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** '''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. 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'''. 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'''. The Clifton is reasonably flexible for shoe of this thickness, and is similar again to rather more flexible than the Bondior Olympus.
* '''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'''. 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]].
=Compared with the Hoka Conquest=
The Clifton looks virtually identical to the [[Hoka Conquest]] (see below for an image.) However, the shoes are radically different, as the Conquest is a surprisingly firm. The diagonal slices through the midsole are actually cutaways in the Conquest, but simple coloring on the Clifton.
=Compared with the Altra One2=
The Clifton is only an ounce heavier than the [[Altra One2| Altra One<sup>2</sup>]], but this is not reflected in the way the shoes feel. I found that the Clifton felt much closer in weight to the Bondi than the One<sup>2</sup> despite the much greater weight differenceIs only an ounce the Clifton. The Clifton is much more cushioned than the Altra, which might be the reason behind the perceived weight dissimilarity.
=Gallery=
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