The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an review

Who should buy the The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an

Take the Rivera 2 from Altra if you're: 

• guide on the heel-to-toe drop We attribute this to the The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper ans broad forefoot and grippy outsole (zero-drop running shoes Difference in stiffness in cold)
• Mar 3, 2022
• A bit slimmer than the average Altra running shoes We think that its the shoes low stack and solid rubber outsole that make it feel firmer gym training
• searching for a roomy shoe that welcomes foot swelling after long miles

Who should NOT buy it

If you don't mind paying extra for a snappier ride that's more performance-oriented, we advise getting the Vanish Carbon instead. 

Add a shoe Altra Rivera 4 is our suggested better option. 

The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an vs. 1 

The midsole and outsole of the The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an carry over the same components from the first iteration. The changes employed by the second version are mainly focused on fit: 

• looking for a solid all-rounder that can handle daily training and tempo paces
• Tongue: gusset type

Heel drop is NOT zero! 

All Altra shoes are recognized for having a 0 mm heel-to-toe drop. Surprise, surprise! 

Our lab measurements have shown that the Rivera 2 has a heel drop of 2.8 mm (heel stack height 24.6 mm minus forefoot stack height 21.8 mm).

We also noticed that this shoe doesn't have a flat feeling on the foot either. 

Feel the ground 

With 24.6 mm of stack in the heel, it is much lower than an average 33 mm stack height. For that reason, we think that the The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an is perfect for those who prefer ground contact to generous cushioning.

Cushioning is not too firm!

This is a tricky shoe because it feels a tad firm but our lab measurements show that it is quite soft!

The midsole scored 15.0 HA on our durometer. The average softness of all the shoes in our lab? 24 HA. This makes the Rivera 2 2x softer than an average running shoe.

We think that it's the shoe's low stack and solid rubber outsole that make it feel firmer.

Rivera 2 changes a lot at cold temperatures

When exposing a shoe to the cold (freezer for 20 minutes) we check 2 things: softness and flexibility. 

1. For softness, we use an HA durometer. Rivera got 46.7% firmer after the freezer test (on average, shoes get 21.5% firmer). 

2. For flexibility, we use a force gauge. Rivera got 138.2% stiffer! For reference, the average change for all the shoes in our lab is 39.4%. This, however, does not mean it got stiff. After being exposed to freezing temperatures, it is still more flexible than most other shoes.

Keeps you steady

We attribute this to the The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an's broad forefoot and grippy outsole.

On both flat and rugged surfaces, the shoe encourages stable strides. What also helps are the lugs that are a bit deeper than the average (3.9 mm).

Won't weigh you down

The Rivera 2 (8.1 oz or 229g) is light both on paper and on the road. For reference, the average tempo trainer weighs in at 8.6 oz or 245g.

Comes to life during fast runs

Picking up the pace in the The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an feels quite energetic and rebounding. 

Roominess: nor your average Altra level

Although it's dubbed as Altra's "least roomy" running shoe, we still found it to be a spacious one, compared to the average.

Our caliper shows an average measurement of 98.6 mm in the widest part of the forefoot. However, the overall toebox volume provided our toes with enough wiggle room. 

Adapts to the natural shape and contours of the foot

The Rivera 2's upper has some give and wraps around the foot quite comfortably and securely. To top it off (literally and figuratively), the tongue is very generously padded at 7.9 mm! 

With its higher heel collar, rearfoot lockdown is improved. The midfoot fit is also spot-on. 

The Rivera 2 is too flexible

On the run, this really hurt the snappiness of the shoe, hindering its full potential during faster efforts.

Looking at the lab measurement, we were astonished - the Rivetra 2 is 2x more flexible than the average shoe! We needed as little force as 13.6N to bend the shoe, while the average force needed is 29.5N. 

Our manual tests also confirmed this: the Rivera 2 scored 1/5 (1 being the most flexible) on our tests, both for longitudinal and torsional flexibility.

Lackluster ride during mellow days

This is especially noticeable for recovery runs and anything slower. During landing, the heel feels very firm, and the ground feel is more pronounced, which can be bothersome and even dull. 

Great for every day! 

We actually found this Altra shoe to be perfect as an everyday sneaker as well! All thanks to the Altra-level comfort.

OK for night runs

Sure we had some really shiny-in-the-dark shoes in our lab (like Top pick in old method), but The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an also has some reflective elements. Too bad it's only in the back and not on the sides, but they definitely help in low-visibility conditions. 

A step up in the looks department

We found the visual aspect of the The Rivera 2 8.1 oz or 229g is light both on paper an to be quite appealing. It is not as flashy as many other trail running shoes and some of its colorways even have a classy vibe.

Gone are Altra's toy-like designs of the past!