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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hoka Bondi Review}}
The Bondi was my favorite of the [[Hoka Shoe Review| Hoka range]] for some time. Then the the [[Altra Olympus]], came along, and was a 'better Bondi' because it's shaped for the human foot. After that the [[Hoka Clifton]] came along and produced Minimax cushioning at a remarkably light weight. I've found that the Original Bondi B, the Bondi 2, Bondi 3 , 4, 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, except for the weight. 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. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 top]]
|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 inside]]
|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-B-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi B top]]
|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-B-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi B bottom(you can see the wear that occurred rapidly at Badwater.)]]
|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-B-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi B inside]]
|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-B-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi B outside]]
=Characteristics=
These characteristics apply to all of the Bondi range of shoes unless otherwise noted.
* '''Why you'd buy it'''. Probably the only reason to get a Bondi now would be if you can get it far cheaper than the [[Altra Olympus]] or [[Hoka Clifton]], unless the slight increase in cushioning over the Clifton is critical to you.* '''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 latest incarnations of the Bondi, the [[Hoka Stinson]] or and the [[Hoka Mafate]] it's thicker and softer than most other shoesall have surprisingly similar levels of cushioning.
* '''Drop'''. 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 does not have much flexibility, though the level of cushioning offsets this thicknessa little. * '''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. In hot conditions I've had problems with the difference in wear levels, with the harder outsole at the extreme front and back of the shoe remaining intact while the softer outsole and exposed midsole wear badly.
* '''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 [[Shoe Modifications| 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 . The earlier versions had a multilayered and complexupper, but the later versions are much simpler. There is good The padding around the ankle openinghas become rather thin in the later versions, which reduces the comfort.
* '''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 the earlier versions had elastic straps that pull the sides together even if the laces are loose, but they were dropped from the Bondi 4. (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.
{{BuyShoes|RW=T|RRS=T|AZ=T|ZP=T}}
{{ShoeGraphs}}
=Compared with the Hoka Clifton=
The [[Hoka 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, with slightly more cushioning. It's not clear why anyone I prefer the Clifton and would buy the choose it every time. {| class="wikitable"|- valign="top"|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 top]]|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 bottom]]|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 inside]]|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 outside]]|- valign="top"|[[File:Hoka-OneOne-Clifton-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka OneOne Clifton top]] |[[File:Hoka-OneOne-Clifton-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka OneOne Clifton bottom]]|[[File:Hoka-OneOne-Clifton-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka OneOne Clifton inside]]|[[File:Hoka now that the -OneOne-Clifton is available-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka OneOne Clifton outside]]|}
=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 it's zero drop, but it's not quite as well cushioned.=Gallery={| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:HokaHalfsHoka-Bondi-4-top.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|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.4 top]]|[[File:HokaOlympusSliceHoka-Bondi-4-bottom.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|Hoka Bondi 4 bottom]]|A comparison between the [[Altra OlympusFile:Hoka-Bondi-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 inside]] and |[[File:Hoka -Bondi-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:POCMSB_TopAltra-Olympus-top.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|[[Altra ParadigmOlympus top]], |[[File:Altra -Olympus-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Altra Olympus bottom]], Hoka Conquest, |[[Hoka Mafate]], [[Hoka Stinson]], [[Hoka Bondi]] (From left to right)File:Altra-Olympus-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Altra Olympus inside]]|[[File:POCMSB_InsideAltra-Olympus-outside.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|Altra Olympus outside]] |}=Compared with Hoka Stinson Lite=The [[Hoka Stinson]], [[Hoka has become closer to the Bondi]]as it's evolved. The latest version of the Stinson Lite has remarkably similar levels of weight, cushioning and comfort. It's not clear to me why Hoka Conquestwould produce two shoes that are this close, [[Hoka Mafate]], [[Altra Paradigm]]but the outsole on the Stinson Lite is better than the Bondi, [[Altra Olympus]] (From top left to bottom right by row)making it a slightly better shoe.]]{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:POCMSB_OutsideHoka-Bondi-4-top.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|[[Hoka StinsonBondi 4 top]], |[[File:Hoka -Bondi]], -4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Conquest, [[Hoka Mafate]], [[Altra Paradigm]], [[Altra Olympus]] (From top left to Bondi 4 bottom right by row).]]|[[File:POCMSB_RearHoka-Bondi-4-inside.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|[[Hoka StinsonBondi 4 inside]], |[[File:Hoka -Bondi]], -4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Conquest, [[Hoka Mafate]], [[Altra Paradigm]], [[Altra Olympus]] (From top left to bottom right by row).Bondi 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:BondiWearHoka-Stinson-Lite-top.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px| Here you can see how the Bondi sole has worn unevenlyHoka Stinson Lite top]]|[[File:Hoka-Stinson-Lite-bottom. The harder rubber outsole is still in a good state, but the softer exposed midsole has worn away dramatically. The shoe on the jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Stinson Lite bottom has 554 miles on it, so this level of where is not outrageous. The top shoe only has 257 miles, but most of the wear that occurred when I wore them for 30 miles at Badwater. I think the high temperatures ate the soft midsole]]|[[File:Hoka-Stinson-Lite-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Stinson Lite inside]]|[[File:HokaOrAltraHoka-Stinson-Lite-outside.pngjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|Hoka, like most shoe makers, does not seem to have ever seen a human foot. Stinson Lite outside]]
|}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}