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Hoka Bondi

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hoka Bondi 5 Review}}The [http://www.zappos.com/hoka-one-one-bondi 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. Then 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 and Bondi Speed are all remarkably similar. I have a slight preference for the Bondi Speed, but the difference 5 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 little heavier than its cut open the shoe works quite well. The Bondi has a reasonable balance of soft cushioning and weightpredecessors, 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 sadly not available quite as a trail specific version, but I've found it works pretty well on most trails, though it lacks the lugs for slick, muddy tailscushioned. =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 I find myself much preferring the [[Altra Olympus]] or [[Hoka Clifton]].* '''Cushioning'''. The Bondi which is one of the best cushioned shoes available, both lighter and is slightly softer than , or even better, the [[Altra OlympusEscalante]]. While it's not as thick as it looks on I also find 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'''. Sadly sole of the Bondi does not have a zero drop midsole, and the rear is about 5 mm thicker little higher 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 would like the Altra. The Bondi has a rather abrupt taper at the very front of the shoe, unlike the Altra Olympus and that has stack height does interfere a gradual taper. Personally I find the Olympus taper preferable little with my biomechanics, and swapping from the Olympus adds a little more stress to the Bondi rather odd. It feels like the Bondi has a lump under my toesankles. HoweverLike all Hoka shoes, I know of the runners that prefer the Bondi taper. The very rear shape of the shoe toe box is cut away slightlygrim, 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 and I found that just a single type of foam, so there is no variation few miles 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 caused me a variety lot of materials on the outsole. There is some exposed midsoletoe pain, some slightly more durable foam, and some durable rubber. While this helps balance durability with the weight it does create some uneven wear over but cutting the life of the shoe. * '''Shape'''. The Bondi has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe boxopen resolved the problem nicely. The toe box is so bad that I've noticed a distinctive pattern of blisters rated it courses when I'm working blister repair at aid stations. I believe it is critical to [[Shoe Dissection| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]].* '''Upper'''. The upper varies a little with the different models as "Recommended", and versions of the Bondi, but they all tend to that rating may be multilayered and complex. There is good padding around erring on the ankle opening.* '''Tongue'''. The Bondi has a classic tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style side 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 wellgenerosity. 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 feel 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.=Compared with the Hoka Clifton=The Clifton seems like declined while it's an evolution of competition has risen. (For the Bondiprevious version, with the two shoes feeling remarkably similar, even when wearing one shoe on each foot. You can think of the Clifton as a see [[Hoka Bondi that's lighter. It's not clear why anyone would buy the 4| Hoka now that the Clifton is available.=Compared with Altra Olympus=The [[Altra OlympusBondi 4 Review]] 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.=Gallery=) {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
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|[[File:HokaHalfsHoka Bondi 5-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 inside5 top.jpg]]|[[File:HokaOlympusSliceHoka Bondi 5-bottom.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|Hoka Bondi 5 bottom.jpg]]|A comparison between the [[Altra OlympusFile:Hoka Bondi 5-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi 5 inside.jpg]] and |[[File:Hoka Bondi 5-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi5 outside.jpg]]
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|[[File:POCMSB_TopHoka-Bondi-4-top.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|[[Altra Paradigm]], [[Altra Olympus]], Hoka Conquest, [[Hoka MafateBondi 4 top]], |[[File:Hoka Stinson]], [[-Bondi-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka Bondi]] (From left to right).4 bottom]]|[[File:POCMSB_InsideHoka-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]]
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|[[File:POCMSB_OutsideHoka-Bondi-B-top.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|[[Hoka Stinson]], [[Hoka Bondi]], Hoka Conquest, [[Hoka Mafate]], [[Altra Paradigm]], [[Altra Olympus]] (From B top left to bottom right by row).]]|[[File:POCMSB_RearHoka-Bondi-B-bottom.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|[[Hoka Stinson]], [[Hoka Bondi]], Hoka Conquest, [[Hoka Mafate]], [[Altra Paradigm]], [[Altra Olympus]] B bottom (From top left to bottom right by rowyou can see the wear that occurred rapidly at Badwater.).]]|- valign="top"|[[File:BondiWearHoka-Bondi-B-inside.JPGjpg|none|thumb|300px150px| Here you can see how the Hoka Bondi sole has worn unevenly. The harder rubber outsole is still in a good state, but the softer exposed midsole has worn away dramatically. The shoe on the 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.B inside]]|[[File:HokaOrAltraHoka-Bondi-B-outside.pngjpg|none|thumb|300px150px|Hoka, like most shoe makers, does not seem to have ever seen a human foot. 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}}

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