And...........
Here's the Clifton 5! ahah.

http://www.roadtrailrun.com/...views-bondi.html?m=1

Available June '18, heavier still than its predecessor at 9.4oz/266g (C4 9.3oz, C3 8.6oz). Supposedly featuring a more open mesh but it doesn't seem like the shape is much better and there's definitely added structure where the toes will meet the toebox.

Ah well.

Here's my subjective evaluation for Clifton's:
1 - Great shoe, would buy again.
2 - OK. Why did they change what wasn't broken? Dorks.
3 - Not as good as #1, but back on track although the weight is creeping up.
4 - Not even going to try it. They've lost their way.

The Clayton 1 did not work for me and I blistered in it, but I may give the Clayton 2 a try.

I've been very lucky in the past couple months and have run with a few people that work for Hoka. I have picked and picked at what are you doing, what should we expect and WHERE THE FUCK IS THE CLIFTON 1?!?!

1) Cavu -- if you like the Clifton 1, this will be the closest thing you'll get for a while.
2) Mach -- supposedly they dropped the weight even more, cushioning didn't disappear and it should be a better shoe for Clayton lovers
3) What to expect --- LIGHT --- VERY FUCKING LIGHT --- 118 grams --- he was wearing a prototype (literally called the 118). He wore it once before I saw him and the bottom was already destroyed. He really liked the shoe but it was at best a 10k race shoe and you're only getting a few uses out of it.


And the most important information of all ---- THE CLIFTON 1 possible return --- absolutely NOTHING concrete. Sorry but we're a ways out... with that said... this was the first conversation I had where he basically said, "we're debating what to do exactly". They have the shoe, they're tweaking it but they know what we want supposedly. I've spoken with numerous people at the company and always say the same thing, "you can charge $250, we'll pay it"... they laugh but I think they're finally realizing there is a market thanks to Nike Vaporfly. The only other detail is that the upper is the "tweaking", at least that is what I took from our conversation. Keep the sole and tweak the look/feel of the upper.


And Hoka if you're reading this --- just bring it back. Don't change anything! Seriously. It was a dream. Whatever people complained about. Whatever dude talked about in THIS thread of the taper on the front... ignore them. JUST. BRING. IT. BACK.

Similar to what I heard about a 5th anniversary c1, using most of the original shape and styling but tweaking it for comfort and longevity.

Looking forward to Cavu and Mach...and the Zero drop Clifton 5, the Altra Duo. : )

I totally forgot about that.. He did mention something about an "anniversary". Longevity typically means heavier... hopefully that is not the case.

I'm interested in the Cavu, they seem to like and anticipate people liking that shoe the most but it's slightly heavier and no sidewall which scares me off. However, if the Mach feels like the Clayton and comes in at 7.8oz (like he claimed), that is a pretty damn impressive IM shoe. I've had great results with the Clayton 1 and 2, so fingers crossed.

Definitely try a Clayton Kona...it’s basiclaly a Clayton 2.5. Best riding one yet in my opinion, though had to trim the insole so it would ‘fit’ the footbed.

Thanks for the heads up... I'll snag a pair when they go on deep discount in February/March.

SMUGLY!

I have migrated over to mostly wearing Hokas even though I resisted for a long time. I now have Tracer, Hupana, Speed instinct, Clayton, and Clifton. My 1st Clifton was the 2 . . . perhaps it was because I was getting used to them and low drop, but I really didn't fully love the 2. I thought the 3's were GREAT! Because of this thread I thought I'd get a 4 just to see. I think the 4's may be my favorite shoes I have ever run in. For me, better fit and more responsive while still maintaining the Hoka feel. Note, I wear Superfeet and did not have the blister issue.

---

David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I’ve been running in the Cavu for a few weeks and absolutely love the shoe. It has replaced the Kinvara in my rotation. The upper is great and the shoe just feels good to run in. Perfect weight/cushion. I don’t recommend it for recovery days as I find it makes me want to run faster. I did just get in a pair of tracer 2s for races but haven’t tried them yet. Definitely recommend the Cavu though.