Changes

* '''Cushioning'''{{H:cushioning}}. The Clifton has a high level of cushioning, with the soft ride that Hoka of famous for. It's not thick or soft as the [[Hoka Stinson]] or [[Hoka Mafate]], but it's on a par with the Bondi and Olympus. (The Clifton midsole is made of a lightweight EVA foam. There are a number of reports that the Clifton would use the much firmer RMAT foam used in the [[Hoka Conquest]] and Huaka, but this does not appear to be the case. There is no mention of RMAT on the Hoka website page, nor is the RMAT logo on the shoe.)* {{H:drop}}'''Drop & Shape. '''. Like other Hoka shoes, the Clifton is not a zero drop shoe, and the rear is about 6 mm thicker than the front. That's about half the drop of a traditional running shoe and I typically don't have any issues moving between the Hokas and a zero drop shoe like the Altra.* '''Shape'''. The Clifton has a less abrupt taper at the very front of the shoe than the Bondi, but not as gentle as the Altra Olympus. While I prefer the Olympus taper, the Clifton is better than the Bondi. The very rear of the shoe is cut away slightly, creating a little bit of a rocker shape that's almost identical to the Bondi. The midsole wraps around the lower part of the foot to create additional stability. This helps overcome some of the problems you get with a thick sole creating a stilt like instability.* '''Structure'''{{H:structure}}. This shoe is made of a single type of foam, though it is colored to appear like there are two different foams in use.* '''Flexibility'''{{H:flexibility}}. The Clifton is reasonably flexible for shoe of this thickness, and is rather more flexible than the Bondi or Olympus.* '''Outsole'''{{H:outsole}}. The Clifton has some exposed midsole, with some durable rubber in high friction areas. The durable rubber is placed much better than it is in the Bondi, improving the life of the shoe. In fact, the midsole that is in contact with the ground seems to be remarkably durable, probably because it is in not in the high impact areas.* '''Shape'''{{H:shape}}. The Clifton has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe box. I've noticed at Ultras the Hoka toe box causes a distinctive pattern of blisters, so it's critical to [[Shoe Dissection| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]].* '''Upper'''{{H:upper}}. The upper is a thin, breathable, and inflexible, with good padding around the ankle opening.* '''Tongue'''{{H:tongue}}. The Clifton has a classic tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper. The tongue has no padding, but I didn't find this a problem.* '''Lacing'''{{H:lacing}}. The Clifton uses thin round laces which I found tended to come undone. It's amazing that in the 21^st century shoe manufacturers can't use laces that work. Unlike many shoes in the Hoka range, there are no elastic straps that pull the sides together even if the laces are loose. (I always cut the elastic straps off.)* '''Heel counter'''{{H:heelcounter}}. The Clifton has a slightly firmer heel counter than the Bondi that extends around the foot to the level of the top of the laces.

[[File:CliftonBondiDissect.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px|Clifton and [[Hoka Bondi]]. ]]

|[[File:CliftonBondi.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px| A top view of the Clifton above the Bondi. ]]|[[File:CliftonBondiOlympusHuaka.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px| A side view of the Clifton, Bondi, Olympus, and Huaka. (left to right, then top to bottom.)]]

|[[File:CliftonHuaka.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px| A top view of the Clifton above the Huaka. ]]|[[File:CliftonMafete.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px| A top view of the Clifton above the [[Hoka Mafate]]. ]]

|[[File:CliftonOlympus.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px| A top view of the Clifton above the [[Altra Olympus]]. ]]|[[File:CliftonSole.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px| The sole of the Clifton. The white areas are exposed midsole, and the black areas are the harder rubber. ]]

|[[File:CliftonAndConquest.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px| A side view of the Clifton over the [[Hoka Conquest]]. While the shoes look remarkably similar, they are actually very different. ]]|[[File:RunningInBondiClifton.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px| I did run with the Bondi on 1 foot and the Clifton on the other. Not something I'd recommend unless you want to get injured, as the different thicknesses will mess up your biomechanics. ]]

|[[File:CliftonWear.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px|This picture shows the wear from 230 miles of running. As you can see, there is remarkably little abrasion to the exposed midsole, indicating that Hoka have placed the harder rubber outsole in the right places.]]|[[File:CliftonDissect.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px|The Clifton [[Shoe Dissection| dissected]].]]

|[[File:CliftonBondiDissect.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px|Clifton and [[Hoka Bondi]]. ]]|[[File:CliftonMafeteDissect.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px|Clifton and [[Hoka Mafate]]. ]]

|[[File:CliftonOlympusDissect.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px|Clifton and [[Altra Olympus]]. ]]|[[File:CliftonStinsonDissect.JPG|none|thumb|500pxx150px|Clifton and [[Hoka Stinson]]. ]]

|[[File:HokaOrAltra.png|none|thumb|500pxx150px|Hoka, like most shoe makers, does not seem to have ever seen a human foot. ]]