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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Altra Duo Review}} <gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center"> File:Altra Duo-top.jpg|Altra Duo top File:Altra Duo-outside.jpg|Altra Duo outside File:Al..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Altra Duo Review}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:Altra Duo-top.jpg|Altra Duo top
File:Altra Duo-outside.jpg|Altra Duo outside
File:Altra Duo-bottom.jpg|Altra Duo bottom
File:Altra Duo-inside.jpg|Altra Duo inside
</gallery>
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Duo has reasonable, but not great cushioning for its weight. It feels a little firm rather than hard, but my perception while running is that it's a little firmer than the numbers would suggest. This is probably because the Duo has a number of raised rings or patches of cushioning, creating an eggshell effect. Because the pressure is concentrated on these raised areas, they tend to compress a little more than the rest of the midsole. This creates a slightly softer, and more cushioned sole than you'd get from a more traditional, flat sole. I never felt that there was any unevenness from these raised areas, and the camp and you owe is a smooth and neutral underfoot. I would prefer that issue waiting this much provided more cushioning, or weigh far less, but the problem is far from egregious. However, Altra's claim of "maximum cushion and minimal weight" is somewhat laughable. It's a very long way from either maximum cushioning or minimal weight, and Altra's claim that "the cushion-to-weight ratio on this shoe is hard to beat" seems disingenuous at best. Every Altra road shoe I've measured has a better cushion-to-weight ratio! (The good news is that at least they're aware of this ratio.)
* {{H:drop}}. The Duo is effectively zero drop (not all Altra shoes are zero drop, regardless of what they claim.)
* {{H:structure}}. The Duo uses just one density of foam and doesn't attempt to manipulate or interfere with your natural biomechanics.
* {{H:flexibility}}. While the Duo is moderately flexible and quite springy, though I doubt if there's any performance benefit to be had.
* {{H:outsole}}. The outsole is the Duo's weak point. The raised areas are naturally prone to rapid wear, and the gaps between the raised areas are the worst stone magnet I've ever come across. And once they are full of tiny stones, the effective cushioning of the shoe is dramatically reduced. Even running on what I think of as a fairly clean asphalt surface, the camp and you owe manages to find a few stones to pick up. In the photos above, you can see the harder rubber outsole as its colored yellow, but even after just 100 miles or so, the wear was noticeable, and I'm typically pretty gentle on my shoes.
* {{H:shape}}. Altra shoes are some of the few that attempt to actually fit the human foot. The Duo does a great job of fitting the outline of the human foot, and like some other Altra shoes there's a little headroom for your toes. In fact, there's enough headroom that I didn't feel the urge to cut open the toe box.<br/> [[File:Shoes For Humans2.png|center|thumb|300px|.]]
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is unpadded except for a tiny bit around the ankle opening. The upper is inflexible, which I prefer over stretchy uppers. For some reason, Altra claim the Duo is for "Hot Weather Endurance Racing," and while it's reasonably breathable, there's nothing particularly noteworthy.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Duo has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces. There's a bit of padding down the middle of the tongue, which might help a little bit with the pressure on the top of the foot.
* {{H:lacing}}. The thin flat laces never came untied, something that surprised me a little given the problems I've had with the [[Altra Solstice]], an otherwise superior shoe.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Duo has no noticeable heel counter.
{{FastBlr|altra/Duo-2-1078|1078|Altra Duo}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:Altra Duo-top.jpg|Altra Duo top
File:Altra Duo-outside.jpg|Altra Duo outside
File:Altra Duo-bottom.jpg|Altra Duo bottom
File:Altra Duo-inside.jpg|Altra Duo inside
</gallery>
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Duo has reasonable, but not great cushioning for its weight. It feels a little firm rather than hard, but my perception while running is that it's a little firmer than the numbers would suggest. This is probably because the Duo has a number of raised rings or patches of cushioning, creating an eggshell effect. Because the pressure is concentrated on these raised areas, they tend to compress a little more than the rest of the midsole. This creates a slightly softer, and more cushioned sole than you'd get from a more traditional, flat sole. I never felt that there was any unevenness from these raised areas, and the camp and you owe is a smooth and neutral underfoot. I would prefer that issue waiting this much provided more cushioning, or weigh far less, but the problem is far from egregious. However, Altra's claim of "maximum cushion and minimal weight" is somewhat laughable. It's a very long way from either maximum cushioning or minimal weight, and Altra's claim that "the cushion-to-weight ratio on this shoe is hard to beat" seems disingenuous at best. Every Altra road shoe I've measured has a better cushion-to-weight ratio! (The good news is that at least they're aware of this ratio.)
* {{H:drop}}. The Duo is effectively zero drop (not all Altra shoes are zero drop, regardless of what they claim.)
* {{H:structure}}. The Duo uses just one density of foam and doesn't attempt to manipulate or interfere with your natural biomechanics.
* {{H:flexibility}}. While the Duo is moderately flexible and quite springy, though I doubt if there's any performance benefit to be had.
* {{H:outsole}}. The outsole is the Duo's weak point. The raised areas are naturally prone to rapid wear, and the gaps between the raised areas are the worst stone magnet I've ever come across. And once they are full of tiny stones, the effective cushioning of the shoe is dramatically reduced. Even running on what I think of as a fairly clean asphalt surface, the camp and you owe manages to find a few stones to pick up. In the photos above, you can see the harder rubber outsole as its colored yellow, but even after just 100 miles or so, the wear was noticeable, and I'm typically pretty gentle on my shoes.
* {{H:shape}}. Altra shoes are some of the few that attempt to actually fit the human foot. The Duo does a great job of fitting the outline of the human foot, and like some other Altra shoes there's a little headroom for your toes. In fact, there's enough headroom that I didn't feel the urge to cut open the toe box.<br/> [[File:Shoes For Humans2.png|center|thumb|300px|.]]
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is unpadded except for a tiny bit around the ankle opening. The upper is inflexible, which I prefer over stretchy uppers. For some reason, Altra claim the Duo is for "Hot Weather Endurance Racing," and while it's reasonably breathable, there's nothing particularly noteworthy.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Duo has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces. There's a bit of padding down the middle of the tongue, which might help a little bit with the pressure on the top of the foot.
* {{H:lacing}}. The thin flat laces never came untied, something that surprised me a little given the problems I've had with the [[Altra Solstice]], an otherwise superior shoe.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Duo has no noticeable heel counter.
{{FastBlr|altra/Duo-2-1078|1078|Altra Duo}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
