Changes

I've come to appreciate the [[Altra ]] Timp over the last few hundred miles, and it's been a great companion on some wonderful adventures. I've using them on a wide variety of surfaces, from the slick mud and deep bogs of the English fells, to the gnarly rocky trails of the appellation Mountains, and even some connecting roads. I've done a number of self-supported, day long runs of 30-50 miles, and they've proved themselves a wonderful multipurpose running shoe. They don't have the incredible sticky outsole of the original [[Hoka Mafate| Hoka Mafate Speed]], but the latest version of the Mafate has moved away from the grippy [[RMAT]] to a Vibram outsole. There were a couple of times when I really missed the grip of the Mafate, the Timp letting me down (literally)on wet rock, but the Timp is a better all-around trail shoe. While the Timp lacks head room in the toe box, it doesn't press the toes down as much as many other shoes, and I managed to run hundreds of miles in them before I cut open the toe box. I rated the Timp as "Highly RecommendedBest of the Best", and now the Mafate no longer has the RMAT outsoleis my top-rated trail shoe. The [[Altra Lone Peak]] is quite similar and very close, but I think the Timp may dethrone it as "best of the best"is slightly better. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}

* {{H:cushioning}}. Altra consider the Timp "high cushioning", which is below their maximalist category. I found it a nice level of cushioning on both road and trail surface. This amount of cushioning reduces the amount you feel the ground, but it also adds to the grip by conforming to the shape of the terrain. The cushioning is quite soft, but has a moderate amount of spring. The cushioning-to-weight ratio is pretty poor, as this is a fairly heavy shoe. However, the weight penalty is not so unreasonable in a good trail shoe that provides comfort and protection.