and light flexy uppers of old Escalantes and fit me well in the same size. Plus sole is thicker overall. the Riviera is compacting faster like the old escalante as well so with cushion comes reduced life I guess.

I was running in sauconys and somehow developed metatarsal pain that would not allow me to walk. I tried these on at a store on a whim and had no foot pain. These do not make sense. Their super comfy and soft which is amazing for how light they are. The zero drop makes running a breeze. Only complaint is the midsole is already pretty much shredded off less than 100 miles. Might not be the best for mid foot striking but still better than having any pain. Will get more.

This shoe works well for me and will be a good daily trainer. I am enjoying the Ego midsole. It is definitely narrower than most Altra shoes. It is still wide enough for me as I have a standard width foot. I somewhat prefer the wider toe boxes. I would just recommend that people that need wider shoes, look at other shoes in the line.

I love the extra bit of ego under foot. You can definitely feel the difference between a new pair of escalante and these. The ride is the perfect blend of both the escalante and the torin. My only issue is with the upper. I can't seem to get the same lock down in the forefoot as I do in all of my other altras. It's almost as if my forefoot wants to slide forward and I have to tie up top extra tight. I think the forefoot height may be a touch taller than the other models? I may have to wait and get the Torin 5 and see which on of them I'll keep.

These have been great so far but are better for walking than running. I wish they had a little more cushion for running but walking has been so much easier on my feet and ankles

I'm a 63 yr old runner with many decades of miles on my body. I've run in Escalante's and Torins and tried this shoe for more cushioning. I'm rotating it with base Torins now and run all kinds of distances with it. I like it and will likely buy it again. Wider than my Torins but ok as I have a narrow foot. I also run in Brooks Ghost but like the lighter weight and zero drop of my Altras. In my dreams I'm a Kenyan.... :)

Me = 50, 15-25 miles/week Priors = Escalante 1 & 1.5; earlier Torins & Torin 4.5 Plush; Olympus 2.0 This is a good shoe and I don't necessarily agree w/ other negatives reviews I saw. Toe box fits more snuggly/less sloppy than earlier Escalantes - it works for me (and my son) and doesn't seem constricting. Still stable and zero drop. I like the cushioning - it's good, but not perfect yet so 4/5 from me.

Lots of interesting reviews here. I bought these from a local running store over the weekend and this is what I've found: The are "narrower" in the sense that they are more tailored than the Torin. That said, the sole/base of the shoe flares out, my foot doesn't ride outside the sole, I feel completely stable in them, the shoe top is flexible, so it feels roomy to me, still. They are quite a bit stiffer than Torins (not the Plush modeljust the regular Torins). But they also feel and run much faster. I ran 2 miles to break them in, then took them out for 10 miler and they felt great, just took some getting used to. The midsole is stiff. My left foot feels great in them, the right foot is hitting just slightly oddly, though. May just be my feet, not the shoes. Not sure. The heel/ankle area doesn't seem to come up as high and cups differently, so I'm battling a little heel slippage. I'm using the heel lock holes, which has helped. I mean, these *are* different shoes than what Altra has typically produced, but they're good shoes. If you have super-duper wide feet, they probably aren't for you. But, these are a far cry from Nike's narrowness (which never fit me) and my toes had plenty of natural room. Also, I saw another commenter posted that the rubber in the toe gave them blisters. I had no such issues. My toe didn't rub against that, so it may be an issue where you just need to size up 1/2 size. The negative reviews here are somewhat understandable, but pretty surprising in some ways. According to the shoe sales guy, Altra is trying to grow their market by offering some more tailored/"narrow" shoes and have some wider shoes coming down the pike soon. If these are too narrow, give Altra a little time and it sounds like we'll all have a choice we can live with.

This will be my daily trainer for the longer miles. One star off due to heel locked down issue . Was having issues initially , and struggling with the pace. Once locked down, seems a lot better. Have to use the last pair if eyelet and really tighten the laces. The ride feels like the saucony freedom 3, but is much more stable. Not the responsiveness of the freedom 4 or escslante 2.5 though. Is roomy enough for me. Tounge could use less padding, toe box little wider will be preferred. Mesh breathable and ok for a tropical humid country.

New Balances were leaving me with blisters so I tried my first pair of Altras. After 50 miles, I can tell it's a quality shoe. It feels like wearing slippers. It's roomy and strong while still feeling slim and lightweight. Can't wait to put in more miles in these.

Solid shoe for the rotation. I'm a total Escalante guy, but this is fun to run in. If the Rivera 2 happens, I'd like to see a tad more toe box room. Basically a responsive Torin 4.

I had well over 1500 miles in the Torin 4 and was sad to see it being discontinued. ( yeah, the Plush line is there, but lets be real, its like driving a Prius with 22 inch rims) That said, I elected to try the Rivera instead of the Escalante; mostly because I am always chasing the shiny new penny. After a few early miles in the Rivera, the sky might not be falling after all. It wasn't easy to come to grips with the idea that it is not the Torin, but I will say that it has all the makings of being a really good daily runner. The toe box is narrower, but sizing up 1/2, that makes it a non issue. It does feel a bit narrow, but after all the real estate I became accomsted to in the Torin I guess that is somewhat expected. I was a big fan of the Quantic midsole, but the Rivera feels good. Really good; different-but good. It reminded me a bit of the earlier renditions of the Ghost; only better (roomier and more responsive) and lot less clunky. Like a lot of runners, I hate change, and hope that the Torin line; along with its ugly huge toe box makes a return. At the end of the day, I am really really pleased with the Rivera. Good fit, smooth ride, and ready to go right out of the box.

Real good shoe, the toe box is little narrower than previous Altra's, but still room for toes to spread. I had to send back first order and go half size bigger. My favorite is still the escalate 1.5, this is close second!

Been running in Altras as my daily trainers for 3 years, strictly Torins until now. Just bought the Torin 4.5 plush and while left shoe was great, right shoe had a defective midsole; so had to return those and local store only had Rivera model in my size 13. I really like the Rivera, right out of the box. 26mm of the squishy but responsive/bouncy EGO works great for this big dude 6'3" 200+. Good, maybe better, replacement for the Torin 4.0 regular, FOR ME : ) with my avg width feet. Yes the Rivera are narrower than all the Torins I've had. Altra should have informed retailers and customers in the marketing build-up before people started buying them and getting disappointed about the narrower width. That said, I tried them on before buying; maybe a lot of people just bought them online without trying them on first.

Just unboxed my Riveras yesterday and put 10 miles on them today for my long run - 3 w/u, 4 at tempo, 3 c/d. So far so good! The toe box may be slightly leaner than typical Altras but I think it may be a good thing...more dialed in. I enjoyed them and can see them being a daily trainer that I can comfortably log longer distances in while being able to push the pace naturally. I dig.

I've been in Altras since the Instinct 1.5 which I loved, and while my favorite shoe is still the One 2.5, this comes in a nice third. It is a blend of the first two shoes with a little more cushion. It can handle faster tempo stuff and longer runs pretty equally. 10 miles out of the box working fast and easy, and I didn't think about the shoes at all. Toebox was still an Altra, but not floppy and it had great grip on wet roads. Definitely felt lighter on my feet than expected. Very happy to have something with decent cushion but more responsiveness than the Torin.

Altra gave me this product to try and as I typically run in Torin 4's on a daily basis, I forgot that running shoes can be thinner. These feel narrow, and even though they don't look like it, still have a foot shape to them. I like having my Torin 4's because when my feet swell in the summers in Phoenix they never get too tight, that could happen with these, but during the cooler months this fit is pretty nice, they seem to absorb shock better, and feel slightly lighter. My longest run in them to date is 14 miles and they felt good. I plan to keep these in rotation with my Torin 4's.