G
Gustavo Montano
June 13, 2023
A fantastic Altra shoe, at a bargain price.
As Altra are known for - the Rivera 2 has a 0mm heel-to-toe drop, that enters my shoe-rotation, and removes any pressures from other shoes with a non-zero drop.As such, my running form reliant on a healthy mid-foot strike, while giving my calves an healthy workout. There is ample space in the the toes-region, that is fantastic for my wide foot. The shoe feels just right, and is incredibly comfortable.Furthermore, it has great cushioning at the sole, and makes my road-running comfortable.As of writing this review, the Rivera 2 is at an incredible price with the introduction of the Rivera 3.The Rivera 2s are a quality shoe product and worth putting in your running rotation should you seek the attributes mentioned above. This is my favorite Altra shoe against the Escalante and Olympus.
✔ Verified Purchase
I consider this a great shoe as a die-hard Altra fan
I've been running in the Rivera 2's since last year and have gone through multiple pairs due to running so much on a regular basis, and the fit on these is really great especially in the first hundred or so miles. I do notice that, at least because of my mechanics and running mostly on gravel/trail that these tend to feel a lot less powerful at the 300 mile mark (which is still a lot). Cushioning is great for faster runs and they're breathable as they need to be, and the heel cuff is very cozy as well.I do tend to have issues finding proper tightness but I don't need to do any special knots in these, although I do double knot because Altra laces tend to come undone easy from a single knot.I'll be buying as many of the Rivera 2's as I can before I absolutely have to move onto the 3's (or 4's if they're out.)
✔ Verified Purchase
T
tymarls
November 08, 2023
Find what works for you
Overall I did end up sending these shoes back because their unique blend of cushion and support wasn't exactly what I was looking for. That isn't to say that, like any running shoe, they wouldn't be perfect for you.Pros:Fit as expected, great style, very comfortable toe box and upper, breathable.Cons:The only thing I didn't like about this shoe was that I felt it was lacking a little support for how much it encourages a mid-foot strike. This is because I am used to a little more cushion, but this might be just right for you. I ended up going with the Torin instead and it has the best of both for my feet.
✔ Verified Purchase
Elastic laces make ‘em even better
I went to these when my clunky Hoka’s were starting to make my feet hurt. I have worn many pairs of Altra’s, but had been off them awhile.These are lightweight, zero-drop (flat heels), big toe-box shoes with a soft, comfortable top. I wear mine with orthotics, not the supplied insole. I found them extremely comfortable from the first step. (And my foot pain went away!)I recommend replacing the laces with elastic laces. I did that and not only get the convenience, but they also seem to make the shoe-tops fit more smoothly.
✔ Verified Purchase
K
Kindle Customer
April 03, 2023
My feet don’t hurt!!
My husband bought these Altra’s from REI. He loves them. I thought they look a little huge like clown shoes ;) That’s because of the wide toe box. I finally broke down after I didn’t have much relief from my Hoka’s. I have a neuroma and plantar fasciitis on my right foot and a little bit of arthritis and bunions in both feet(yeah, my feet suck)… I bought these and they really feel great! The wide toe area and zero lift is amazing. I can add in my half arch supporters if my planters fasciitis flares up. Definitely give them a try! Yes. They look a little large/wide, but your feet will not hurt!*I also bought two pairs for my 19yr old son who is a bar back part-time and on his feet for 8+ hours. His feet were killing him and none of his Nike’s helped… He gave in (again, a little clown shoe looking) and wore them. He said they are the best sneakers he’s ever worn and my son has a ridiculous amount of sneakers. ;)
✔ Verified Purchase
J
Josiah McGuckin
April 14, 2022
A good zero-drop shoe - just not the sequel I was hoping for
For the last couple years, I've been doing a majority of my running in several pairs of Altra's Kayenta. Sadly, with the Kayenta now discontinued (Altra - please consider bringing it or an equivalent low-stack shoe back!), I've been on the hunt for a pair of shoes that hit the points that the Kayenta has so well. I tried out the original Rivera and found the fit pretty sloppy, for lack of a better way of describing it; however, with the Rivera 2 now out, I've been looking forward to getting to try it out.Right out of the box, I noticed the items that Altra had mentioned they'd redesigned, including a different material in the upper and a reshaped heel counter, which Altra have been saying they tweaked to improve lockdown. Sure enough, the heel does fit much better than it did in the original Rivera, and I had no issues at all with my heel slipping out. From the midfoot forward, though, I have to admit I was a little confused about what was going on. A few key notes:• Midfoot - I have a pretty muscular but still narrow midfoot/arch that spreads out to a pretty wide forefoot. It's an interesting combo when it comes to finding shoes that have a wide forefoot but that don't feel sloppy in the midfoot area. Sadly, the Rivera 2 missed pretty badly in this area, at least for my feet, leaving the material in the midfoot ballooning out and around my feet between the front part of my ankle and my metatarsals. This lack of midfoot lockdown then contributed to the next thing I noticed.• Forefoot - Again, my feet widen out pretty far for as narrow as my midfoot is, so I'm usually looking for shoes that are wide/tall enough in the forefoot to allow my toes room to splay and move around naturally while being able to handle changes in direction without my foot sliding to the side. I'll give the Rivera this - it's not overly wide, even for being on the slimmer side as far as lasts go, so my toes did have plenty of room to splay. But even just walking around my apartment, I noticed my feet sloppily sliding from side to side in the shoes. I also found all of my toes bumping up against the top of the toebox; not the kind of feedback I want them to be getting when they'd be moving freely if I were barefoot.• Upper Material - The updated material used in the Rivera 2's upper is stretchier and more accommodating than the prior version's. This is both a good thing (because my toes were bumping up against the top of the toebox and would've otherwise felt very cramped) and a bad thing (because my feet were sliding all over the place inside these shoes).• "Plush-ness" - The tongue and heel are very well-padded and are definitely geared toward a more comfort-based fit, but the cushion level in these areas was just too much for my preference, especially coming from the Kayenta or Escalante, which feel super dialed-in in this area without going to the other extreme of being too sharp/harsh on my ankles.Still, there were things I liked about these shoes, including• EGO cushion - Took me back to my earlier zero-drop transition days and my many pairs of Escalante 1.5s, only with just slightly more cushion to help make longer runs just a little easier to handle. Hands-down one of my favorites as far as midsole foams go.• Outsole - Very grippy; if these things hold up like they have in my other Altra shoes, the Rivera 2 will definitely go the distance and should easily hold up well past 400-500 miles.• Flexibility - As with other Altra shoes, the Rivera 2 is also impressively flexible relative to its stack height.Long story short, I think the Rivera 2 takes steps (pun intended) toward fixing some of what felt "off" in the original Rivera, but, at least in my opinion, and relative to my feet, it still needs work. Maybe it's just that I'm looking for a different type of shoe from what the Rivera is. Either way, I'm hopeful that Altra can improve the fit in the Rivera 3 to reduce the sloppiness and help the shoes feel a little better dialed-in. As with so many shoes that I've tried on recently, these shoes will likely suit the average runner just fine. For my feet, though, they were a no-go, and I'll be looking into other options for the time being while still looking forward to seeing what the 3 (and Altra's other upcoming releases, including Escalante 3 and Torin 6) have to offer.
✔ Verified Purchase
