Customer Reviews Altra Olympus 5

They look good - like the color and style. But they are very uncomfortable.

I know this is TLDR, but here goes anyway! BACKGROUND I've been with Altra since Olympus 1.5. I still have a couple pairs of Olympus 1.5 around that I use for walking on the beach. I'm probably going to never throw them out. When I first got them, I'd never experienced a shoe that comfortable. I have a neuroma on my right foot, and the Olympus was the only pair of shoes I've found that made the neuroma almost disappear when walking. Something about the combination of zero-drop, thick bottom, and foot-shape toe box that made these work for me. I wore them everywhere (although my wife called the orange pair my "clown shoes", because face it, the 1.5 was a bulky shoe!). Unfortunately, after the 1.5, I never was really that happy with the next few models that came out. Olympus 2 was too tight and unwearable for me. Olympus 3 was better but still too binding and I felt my neuroma a little bit. Plus the top of the Olympus 3's shredded around the top of the heel. Then came the Olympus 4. For me, they worked perfectly. I bought 4 of the colors, everything but red (I'm a blue state guy and am not going to wear red shoes, even though Elvis Costello sang about them). Altra also came out with Cayd, which to my surprise also worked for me perfectly so I ordered multiple copies in all 4 colors. With the Olympus 4 and Cayd, virtually no neuroma problem. I was all set. OLYMPUS 5 Until... Olympus 5. The reviews on the 5 are not good. First and foremost, many people have uploaded pictures of the bottom treads literally falling off of the shoe. So I wasn't expecting they would work. But I figured, your mileage may vary, so maybe they will work for me? Unfortunately, they did not. Here are the problems: #1 Toe Box Fit. They are just enough narrower in the toe box vs. the Olympus 4 to put enough pressure on my foot to activate my neuroma. What does help in that case is to loosen the laces. Doing so makes them more comfortable, not as good as the 4's but maybe ok. So, no problem, right? Well no, because... #2 Short Laces. Other reviewers have noted this, but the laces are too short. WTF?! If you use the top holes and/or you loosen the laces, you can't tie the shoes. This is an inexcusable fail that saves Altra a fraction of a penny but is going to cost them in returns. # 3 Bulky Ankle Padding. The padding around the ankles is thicker than the previous version. Some might like this. I don't, it bugs me. One thing that other reviewers noted that didn't bother me was the tongue. Some say it is too sharp and plastic. I don't see a big difference between the tongue on the Olympus 4 vs 5, so it didn't bother me. ACTION PLAN * I'm returning the Olympus 5's and I'll sit out this model number until Olympus 6 are out. * I've stockpiled a few extra pairs of Olympus 4's, which are still available. Maybe I should even buy a couple more. This reminded me to check my stockpile of Cayd's, because I'm worried that Altra is going to eventually discontinue the Cayd - already Altra seems to only be carrying a couple of Cayd colors. * I am giving the Lone Peak 6's a try. I have nothing to lose with Zappos' fabulous 365 day return policy. The Lone Peak's are lighter weight than the Olympus, and they don't do quite as good as good a job with neuroma control, but they fit great and I'm hoping they work out. Lone Peak's are also equipped with adequately sized laces. (VERY ANNOYING HERE - only Olympus and Lone Peak use the 'original foot shape' - all other Altra models are narrower in the toe box and so none of them work for me - I've tried them all. Maybe Cayd has this shape too, not sure?). * Explore other brands. Here I'm not very optimistic. Over the years, I've tried many brands of shoes and only Altra works for me, given my foot problems. Redditors recommend trying Topo if you like Altra. I ordered a pair of Topo's zero drop. They looked cool, but the toe box and thinner bottom didn't work for my neuroma control. That's it, folks!