Revision as of 15:35, 15 August 2014

The Bondi was my favorite of the Hoka range until the Hoka Clifton was produced, with a nicely cushioned ride. I generally prefer the Altra Olympus, because it's shaped for the human foot. I've found that the Original Bondi B, the Bondi 2, Bondi 3 and Bondi Speed are all remarkably similar. I have a slight preference for the Bondi Speed, but the difference is mostly visual. I've run with a Bondi B on one foot and the Bondi Speed on the other without feeling any real difference. The Bondi has a horribly small toe box, but once its cut open the shoe works quite well. The Bondi has a reasonable balance of soft cushioning and weight, but has been surpassed by the Clifton. In fact, running with a Clifton on one foot and a Bondi on the other proved to me how close the two shoes feel. The Bondi is not available as a trail specific version, but I've found it works pretty well on most trails, though it lacks the lugs for slick, muddy tails.

1 Characteristics

These characteristics apply to all of the Bondi range of shoes unless otherwise noted.

• Midsole. The Bondi midsole is its key feature.
  • Cushioning. The Bondi is one of the best cushioned shoes available, and is slightly softer than the Altra Olympus. While it's not as thick as it looks on the outside it is much thicker than a traditional running shoe. While not quite as thick as the Hoka Stinson or Hoka Mafate it's thicker and softer than most other shoes.
  • Drop & Shape. Sadly the Bondi does not have a zero drop midsole, and the rear is about 5 mm thicker than the front. This is only about half the drop of a traditional running shoe and I typically don't have any issues moving between the Bondi and a zero drop shoe like the Altra. The Bondi has a rather abrupt taper at the very front of the shoe, unlike the Altra Olympus that has a gradual taper. Personally I find the Olympus taper preferable and swapping from the Olympus to the Bondi rather odd. It feels like the Bondi has a lump under my toes. However, I know of the runners that prefer the Bondi taper. The very rear of the shoe is cut away slightly, creating a little bit of a rocker shape. The midsole does wrap around the lower part of the foot to create some additional stability. This helps overcome some of the problems you get with a thick sole creating a stilt like instability.
  • Structure. This shoe is made of a single type of foam, so there is no variation in foam density within the midsole to interfere with the movement of the foot on the ground.
  • Flexibility. The Bondi is quite flexible for shoe of this thickness.
• Outsole. The Bondi has a variety of materials on the outsole. There is some exposed midsole, some slightly more durable foam, and some durable rubber. While this helps balance durability with the weight it does create some uneven wear over the life of the shoe.
• Shape. The Bondi has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe box. The toe box is so bad that I've noticed a distinctive pattern of blisters it courses when I'm working blister repair at aid stations. I believe it is critical to cut open the toe box of any Hokas.
• Upper. The upper varies a little with the different models and versions of the Bondi, but they all tend to be multilayered and complex. There is good padding around the ankle opening.
• Tongue. The Bondi has a classic tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper. The tongue has good padding.
• Lacing. The Bondi Speed and Bondi 3 have a "speed lacing" system that uses fine laces and a locking system, but they include traditional round laces as well. I generally prefer the traditional laces as it can be tricky to get the tension right with the "speed lacing" system. Like many shoes in the Hoka range, there are elastic straps that pull the sides together even if the laces are loose. (I always cut these elastic straps off.)
• Heel counter. The Bondi has a mild heel counter with no strongly defined edges, so it should not cause a problem. The heel counter comes as far up the back of the heel as is normal for a running shoe.

2 Compared with the Hoka Clifton

The Clifton seems like it's an evolution of the Bondi, with the two shoes feeling remarkably similar, even when wearing one shoe on each foot. You can think of the Clifton as a Bondi that's lighter. It's not clear why anyone would buy the Hoka now that the Clifton is available.

3 Compared with Altra Olympus

The Altra Olympus is a competitor for the Hoka range, and I believe it represents a much better shoe. The Olympus has a slightly thicker sole, a toe box shaped for the human foot, and zero drop.

4 Gallery

The Hoka Bondi cut in half, showing the outside and inside views. You can see that the midsole foam is a lot higher on the outside than the inside.	A comparison between the Altra Olympus and Hoka Bondi.
Altra Paradigm, Altra Olympus, Hoka Conquest, Hoka Mafate, Hoka Stinson, Hoka Bondi (From left to right).	Hoka Stinson, Hoka Bondi, Hoka Conquest, Hoka Mafate, Altra Paradigm, Altra Olympus (From top left to bottom right by row).
Hoka Stinson, Hoka Bondi, Hoka Conquest, Hoka Mafate, Altra Paradigm, Altra Olympus (From top left to bottom right by row).	Hoka Stinson, Hoka Bondi, Hoka Conquest, Hoka Mafate, Altra Paradigm, Altra Olympus (From top left to bottom right by row).
Hoka, like most shoe makers, does not seem to have ever seen a human foot.

5 A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes

If you're looking for "the best of the best" running shoe, here are my top picks. Of course, the answer will depend a little on what you're looking for, so I have recommendations for various categories. Best All Round Shoe. The Altra Escalante is my current all-round favorite. It has plenty of cushioning for its weight, it has a very springy midsole, it lasts well, and it has a shape that's closer to the shape of a human foot than most shoes. It's a great shoe for any runner, including those Starting to run. It's also a fairly easy shoe to find due to its popularity. Best Maximalist Shoe: If you want something massively cushioned, then I'd recommend the Saucony Kinvara 8. It's remarkably light and remarkably cushioned, beating Hoka at their own game. Best Optimal Shoe: For those looking to trade cushioning for speed, the Nike Zoom Streak LT 3 was my top pick, but the latest version (LT 4) falls short of it's predecessor. There are lots of great optimal running shoes, which provide just enough cushioning with light weight and minimal frills, but all have their weak spots. Probably the best option at the moment is the Altra Vanish-R, which offers great cushioning for just over 5oz/150g. Fastest Shoe: If you really want speed, then check out the Nike Vaporfly 4%. It's light, massively cushioned, and has a carbon fiber plate. Nothing comes close, not even the now defunct New Balance RC5000‏‎ or New Balance RC5000v2‏‎. There are a number of caveats; it's really expensive, it's really hard to find, and there's a significant injury risk. Best Minimalist Shoe: Merrell Trail Glove. I recommend the trail glove for road running in spite of the 'trail' moniker. It's not a fast shoe by any means, but it's comfortable and will last well. All Terrain Shoe. For trail running, I've become a fan of Altra, and I think their best shoe is the the Altra Timp, though the Altra Lone Peak is really close. Honorable Mention: It's not really a running shoe, but the Vivobarefoot Ra is comfortable, minimalist and can more or less pass as a dress shoe. I've worn mine to weddings with a suit and they've not looked out of place. You can run in the Ra, but the leather means it doesn't breathe well.

For a more detailed on running shoes see the Recommendations for Best Running Shoes. This table lists the key attributes of What to Look for in Running Shoes. For more detailed information, on the shoes see detailed shoe comparison.

It's not a running shoe, but I love the Hoka Tor Ultra hiking boot and I've tested the Altra Lone Peak Boot, the Hoka Tor Speed 2, and the Inov-8 Roclite 325 hiking boots
Older shoe reviews: Saucony Hattori Review, Mizuno Cursoris Review, Skechers GO Bionic 2 Review, Hoka Clifton Review, Saucony Virrata 2 Review, Brooks PureCadence 3 Review, Brooks PureConnect 3 Review, Brooks PureFlow 3 Review, Skechers GO Bionic 2 Review, New Balance 980 Review, Brooks Transcend 2 Review, Hoka Huaka Review, Patagonia EVERlong Review, Asics 33-DFA Review, Hoka Conquest Review, Saucony Cortana Review, Puma Faas 100 R Review, Saucony Fastwitch Review, Nike Free Review, Asics Gel Lyte 33 Review, Skechers GOmeb Speed Review, Skechers GOrun Ultra Road Review, Nike LunaRacer Review, Altra Paradigm Review.