ALTRA Men's Vanish Carbon Road Running Shoe

Super comfortable and lightweight. And they look great. Have been some of my favorite road running shoes. Not sure how long they will last with the thin material in the toe box though

Love these! They are so comfortable and the price was great. I’m not a runner but I love them for walking about. A bit slippery for indoor hiit workouts though.

If you’re a zero drop shoe fan, wide toe box minimalist shoe fan, or just an Altra fan, you might be disappointed with these 1st gen Altra Carbon fiber shoes. I converted to zero drop running shoe (specifically altra) back in 2021 after a scooter accident that left my left ankle all funky. I also have minimalist shoes like Xero and Vivobarefoot. I’m an avid road runner and have completed several half marathons and full marathons in my life, and a plethora of 5k, 10k, and 15k races. My first carbon fiber shoes was the Nike Vaporfly 4% released back in 2018—they were amazing but the longevity was laughable as they’re only good for up to 100 miles depending on your stride and foot-to-ground contact. These Altra carbon vanish reminds me very much of the 1st gen nike vaporfly. Comfort is good, but the fit is tight and “short” if that make sense. In addition, the longevity of the outsole rubber is ridiculously short. I’ve only ran in them for 25 miles (slow pace) and I can already see bits of balding with the outsole rubber. Not to mention, they’re only useable via outdoor running only due to how cheaply made the outsole is—so if you’d like to take your runs indoor and use the treadmill? Forget it. You will slip with these! They’re zero drop shoes so there’s no arch support which is nice and natural (they do make arch supported shoes such as the provision and paradigm, but they’re not carbon fiber). Anyway, the appearance and upper material is very versatile though and there’s plenty of ventilation. I took it out for a 10k heart rate run on a 70 degree weather and it kept my feet nice and comfortable, not sweaty/hot and no blisters. Overall it’s an okay first take for carbon fiber shoes by Altra—actually I shouldn’t even call it “carbon fiber” more like “half-bon fiber” because it’s not a full a length carbon fiber there, just half— but the whole reason I’m taking 1 star off is due to concerns with longevity and durability with these shoes. Reminds me very much of the expensive vaporfly 4% that only lasted me 2 full marathons and 3 long run training session, and I’m afraid these will be like it with the poor quality outsole built. I get it though, they wanted to cut the weight of the shoes so they also had to “cut” corners in terms of materials used. Last but not least though is how responsive it is with regards to speed. I’m able to do my normal heart rate zone 2 training with these shoes which is nice and slow, and if I want to pick up the pace, I can easily do so—unlike the more popular brands where every stride is just fast and there’s nothing in between, so kudos to Altra for that shoe-technology. Would I recommend this shoe though? For 1st gen, sure—but use with caution and only use it on short speed runs (such as 5k) or race day shoe.

I am a natural midfoot striker so these shoes are a good match to my running style as a “zero drop” running shoe. While some review online complained about the durability of the foam, after 20 miles of running, including my recent half marathon, the issues have no more wear than expected, so I think they will hold up.

Altra is not the answer to my needs apparently. I was looking for a race day shoe with a wide toe box. I saw other reviews saying these ran small but I thought I’d take a chance. For reference: two pairs of shoes that fit me well are New Balance FuelCell Rebel V3 in size 11.5 wide, Xero Prio in size 11.5, and Topo Athletic Cyclone 2 in size 11. Size 12 shoes are ALWAYS too long for me and some wide shoes are too wide in the wrong places (mid foot and heel). I went with size 11.5 in these Altras hoping for a perfect but somewhat snug race day fit. Having read that Altras taught a wider toe box, I thought at least I’d be happy with that part of the shoe. Nope. These are at least half a size too small in the length and fit like the narrowest shoes I’ve owned. Here’s to hoping Topo Athletic decides to join the carbon racing club soon.

Currently this is a good discount carbon plate shoe if you aren’t looking to break the bank. Altra’s standard wide toe box with a good lacing system to keep this snug on your forefoot however some rubbing on toes can blister. Very bouncy and propulsive feel. Ideally for race day, low price can make these good for speed work. Carbon plate shoes are still finding their niche outside of race day. I ran PR half marathons in these back to back.

THIS ALTRA VANISH CHANGED MY GAME ….trust me , it is in how you prepare /train , with that said , I noticed a comfort level and a pick up of my time as well . I GOT MY MONEYS WORTH … VERY PLEASED WITH THE MAKE and ,lightweight style. Will purchase another pair soon

I did size up from 10.5 to 11 based on other reviews. Not sure it was necessary. Normally run in Olympus Via size 10.5. These feel about the same but I suppose springier. After 30 miles on crushed limestone there is some tread wear but doesn't seem terrible as other reviewers have experienced. Plus, if a shoe starts to come apart prematurely, just use GOOP to glue it back together and it will be all good. This is my first carbon shoe, at an affordable 120 dollars and hope it will do well on my first marathon.

This product would be good if they could get the fit to align with the other models in their line up. I’m finding that recently something has changed at Altra which has created a production/design imbalance. Maybe trying to grow too fast.

Guter Schuh. Bin damit schon 2 Marathons und diverse kürzere Rennen gelaufen. Die Sohle nutzt sich sehr schnell ab, wie es bei diesen superleichten Schuhen oft der Fall ist. Ich finde ihn aber sehr ausgewogen für einen so schnellen Schuh. Er ist nicht so extrem wie andere Schuhe mit Carbonplatte. Rollt gut ab und die Dämpfung ist für mich perfekt.

Great shoe, good fit and very comfortable, runs fast!

Son buenísimas, venían como 1/2 numero mas apretadas entonces les quite las plantillas y van perfectas para correr maratones. Las uso solonpara competir y llevan como 5 competencias y sigue sintiéndose su calidad y respuesta. La comodidad de usar tenis de punta ancha oero para competencia, todo genial

Sensacionales de verdad con placa lo más cómodo