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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hoka Bondi 5 First LookReview}}The Bondi 5 is a little heavier than its predecessors, but sadly not quite as well cushioned. I find myself much preferring the [[Hoka Clifton]] which is both lighter and softer, or even better, the [[Altra Escalante]]. I also find the sole of the Bondi a little higher than I would like, and that stack height does interfere a little with my biomechanics, and adds a little more stress to my ankles. The Like all Hoka shoes, the shape of the toe box is grim, and I found that just a few miles in the Bondi caused me a lot of toe pain, but cutting the toe box open resolved the problem nicely. This is an initial preview rather than a full review, so I'll update ve rated it once as "Recommended", and that rating may be erring on the side of generosity. Ifeel that the Bondi has declined while it've put more miles ons competition has risen. (For a full review of the previous version, see [[Hoka Bondi 4| Hoka Bondi 4 Review]].) {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
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|[[File:Hoka-Bondi-B-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi B outside]]
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=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Bondi used to be one of the best cushioned shoes you could buy, and was famous for its massive, soft, pillowy ride. Sadly, that's all in the past, and the fifth version is significantly firmer, and a little heavier. The Bondi is thick, so it might work a little better for much heavier runners, but I'd suggest that there are other shoes in the two a much better job. The Bondi has a rather abrupt taper at the very front of the shoe which Hoka describe as a 'Early-Stage Meta-Rocker', a fancy name for putting the taper under the toes. I find this can feels like the Bondi has a lump under my toes, but typically I only notice when I swap shoes late in a long ultra. 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.
* {{H:drop}}. The Bondi is not zero drop, with the rear is about 5 mm thicker than the front. This is a fairly modest amount of drop, and not enough to cause me any issues.
* {{H: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. The midsole does wrap around the lower part of the foot to create some additional stability, which helps overcome some of the problems you get with a thick sole creating a stilt-like instability without interfering with biomechanics.
* {{H:flexibility}}. . The Bondi does not have much flexibility, though the level of cushioning offsets this a little.
* {{H:outsole}}. This iteration of the Bondi has hard rubber outsole material over the majority of the contact area, and all of the high pressure, high wear areas.
* {{H: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 causes 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]]. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is seamless and moderately breathable as you can see from the image below. The padding around the ankle opening is a little thinner than I'd like, though it's far from uncomfortable <br/> [[File:Hoka Bondi Upper (1).jpg|center|thumb|300px| A shot of the Bondi, backlight to show breathability]]<br/>[[File:Hoka Bondi Upper (2).jpg|center|thumb|300px|An alternative view.]]
* {{H:tongue}}. The Instinct has a traditional tongue with a tab to attach it to the laces. It's well-padded, but perhaps a little short.
* {{H:lacing}}. The traditional flat laces stayed tied.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Bondi has a large, ridged heel counter, but the upper is probably sufficiently padded to isolate you from it. The only issue might be if you twist your ankle, even slightly it might dig in, something that's more likely with the thick, stilt-like sole.
{{FastBlr|altra/instinct-3-1321|1321|Hoka Bondi}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
