Topo Athletic Ultrafly 6 Review

My size 12's came in weighing: Left 12.5 Ounces, Right 12.6 Ounces
Sample size weight: (Men size 9) 9.6 ounces
Heel Stack: 32 MM
Drop: 5 MM
Upper: Updated Engineered Recycled mesh, anatomical toe box
Outsole: Topo proprietary rubber outsole strategically placed
Midsole: Zipfoam with updated configuration, along with an OrthoLite insole and reconfigured medial post (Inner part of the foot)
MSRP: $145 USD

Surfaces ran on: Track, Concrete, black top, dirt, grass, pine needles, limestone/gravel in dry conditions.  Wet Track and concrete

Short to medium long runs (the focus was slower recovery runs with some daily miles as well).  I used this shoe in rotation after 2 fairly close long distance events.  My goal was to use this shoe to help my legs during recovery and then rebuild to keep some form when I can sometimes be out of wonk on my form. 

Laces: Ribbed type of laces, had no issues with coming unlaced.  Very nice laces
Tongue: While not gusseted, it does have the typical Topo design lace loops which along with a great midfoot design keeps the tongue well place and I have yet to experience any tongue movement in a Topo shoe with this design (6th Topo shoe reviewed)
Upper material: An updated Engineered mesh has been added to the latest release with overlays added in for aesthetics and upper support
Heel: Nicely structured, semi-rigid heel system.  I did not experience any heel slippage, rubbing or irritation and did not have to do anything unusual to get a nice lock down Collar: They have a medium amount of padding around the collar for this design which is right about the way I like it.  Not too big to soak in sweat, but enough to make a nice comfy fit
Toe Room: I am a fan of Topo's anatomical design, it works very well for my mechanics.  
Fit: The shoes fit true to size to me and overall, the comfort at step in is on point.  My foot shape matches up very well with Topo's uppers. 

The outsole design is a strategic placement of rubber, offering protection, durability and some flexibility over a full solid piece.  The rubber in all conditions I ran it held strong and I did not experience any slippage during my runs

Note on using stability shoes when not requiring stability normally:
I have noticed some additional wear in my high wear area and consulted with someone at Topo about that.  My hunch was that the stability features may be altering my gait cycle a bit and exacerbating my wear pattern.  Topo did agree that it was possible, but also hard to confirm without seeing my gait at work. So, this is something to keep in mind if you are like me and put a large amount of force into a shoe and have an area that you wear out extra quickly.  This is not the shoes fault as the stability features are doing what they are intended to do. 

The midsole underfoot feel consists of 2 key parameters in my opinion.  The foam and the insole.  I have had very good experiences with ZipFoam in other Topo models I have run in.  I struggled a bit with this pair of shoes and to be completely transparent, I was bit confused by it. 

At New Years I did a 100 mile run and then 10 days after that, paced the Houston Marathon (full).  I knew my legs and feet were bit up a bit.  So when I did my first couple of runs and the nerves in return were communicating a lack of absorption and return, my first thought was I wasn't ready to run yet.   So I chose to do some active recovery hiking in another pair of Topo's to allow some time for the nerve endings to be happy.

When I started running again and was getting the same type of response, I decided to try on several other pairs of Topo's and make sure I was feeling things correctly.  The other pairs still felt great, so I zeroed in on the relationship between me and the shoe and also asked some questions to Topo.

The Medial post in the shoe is made of a firmer material for clear intentions of support/guidance.  So that explains partly why the underfoot feel differs from the other shoes I am accustomed to running in.  In further back and forth with Topo, I am also coming to the conclusion that for some reason I am actually bottoming out this foam.  It is possible with the medial post it has changed my landing dynamic and thus I may be putting even more force into the shoe. 

So in summary, if you are experienced with this shoe or this type of shoe, you should encounter a very similar experience as you normally do underfoot.  If you are dipping into stability shoes to use as an occasional rotation shoe for recovery runs either after long run/high energy efforts or during rebuild/base building then I would suggest you expect to have a little different experience underfoot.

Small cheat code that worked: 
I have a set of Topo FKT Insoles from a pair of trail shoes.  They are a beaded TPU insole that has a tighter compression ration from the Ortholite insole and it is 5mm thick.  When I swapped out the insoles, it really changed the dynamic of the shoe.  When running in it I was still able to feel the light guidance of the shoe through my gait cycle, but it provided more of the underfoot feel I am used to from Topo.  

Topo does sell those Insoles separately, so just laying this out as a possible solution.  

I don't really think the 5 star rating is dynamic enough to thoroughly rate shoes.  I'm not sure if there really is a good way to just assign a score.  I have watched Believe in the Run try different methods and it's always a struggle.  

I am someone who likes to hear the details and experience of the other runner and use that for input into my decisions.  So here is what I can tell you:

For me, the fit of Topo's have been consistent and consistently very good.  This shoe falls in line with that experience.  The mechanics of the shoe on the run, the outsole are what I have come to expect from a Topo shoe.  I get along with their designs very well. 

Where I have some concern with this shoe is with the underfoot feel.  Now, in the Midsole section I did relay some scenarios that may be playing a part into that underfoot feel and a possible solution to that, however at the end of the day I want to maintain being fully transparent in my experiences with shoes I post reviews on.  With that said, I did struggle with enjoying the underfoot feel until I replaced the insoles.  When I did that, I had a very enjoyable 5 mile run. 

The one thing I have been starting to say to people who ask me about shoes is; it is very important to know your own mechanics, your own likes and your intended usage of the shoes you purchase for use.  I would recommend this shoe easily to someone who consistently uses stability shoes.  I would caution someone like me who runs mostly in neutral shoes.