I have two pair of Bondi.B's so...

1. I think they run a little small, but not enough to make me go up a size.  The toe box feels a little tighter than usual, but I've run as far as 20 miles in them without discomfort.

2. I got mine from Zombie Runner.  Never seen them in a store.

3. Not that I know of.  I paid full price.

4. Hard to say.  I like them and they are durable, but I don't find myself wearing them that often.  They aren't grippy enough for technical trails, and not quite as comfortable as my regular road shoes.

5. I haven't put on enough miles to be sure.  I have one pair at 300 miles with very minimal wear, so they seem to last.

6. I've only worn the Bondi.B, which is a kind of middle of the road shoe.  Fine for roads or mild trails.  I tried on a pair of Mafate's, but they were just too bulky and I sent them back.

7. They were fine the first time I tried them.

8. Not sure, but I doubt it.

I have a pair of 1st generation Mafates. I have over 800 miles on them. If it works out to run together on Saturday I'll bring them along. Most of the miles that I have on these are paved and dirt road miles with approximately 80-100 miles on  technical trails. When these are worn out I will be switching to Bondi-B's which are currently resting under my bed patiently awaiting their turn.

1.) I find that they run a little big. I have 10s and I wish I had 9.5. This is true for both the Mafates and Bondi's. I bought the Bondi's last summer In Colorado when I was at The Boulder Running Company. The sales lady said they sell a lot of them, and the biggest complaint is size. Some fit true to size, while others seem to run a half size too big.

2.) I have not been able to find a store around here that carries them. I was thinking about e-mailing the owner of The Inside Track to see if I could get him to stock them.

3.) Sometimes they will be onsale on TheClymb.com, but they sell out quick.

4.) With regular padded shoes I have trouble running over a 10k distance on the road. My knees just take too much of a beating. With the Hokas I can do >13 miles and have no knee pain. On the one extremely rocky trail that I sometimes run my Cascadia's will leave my feet feeling beat up and I have to walk a lot of it. With the Hoka's I have much less problems. Bottom line; for me they are worth the money.

5.) I'm hoping to get at least a 1000 miles out of mine.

6.) Some people have told me that the Bondi's hold up better on the rocky trails then the Mafates. I've read that the Stinson's are a very good hybrid and I wish I had tried those rather then the Bondi's

7.) I switch from Cascadias to the Mafates with no problems. They didn't take me any time to get used to and I have tight Achillies.

8.) The Inside Track sold me Superfeet Orthodics and they fit perfectly. It seems like the Hoka is a slightly deeper shoe than most, which allows it to take an orthodic quite nicely. This is always a problem with me because so many shoes are not deep enough for an orthodic even when the insole is removed. I did remove the insole from the Hoka before putting in the orthotic.

One of the concerns that will undoubtedly come up is that you are more prone to turning an ankle with them. I did not find this to be a problem. I have always had some problems with turning ankles. What I found was that the wider base helped stability as much as the higher stack height hurt stability.

Some people claim that they are not responsive enough and they can't feel the trail. I have had no problems finding my footing on the most miserable trails that we run here in Pa. All of my hard falls have been in my Cascadia's and I feel more confident in sketchy areas with the Hoka's.

I do have concerns about their ability to drain water well. Last summer was dry so I rarely slopped through real deep water with them. I also found that sharp rocks dinged up the soles more then the Casacdia's. Supposedly this is not as much of a problem with the Stinson's and even the Bondi's. This is the reason I used my Cascadia's more on rocky trails and saved the Hokas for the road.

My bottom line: I can foresee that I will always have a pair in my arsenal. They may be used more for road and moderate trails but I will have them unless someone else designs a shoe that can compete with these for the plush ride. If the newer Hoka's have a tougher sole then then the first generation Mafate's do, I could see myself switching to these for almost all of my runs.

Calling all Hoka wearers, lovers, worshippers....

 

I am considering getting a pair but have some serious questions:

 

1.) How are their sizes? (I can't seem to find them in a store to try them on first)

      I heard they run small but mine are the same size as my other running shoes and work well.

 

2.) Do you know of any stores that carry them? Or best website to buy from?

      Falls Road Running store in Baltimore carries them. Also a place in Philly (can't remember the name right now). 

 

3.) Any secrets to get them cheaper than $170??

      theClymb carries them every so often

 

4.) Are they worth the price?

      Meh.

 

5.) Do they last longer than other trail shoes?

      Don't know. But I am finding tsol bottom of the soles to be wearing pretty fast. 

 

6.) Which one should I get? (looking to use them primarily for long trail runs but maybe a long road run occasionally)

      I have the Stinson evo. Got them for my 6 mile run commutes but could use on the trail if I decided to do that. I've now worn them on the trails three times. NO traction in mud. None. Slid everywhere, lol.

 

7.) How long do they take to get used to?

      Loved them right out of the box. 

 

8.) Does anyone know if an orthotic would fit in them?

 

Thanks for any feedback!

My answers are above too. I paid full price for mine. Ordered them without trying them on first. Have had them almost a year. Got them for run commuting. I loved them from the first run. I am currently falling out of love with them though. I can't say exactly why that is though. I half wonder if they are changing my stride. They are definitely not an everyday shoe for me. I just find that I am wearing them less and less and not missing them.

I have been running in a pair of Hoka Bondi B shoes since August. I love love love them.

I am a fairly new runner - 3rd year and almost 62.

I use Superfeet orthotics in them and they work just fine.

I am guessing I have put nearly 600 miles on them and they are still useable.

I just bought a new pair of Hoka Stinson Evos and they do feel different with the more aggressive lugs.

I also found a pair of Mafate waterproof shoes on Ebay and they are quite comfortable too - the foam seems a bit stiffer, but I am ok with that.

I have used the Bondi B on trails and dirt roads primarily.

I have an ankle that can roll on me, but Hokas help me with that because of the much wider platform.

Some state - as fact - that Hokas WILL automatically cause everyone's ankles to roll, but that is not true - for me - and many others.

I plan on using both of these at the Indiana Trail 100 next month (I am doing the 50-mile option).

I will get a pair of the Bondi B2 for street running and an upcoming marathon on the fall.

Hokas work for me.

Stinson Evo Low's for me.  300 miles on them and no signs of break down..

Got them from Zombie Runner on a 15% discount sale.

Runner's Sole in Chambersburg, PA has them in stock now.  (Probably a 50 min drive for you).

Got rid of speed lace for traditional laces.  Wearing pretty well so far.  Pretty true to size for me.

Worth it? Don't know if any shoe is worth $170.

Orthotic should fit, depending on how mush they are built up.  If it's a hard orthotic, it might negate the reason for getting a cushion shoe.

I find they run true to size (I have the Stinson Evo Low), and running with them was really interesting. Very protective, feel was fine for running technical trails, traction was ok in muddy conditons (not that different from my Salomon Sense Ultras but not even close to my La Sportivas). I was hoping these would be an ultra shoe for me, and they would be except for one major problem:

Major ankle sprain going uphill on trails I know well ... so I will probably never run in them again. So, you could probably get them off of me super cheap

What size?  (assuming Jame doesn't want them.  

Thanks for all the input.  Food for thought.  I am not close to a 10 Watoni but thanks.

AT - maybe a trip to Chambersburg is in order...