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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Topo ST-2 Review}} Topo have impressed me as the only shoe company that is producing consistently good running shoes. Their design philosophy is to produce simp..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Topo ST-2 Review}}
Topo have impressed me as the only shoe company that is producing consistently good running shoes. Their design philosophy is to produce simple shoes that are designed for the human foot. This is so simple and obvious it's hard to believe no one else is doing it. Altra come close, but their shape is a little exaggerated, and their toe box doesn't allow room for your toes to move naturally. The ST-2 is both a little lighter and a little better cushioned than their [[Topo Fli-Lyte| Fli-Lyte]], itself a pretty good shoe. The ST-2 is not perfect, but the flaws are fairly minor, and the advantages are significant. It provides more than enough cushioning to get the benefits for Running Economy, it's close to zero drop, it's reasonably comfortable, and did I mention it's designed to fit the human foot? This means that there's room for your toes to splay naturally during toe off, and there is no attempt to manipulate your running stride with things like medial posts. It's one of the very few shoes where I've never even considered cutting the toe box open. I struggled with my rating of the ST-2, and it's come close to a "Best of the Best" rating, but in the end, it didn't quite make it. My final rating is "Highly Recommended," as I think the [[Nike Zoom Streak LT]] is a better shoe. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Topo ST-2-top.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Topo ST-2 top]]
|[[File:Topo ST-2-outside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Topo ST-2 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Topo ST-2-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Topo ST-2 bottom]]
|[[File:Topo ST-2-inside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Topo ST-2 inside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The ST-2 is reasonably well cushioned for its weight. While its cushioning-to-weight ratio is not up there with the greats, such as the [[Hoka Clifton]] or the [[New Balance RC5000v2]], it does well for itself. The insole of the ST-2 is thicker than many shoes, which means it provides a greater portioning of the cushioning, with relatively less provided by the midsole. I found this made the ST-2 a little non-linear; the initial landing is softer, but later in the foot strike it seems to firm up. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, and I had no troubles running in the ST-2. I found it to be comfortable and otherwise quite smooth and even. I have some concerns with the longevity of the insole, especially as it's providing so much of the cushioning, and you may need to consider [[Replacement Insoles]] to extend its lifespan.
* {{H:drop}}. Most shoes have heels that are higher than the forefoot (drop), but the ST-2 has the forefoot slightly thicker than the rear. This "negative drop" is a little unusual, but I find I adapt to it pretty quickly. It's only about a millimeter so it's not a big deal.
* {{H:structure}}. The ST-2 does not interfere with your [[Running Form]] with medial posts or the like. I had no problem with the midsole bulging up under my arch or irritating my planter facia.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The thin midsole means the ST-2 is very flexible and moves naturally with your foot when running. It's possible a bit more stiffness and spring in the forefoot would improve [[Running Economy]], but I like the natural feel of the ST-2.
* {{H:outsole}}. There's hard rubber outsole over move of the contact areas of the sole, with just a few patches of exposed midsole foam. After 100 miles (!60Km) I found no abrasion on the rubber patches, but there was some wear on the exposed midsole foam just behind the forefoot. This seems to be minor, and even if it wore away more I don't think it would be noticeable.
* {{H:shape}}. Topo shoes have the best shape of any of the shoes I've tested. The ST-2 has a roomy toe box that doesn't constrain my toes at all, allowing them to both splay out at toe off, and bend slightly during the flight phase. The Topo shoes are the nearest I've found to allowing my toes to more as they would barefoot. They're even better for me than the Vibram FiveFingers. (The founder of the company apparently worked for Vibram and was involved in their FiveFingers range of shoes.) The Topo's shoe shape is quite a bit better than Altra, whose toe boxes are overly stylized and exaggerated, as well as not having quite enough headroom or quite enough room on the side of the smallest toes. I sometimes find the tops of my toes can be irritated in Altra shoes, but not in the Topo.
* {{H:upper}}. The ST-2 doesn't have many seams, but it does have some thick overlays that reinforce the upper. These overlays are both inside and outside the main upper, which makes them more likely to rub. I didn't have a problem, but it's something to watch out for. I run with three layers of socks (a double layer Wright sock over a thin Injinji) so I'm less likely to suffer problems. If you want to run sockless, the overlays could well cause you an issue. There's also a seam where the tongue is sown in just behind the toe box that's rather more prominent than I'd like. Again, I didn't have an issue, but I can see it being a problem for some runners. There's almost no padding in the upper, not even around the ankle opening. This reduces the weight, but reduces comfort a little. The upper is mostly open mesh, so except for the overlays it's nicely breathable.
* {{H:tongue}}. The ST-2 has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces. The tongue is nicely padded, which is odd considering even the ankle opening is bare. Personally, I'd rather have a bit more padding around the ankle opening and less in the tongue.
* {{H:lacing}}. The ST-2 has flat laces, but they are rather slick and I had a couple of times when they came undone mid-run.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. There's no heal counter on the ST-2, just a small tab of rubberized reinforcement to keep the shoe's shape when it's not being worn.
{{FastBlr|Topo/type-a6-597|597|Topo ST-2}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
Topo have impressed me as the only shoe company that is producing consistently good running shoes. Their design philosophy is to produce simple shoes that are designed for the human foot. This is so simple and obvious it's hard to believe no one else is doing it. Altra come close, but their shape is a little exaggerated, and their toe box doesn't allow room for your toes to move naturally. The ST-2 is both a little lighter and a little better cushioned than their [[Topo Fli-Lyte| Fli-Lyte]], itself a pretty good shoe. The ST-2 is not perfect, but the flaws are fairly minor, and the advantages are significant. It provides more than enough cushioning to get the benefits for Running Economy, it's close to zero drop, it's reasonably comfortable, and did I mention it's designed to fit the human foot? This means that there's room for your toes to splay naturally during toe off, and there is no attempt to manipulate your running stride with things like medial posts. It's one of the very few shoes where I've never even considered cutting the toe box open. I struggled with my rating of the ST-2, and it's come close to a "Best of the Best" rating, but in the end, it didn't quite make it. My final rating is "Highly Recommended," as I think the [[Nike Zoom Streak LT]] is a better shoe. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Topo ST-2-top.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Topo ST-2 top]]
|[[File:Topo ST-2-outside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Topo ST-2 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Topo ST-2-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Topo ST-2 bottom]]
|[[File:Topo ST-2-inside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Topo ST-2 inside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The ST-2 is reasonably well cushioned for its weight. While its cushioning-to-weight ratio is not up there with the greats, such as the [[Hoka Clifton]] or the [[New Balance RC5000v2]], it does well for itself. The insole of the ST-2 is thicker than many shoes, which means it provides a greater portioning of the cushioning, with relatively less provided by the midsole. I found this made the ST-2 a little non-linear; the initial landing is softer, but later in the foot strike it seems to firm up. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, and I had no troubles running in the ST-2. I found it to be comfortable and otherwise quite smooth and even. I have some concerns with the longevity of the insole, especially as it's providing so much of the cushioning, and you may need to consider [[Replacement Insoles]] to extend its lifespan.
* {{H:drop}}. Most shoes have heels that are higher than the forefoot (drop), but the ST-2 has the forefoot slightly thicker than the rear. This "negative drop" is a little unusual, but I find I adapt to it pretty quickly. It's only about a millimeter so it's not a big deal.
* {{H:structure}}. The ST-2 does not interfere with your [[Running Form]] with medial posts or the like. I had no problem with the midsole bulging up under my arch or irritating my planter facia.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The thin midsole means the ST-2 is very flexible and moves naturally with your foot when running. It's possible a bit more stiffness and spring in the forefoot would improve [[Running Economy]], but I like the natural feel of the ST-2.
* {{H:outsole}}. There's hard rubber outsole over move of the contact areas of the sole, with just a few patches of exposed midsole foam. After 100 miles (!60Km) I found no abrasion on the rubber patches, but there was some wear on the exposed midsole foam just behind the forefoot. This seems to be minor, and even if it wore away more I don't think it would be noticeable.
* {{H:shape}}. Topo shoes have the best shape of any of the shoes I've tested. The ST-2 has a roomy toe box that doesn't constrain my toes at all, allowing them to both splay out at toe off, and bend slightly during the flight phase. The Topo shoes are the nearest I've found to allowing my toes to more as they would barefoot. They're even better for me than the Vibram FiveFingers. (The founder of the company apparently worked for Vibram and was involved in their FiveFingers range of shoes.) The Topo's shoe shape is quite a bit better than Altra, whose toe boxes are overly stylized and exaggerated, as well as not having quite enough headroom or quite enough room on the side of the smallest toes. I sometimes find the tops of my toes can be irritated in Altra shoes, but not in the Topo.
* {{H:upper}}. The ST-2 doesn't have many seams, but it does have some thick overlays that reinforce the upper. These overlays are both inside and outside the main upper, which makes them more likely to rub. I didn't have a problem, but it's something to watch out for. I run with three layers of socks (a double layer Wright sock over a thin Injinji) so I'm less likely to suffer problems. If you want to run sockless, the overlays could well cause you an issue. There's also a seam where the tongue is sown in just behind the toe box that's rather more prominent than I'd like. Again, I didn't have an issue, but I can see it being a problem for some runners. There's almost no padding in the upper, not even around the ankle opening. This reduces the weight, but reduces comfort a little. The upper is mostly open mesh, so except for the overlays it's nicely breathable.
* {{H:tongue}}. The ST-2 has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces. The tongue is nicely padded, which is odd considering even the ankle opening is bare. Personally, I'd rather have a bit more padding around the ankle opening and less in the tongue.
* {{H:lacing}}. The ST-2 has flat laces, but they are rather slick and I had a couple of times when they came undone mid-run.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. There's no heal counter on the ST-2, just a small tab of rubberized reinforcement to keep the shoe's shape when it's not being worn.
{{FastBlr|Topo/type-a6-597|597|Topo ST-2}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}