I have been running in the Clifton1 for all my training and racing. I do not like the upper on the Clifton 2. For whatever reason the tongue seems to bite into my ankle. I cannot find anymore Clifton1 in my size anywhere and therefore am looking for a replacement.
I have tried the following:
Hoka Clayton- The upper and last is perfect for my foot but it is definitely firmer than the Clifton
Hoka Tracer- The upper is good but the sole is narrow and for whatever reason I had a ton of last stage pronation in them
Adidas Energy Boost 3- The upper felt sloppy to me and the stack height made me feel like I was running in high heels
I ran into the same issue late last year. Inexplicably, the Clifton 2’s gave me blisters whereas the Clifton 1’s were my go to training shoe. Seemed to be a common issue/review on RunningWarehouse. As I found it more and more difficult to find Clifton 1’s scouring the web, I simply gave up. I did try the Adidas Ultra Boost, which were “meh”, particularly at such a high price point.
I eventually looked at the shoe characteristics to find something similar. What I came away with was the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante. I have now logged about 200 miles in the Zante’s and feel confident in saying they are by far my favorite training shoe and anticipate racing in them this season. As you can see below, the main difference being the stack height.
I originally went to Hoka’s due to knee pain, thinking the max cushioning would be beneficial. I think the fresh foam provides a similar soft ride without the crazy stack height. The main concern for the Zante has been durability. Although they have held up well for me (5’ 9" 167lb) thus far. I have had no issues on long runs with comfort or blisters. New Balance recently release a new version of the Zante, so hopefully I do not fall into the same trap again …
Thanks I was thinking of trying those on based open the reasons you mentioned but thought “How can they possibly provide a similar amount of cushion with less midsole?”
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Yeah Clifton 2 was a big disappointment to many who ran in Clifton 1. Clifton 1 was my first Hoka. It was perfect. I hoarded 3 pairs but now I’m on the last pair. Running 40mpw BTW. It already smells pretty bad. Run to work AM barefoot, ride noon barefoot, run back home in the evening barefoot, for 2 weeks was all it took to turn my last Clifton 1 into a chemical WMD.
I too have been looking for a c1 replacement and my big toes were butchered by the clifton 2. I ran over to sportchek tonight and picked up pair of zantes for 59 bucks taxes in Canadian. 69.99 and extra 25% off scratch and save (minmum 10%). Thought I would send along the thanks for advice and heads up to other Canadians to find a good deal.
Same here. I tried the Clifton 2 when it came out (padded tongue seemed like good improvement) and it was a different shoe. It didn’t fit well. It felt wrong. And it was so narrow that I couldn’t lace it properly. No way a different tongue alone would have made such a big difference.
I just tried the new Hoka Clayton and love them. Had to order as my correct size was not in stock so haven’t gotten any runs in other than at the shop. They are less cushy than the Clifton 1 but feel more responsive which I really like. Tongue is pretty similar as is toe box to the Clifton 1.
I went to complete opposite direction and tried 1st a Huaka and liked that pretty well. Then tried Altra’s and have been pretty happy with them. They feel better overall even if less cushion, but as it turns out, it was the shape, fit and feel of the Clifton that matters, not as much the cushion… for me at least.
I like to rotate 3-5 pairs of shoes so I may try another Hoka again some time this summer.
funny how hola swears they are exactly the same except for the upper. To me it feels like a completely different shoe
I may be the only one out there that can’t tell a difference and have been just fine with the C2. It’s worked out well for me because I can find them cheap since so many people don’t like them.
Strange. It is like we are talking about different shoes.
I reluctantly bought a pair of Clifton 2s as the Clifton 1s worked for me and I have wide feet. Verdict is that I like the Clifton 2s better. Better tongue, better insole, and a slightly firmer ride that is still cushioned (not so squishy). I would not have even thought about racing 1/2s and up in the 1s but would in the 2s. I bought the same size and it fits the same.
However, I am not surprised as consistency and quality control in shoe models and design does not exist anymore. It does not matter the manufactuerer. As soon as I find a shoe I like - they screw it up (“new improved model”). For example, loved the NB 890s and hate the ride of the new NB Pace (its replacement).
I’m in the same boat. I am getting blisters on my toes in the Clifton 2 - toe box definitely feels narrower.
I hope that Hoka gets the message and makes a change for the 3. They did this with the Bondi B - the 3 was horrible, but the 4 was back to what lots of folks liked.
I honestly don’t get why running shoe companies change things up, especially in popular models like the Clifton 1, which had a huge following. Maybe change out the colors, but there have been several instances when next iterations are horrible and lots of folks look for another shoe.
I took out the innersole and put in odour eaters (dollar store ones at that). Run barefoot in them practically everyday. And I am a sweater.
Works a treat. (had to use carpet tape to keep them in because they slipped)
Love my Clifton 1.
Will run in them until the buzzards come.
I’m in my first pair of Hokas, the Clifton 2. I agree that the tongue presses awkwardly into the front of the ankle, but I only noticed that for the first 5 minutes of the first run. I’ve now done three runs in them and have not noticed the tongue since the original run. I think it softened up or developed a crease so it moves with me.
My only critique is that it seems a little narrow across the front, so my little toe is a bit over-pressured, but I may be able to solve that with lacing.
