Topo Athletic Magnifly 2016

A versatile shoe, a good alternative for runners with wide feet and for users of insoles looking for a very light shoe and want to get into low drops.

This year that is coming to an end we present in Runnea.com the Topo Athletic models available in Spain from www.vertical.es.

Topo is a new American company of running shoes based in Boston and directed by Tony Post (To-Po) who was CEO (Chief executive officer) of Vibram. The CEO is usually the highest position in a company. We remember at the time that Vibram was the pioneer of minimalism in the USA and the brand that brought out the "five fingers" concept and created the minimalist trend and gave rise to the controversy over the minimum vs maximum soles that still rages today.

This Magnifly belongs to the new 2016 collection and is an exquisite blend of the best arguments of natural running, but with the protection and cushioning of the "maximal", ergonomics applied to biomechanical efficiency and functionality accompanied by a pleasant aesthetic.

SUPERIOR FIT RESPONSIVE RIDE

This model for neutral runners offers a mixed alternative to the "natural running" concept with extra protection and cushioning, especially in the midfoot and forefoot, without sacrificing lightness and flexibility. This Magnifly model moves away from pure minimalism but maintains the concepts learned from natural running, including a lower drop in this case of 5 mm, but providing sufficient cushioning and foot protection to be able to run on asphalt safely. As is common in all Topo models, it has a narrow heel and a particular rounded toe cap that in addition to offering a very generous space for the toes that allows you to feel the position of the foot in each of the strides, in this model is reinforced and protected as if it were a model of Trail running. To all these arguments is added an exceptionally lightweight and very breathable upper.

Other common values in his collection that we also find in this Magnifly for asphalt, are the anatomical last, the mid-height midsole very light and neutral and a great lightness of the materials used with a weight of 250 gr. that favor the natural movement of the foot.

In the words of Tony Post:

The perfect shoe does not exist. For this reason at TOPO we are committed to a range of different models and technical solutions that, without interfering with the natural movement of the foot, adapt as well as possible to each type of user and context in which they will be used. We do not intend to correct or change the way our users run, but to take advantage of their natural biomechanics.

Midsole and Cushioning

It has a very light dual density eva midsole that offers sufficient cushioning at the heel with 28 mm and good cushioning in the forefoot with 23 mm, with a drop of 5 mm.
Around the main light grey eva chassis there is a darker colored profile or trim that holds the upper and contains the foot on the last. It has a less dense double layer at the level of the external posterior part of the heel that facilitates with a small recess the entry of the heel support.

Strengths:

The reduced drop facilitates midfoot support but even if the support is heel support carrying enough millimeters of rubber underneath and especially under the metatarsals is appreciated at any pace.

Opportunities for improvement:

This is a rubber that does not provide soft cushioning, I found it difficult to get to enjoy running on asphalt where this model as a whole is not very flexible and difficult to get to soften the impact against the ground even though the midfoot protection is generous. I don't like the fact that the lower density layer is placed at heel level in a model that tries to favor midfoot support by design. In my opinion a less dense eva in the midfoot and forefoot would help with a softer cushioning feel.

Insole, last and heel support

The shape of this shoe is like a drop of water, very wide in the forefoot which provides stability in the forefoot and narrow in the rearfoot, an "anatomical" last that adapts to the anatomy of the foot, providing plenty of room for the toes.

The insole also maintains the anatomical shape of the last and also has a double and curious foam rubber insole glued underneath the main one; this 2nd insole as a plantar footprint serves to adapt to the user's footprint and cushion a little more the pressures which improves comfort.

Strengths:

Given the neutral character of the midsole and the generous internal space this model allows to perfectly accommodate and in fact invites the use of custom insoles. To do this you have to remove the standard insole and place the custom insoles.

The test was carried out using the Podoactiva elite sport insoles. The shape of this shoe is in teardrop, very wide in the front part gives it an extra stability that is appreciated in the impulsion.

Opportunities for improvement:

The heel is narrow and made of a very soft material, this allows on the one hand a lot of mobility, and a feeling of great freedom but on the other hand penalizes the stability the rearfoot. In my case and given that my heel tends to collapse inwards, which is also common in many runners, I would need more internal containment of the rearfoot. I have solved this issue by using the heel valgus correction that I have in the custom insoles.

Upper

It is composed of a very compact single nylon mesh with ripstop ripstop finish without internal lining, with a TLY by aegis treatment that acts as an antimicrobial barrier providing protection against odors, fungi and bacteria. A very reinforced toe cap, too much for a model that is oriented to be used on asphalt, with a thicker and not very flexible rubber that integrates perfectly with the thin thermoseals that join and reinforce the forefoot with the upper and lateral part of the instep.

These thermoseals serve as reinforcement avoiding the typical breakage points in the upper part of the big toe as well as in the lateral and flex zones of the upper at the forefoot level. The external and internal side is reinforced by numerous diagonal strips of a careful arrangement and beautiful aesthetics.
The lacing is rounded and allows the upper to be tightened through internal reinforcements in nubuck where the eyelets are located, reinforced by an external thermo-sealing.

The entire upper and the buttresses are very light, soft and malleable materials, they do not compromise the foot at all, but in certain situations such as turns or unevenness the heel is a little unstable. The Tongue is thin and simple, as is the padding of the rest of the collar that hugs the ankle in a minimal but comfortable enough way. success in the combination of material and quality (not always more is better).

Strengths:

Toe cap not very flexible and excessively reinforced for an asphalt model. Impeccable thermo-sealing, scratch-resistant mesh and reinforcements in the upper's lateral flex zones.

Upper textile treatment with TLY by aegis that acts as an antimicrobial barrier providing protection against odors, fungi and bacteria.

Highly breathable upper in the free spaces of thermosealing.

Opportunities for improvement:

The absence of internal lining makes the upper feel excessively plastic and in longer workouts it is not very comfortable.

The lateral heel counters are very soft and malleable, in turns and slopes we miss a little more support especially in the heel. Absence of reflective details.

The upper is very breathable in the free spaces of the thermoseals, but becomes zero in the thermoseals that cover a high percentage of the surface of the upper. A perforation of the thermoseals would avoid this problem.

Outsole

The outsole of the Magnifly has a tough and durable finish combining 4 mm of durable rubber covering the midfoot and forefoot as it should be in a model that favors this type of support. It lacks deep transverse grooves in the sole which penalizes it in flexibility, they are not deep enough to facilitate the flexion of the foot. At midfoot level it has a wide unprotected space that facilitates longitudinal flexibility and allows natural twisting movements of the foot.

Opportunities for improvement:

It lacks sufficiently deep transverse grooves which penalizes in its overall flexibility, they are not deep enough to facilitate foot flexion something incomprehensible in a natural running shoe.

The sole fulfills its function in terms of traction mainly due to the large surface area exposed by the width of the last in the forefoot, but it does not provide enough grip in wet terrain and running with them on wet sidewalks is compromised.

Profile and type of user

These Mafnifly are a multipurpose training model that responds well in short workouts without great demands and in different situations but without offering great sensations. A refined mix of the good arguments of natural running with a design that adapts to the morphology of the foot but with the security of the maximal, a very light weight and with a drop that favors the support of the midfoot.

I love the wide toe cap but I think that its reinforcement is excessive for a shoe intended to be used on asphalt, losing flexibility in this area and in the midsole, which is somewhat incoherent in a model with a clear "natural running" reminiscence. I miss a little more internal cushioning and an upper with an inner lining to improve comfort during long workouts.

It is a light and "different" shoe with which runners weighing up to 75 kg. can get started in natural running without risk. A reduced drop but with the necessary foot protection facilitates the process of adaptation to a more natural running on asphalt in a more protected way.

I really like the Topo's anatomical last where the toes enjoy a wide space that allows them to intervene in the stride without any restrictions. Its lightweight construction and perfect thermo-sealed reinforcements provide extra quality. Its peculiar anatomical design that offers ample space for the toes allows for anatomical insoles and by placing different heel cups under the insole you can reduce the shoe's drop to facilitate the adaptation process up to the standard 5 mm in this model and achieve midfoot entry through parallel work on running technique.

Topo Magnifly 2016 rating

• Lightness 9
• Cushioning 7
• Flexibility 7
• Responsiveness 7
• Stability 8
• Grip 7