Stiff-Soled Shoes: 35 Shoes Ranked by How Hard They Are to Bend
The stiffest sole a lab has measured on the shoes we review is the HOKA Bondi SR’s: 27.4 newtons to bend its forefoot, 2.7 times the 10.1 of the most flexible, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24.
On this page
If you have been told to wear a stiff-soled shoe, for a stiff or arthritic big toe, turf toe, sesamoiditis or a forefoot fracture on the mend, the five stiffest are below and the table ranks all 35. The surprise is how little the spec sheet tells you: stack height, foam firmness and the stability label barely predict it.
This is a measurement page. The figures are RunRepeat’s laboratory measurements of one pair of each shoe; we have not bent, worn or scored these shoes ourselves, and no brand publishes how stiff its soles are. Each shoe links to our specification review.
The short answer
A stiff-soled shoe is one whose forefoot will not fold where your toes bend. RunRepeat’s laboratory measures that directly: it bends each shoe’s forefoot through 30 degrees and records the force it takes. Of the 35 shoes we review that it has bent, these five took the most:
- HOKA Bondi SR, 27.4 N: a leather work shoe, and the heaviest of the 35
- ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28, 23.1 N: a cushioned neutral trainer, and also the hardest of 24 to twist
- New Balance 860v15, 20.7 N: a stability trainer
- On Cloudmonster 3, 20.5 N: a rockered, maximum-cushion trainer with a Speedboard plate
- Brooks Ghost Max 4, 20.1 N: a rockered neutral shoe
The median of the 35 is 15.3 N. The five easiest to bend are the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 (10.1), the Brooks Ghost 17 (10.9), the Saucony Guide 19 (11.1), the ASICS Novablast 5 (11.2) and the Altra Torin 9 (11.6). If you have been told to avoid a flexible shoe, start by avoiding those.
What counts as a stiff-soled shoe
Stiff where it matters: across the ball of the foot, where the toes bend, and through the middle of the shoe, where it can twist. There is no official cut-off. On this lab’s test the middle half of the 35 takes between about 13.9 and 18.3 N to bend; the five above 20 N are the stiff end, and those near 10 N need about half their force.
Stiff is not the same as hard or heavy. The New Balance 860v15 has the second-softest midsole of the 33 the lab has tested for firmness (25.8 Asker C), yet it is the third-stiffest to bend; the New Balance 990v6, one of the heaviest shoes on the list at 366 g in the lab’s sample, bends more easily than the median shoe.
From the clinic. The mistake I see most is the patient who was told to wear a stiff-soled shoe and bought a heavy one. Weight is not stiffness. Hold the shoe by the heel and the toe and push the toe up: if it folds at the ball of the foot, it is not the shoe you were sent for, however solid it feels in the box.
Who a stiff sole is for
A stiff sole is a tool for a joint or a bone that hurts when the foot bends or twists. These are the problems it is prescribed for:
- A stiff or arthritic big toe (hallux rigidus or limitus). The joint hurts when it bends, and a sole that will not fold stops it bending. It is the condition with the best trial evidence for stiffening a shoe, covered below.
- Turf toe, a sprain of the same joint: the stiffness holds it still while it heals. Our turf toe guide covers the shoes and the plates.
- Sesamoiditis: the two small bones under the big toe joint are loaded hardest as the toe bends up. See shoes for sesamoiditis.
- A metatarsal stress fracture or a broken foot, once you are out of the boot. The healing bone is better protected when the forefoot does not flex with every step; shoes for stress fractures covers each phase, and shoes after a walking boot the transition.
- A plantar plate tear under the second toe, where the bend at push-off stretches the torn ligament. See shoes for a plantar plate tear.
- Freiberg’s disease of a metatarsal head. See shoes for Freiberg’s disease.
- Ball-of-foot pain (metatarsalgia), usually with a rocker as well. See shoes for metatarsalgia.
- Midfoot arthritis or a Lisfranc injury, where the twist matters as much as the bend (next section). See shoes for midfoot arthritis and shoes for a Lisfranc injury.
If nothing in your forefoot hurts, stiffness is not a virtue in itself. A stiff shoe without a rocker can feel awkward, and some people find they vault over the front of it.
Bend and twist are two different stiffnesses
Bending happens at the ball of the foot. Twisting is the sole wringing along its length, the motion a painful midfoot, a Lisfranc injury or a collapsing arch cannot afford. RunRepeat twists the shoes too, and has measured it in newton-metres on 24 of the 35. The hardest to twist are the ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28 (20.5 Nm), the ASICS Gel-Kayano 32 (20.2), the HOKA Arahi 8 (19.5) and the Skechers Aero Burst (19.3), then the New Balance 860v15 and the HOKA Transport 2 (18.2). The easiest are the New Balance 1080v15 (10.3), the Saucony Guide 19 (10.7), the Altra Torin 9 (11.4), the Saucony Triumph 24 (12.0) and the HOKA Clifton 11 (12.1). The HOKA Bondi SR and the Brooks Addiction Walker 2 have only the lab’s older 1-to-5 twist rating, and both scored 5 of 5.
The two usually travel together: across those 24 shoes the correlation between bend and twist is 0.69 (0.66 by rank). But not always. The Aero Burst is the fourth-hardest to twist and bends at exactly the median, and the Saucony Ride 19, the seventh-stiffest to bend, is below the median to twist (13.5 Nm). For a big toe, check the bend; for the midfoot, check the twist.
Why the spec sheet will not tell you
Brands publish none of this, and the figures they do publish are poor stand-ins. Across the 35:
- A taller heel predicts almost nothing (a correlation of 0.19; 0.17 by rank). The HOKA Clifton 10 has the tallest heel of all 35, 44.4 mm, and bends more easily than the median.
- A thicker forefoot helps only a little (0.36; 0.38 by rank). The New Balance More v6 has the thickest forefoot of the 35, 38.5 mm, and ranks 12th for stiffness; the Novablast 5, fifth-thickest, is the fourth-easiest to bend.
- Firmer foam barely registers (0.26, and 0.26 by rank, across the 33 the lab has tested for firmness), and a stiff heel counter not at all (0.08; 0.03 by rank).
- Weight is the closest thing to a predictor (0.41; 0.33 by rank), and almost all of that is the Bondi SR: without it, the correlation falls to 0.20.
- Even a plate is no guarantee. Skechers states a carbon-infused forefoot plate in the Aero Burst, and it bends at exactly the median, 15.3 N.
- The stability label is no guide. The Adrenaline GTS 24, a stability shoe, is the easiest of all 35 to bend, and the Guide 19, another, the third-easiest; the New Balance 860v15, also a stability shoe, is the third-stiffest.
- The number changes between versions. The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 took 4.2 N more than the GTS 24, and the Altra Torin 9 2.4 N less than the Torin 8. Check the version you are buying.
So the only reliable test is bending the shoe, either in a lab or in your hands.
The ten-second test
- Bend it. Hold the heel in one hand and the toe in the other and push the toe up. A stiff sole barely gives, and what bend it has is at the ball of the foot. If it folds easily there, it is too flexible for a stiff-sole problem; if it folds at the arch, it is a poor shoe for anyone.
- Twist it. Hold both ends and wring the shoe like a towel. A shoe for a midfoot problem should barely turn.
- Compare two. Do it to two shoes side by side in the store; a difference is easier to judge than a single shoe on its own, and the stiff end of the lab’s list needed about twice the force of the flexible end.
- Check where it bends. At the ball of the foot, where your toes bend, never in the middle of the arch.
A stiff sole is not a rocker
The two do different jobs, and a painful forefoot usually wants both. Stiffness stops the joint bending. A rocker, a sole that curves up at the toe, lets you roll over the joint without needing it to bend. Stiffness without a rocker feels clumsy; a rocker without stiffness folds at the ball of the foot as soon as you load it. The lab measures the first and not the second, and no brand publishes the geometry of its rocker.
Three of the five stiffest are sold on their rockers: HOKA lists an early-stage Meta-Rocker on the Bondi SR, Brooks names a GlideRoll Rocker on the Ghost Max 4, and On says the Cloudmonster 3 brought back the rocker of the original, over a Speedboard plate. Go gently into a pronounced rocker. In a trial of 102 people with big toe arthritis, rocker-sole shoes eased pain about as much as foot orthoses over 12 weeks, but 39% of the rocker group reported at least one adverse event, against 16% with the orthoses.
Making a flexible shoe stiff
You do not have to buy the stiffest shoe. A full-length carbon fibre insert, a thin rigid plate under the insole, stops almost any shoe folding, and it is the option with the best evidence behind it. In a trial of 100 people with big toe arthritis, carbon shoe-stiffening inserts reduced foot pain more than sham inserts at 12 weeks. For midfoot arthritis, a 2023 systematic review found shoe-stiffening inserts had the largest reported effect on pain of anything tried. That review rests on six small studies, which says more about who pays for foot research than about the inserts: nobody sells a plate at the scale that funds large trials.
The shoe needs a removable insole and room for the plate. Our guide to carbon fiber insoles covers which plates to consider and how to start wearing one.
All 35, stiffest first
Every shoe we review that RunRepeat’s lab has bent, with its twist where the lab has measured it and its forefoot stack, the material under the ball of the foot, measured on the cut shoe.
| Shoe | Force to bend newtons, higher is stiffer |
Rank of 35 |
Force to twist newton-metres |
Forefoot stack measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOKA Bondi SR | 27.4 N | 1st | — | 31.2 mm |
| ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28 | 23.1 N | 2nd | 20.5 Nm | 34.3 mm |
| New Balance 860v15 | 20.7 N | 3rd | 18.2 Nm | 32.1 mm |
| On Cloudmonster 3 | 20.5 N | 4th | 16.7 Nm | 32.2 mm |
| Brooks Ghost Max 4 | 20.1 N | 5th | 17.2 Nm | 29.6 mm |
| New Balance 880v15 | 19.2 N | 6th | — | 35.4 mm |
| Saucony Ride 19 | 19.1 N | 7th | 13.5 Nm | 30.2 mm |
| HOKA Gaviota 6 | 19.0 N | 8th | 17.7 Nm | 28.7 mm |
| HOKA Arahi 8 | 18.3 N | 9th | 19.5 Nm | 28.1 mm |
| On Cloudrunner 2 | 18.2 N | 10th | — | 25.1 mm |
| Brooks Addiction Walker 2 | 17.9 N | 11th | — | 23.5 mm |
| New Balance More v6 | 17.7 N | 12th | 14.7 Nm | 38.5 mm |
| ASICS Gel-Kayano 32 | 16.9 N | 13th | 20.2 Nm | 30.6 mm |
| Saucony Triumph 24 | 16.6 N | 14th | 12.0 Nm | 33.6 mm |
| HOKA Bondi 9 | 16.5 N | 15th | — | 32.2 mm |
| HOKA Transport 2 | 16.4 N | 16th | 18.2 Nm | 26.8 mm |
| KURU ATOM 2 | 15.7 N | 17th | — | 26.0 mm |
| Skechers Aero Burst | 15.3 N | 18th | 19.3 Nm | 32.9 mm |
| Brooks Glycerin 23 | 15.2 N | 19th | 14.0 Nm | 29.0 mm |
| Altra Paradigm 8 | 15.1 N | joint 20th | 12.4 Nm | 27.3 mm |
| New Balance 1080v15 | 15.1 N | joint 20th | 10.3 Nm | 30.6 mm |
| HOKA Clifton 10 | 14.7 N | 22nd | — | 32.0 mm |
| New Balance 990v6 | 14.6 N | 23rd | — | 23.8 mm |
| Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 | 14.3 N | 24th | 14.3 Nm | 25.9 mm |
| HOKA Mach 7 | 14.2 N | 25th | 13.6 Nm | 26.2 mm |
| Altra Torin 8 | 14.0 N | 26th | — | 27.7 mm |
| ASICS Gel-Cumulus 28 | 13.7 N | 27th | 14.7 Nm | 29.5 mm |
| HOKA Clifton 11 | 13.5 N | 28th | 12.1 Nm | 29.7 mm |
| ASICS GT-2000 15 | 13.1 N | 29th | 14.8 Nm | 30.0 mm |
| Brooks Ghost 18 | 12.3 N | 30th | 12.2 Nm | 25.1 mm |
| Altra Torin 9 | 11.6 N | 31st | 11.4 Nm | 25.5 mm |
| ASICS Novablast 5 | 11.2 N | 32nd | — | 33.5 mm |
| Saucony Guide 19 | 11.1 N | 33rd | 10.7 Nm | 31.4 mm |
| Brooks Ghost 17 | 10.9 N | 34th | 12.6 Nm | 25.8 mm |
| Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 | 10.1 N | 35th | — | 25.5 mm |
RunRepeat laboratory figures, one pair of each shoe, read 28 September 2026. Bend: force to flex the forefoot 30 degrees. Twist: torsional rigidity, measured on 24 of the 35 with the lab’s current method; a dash means no figure from that test. Stack: measured on the cut shoe at the points World Athletics uses, which is one reason it can differ from a brand’s published figure.
Questions people ask
What is considered a stiff-soled shoe?
One whose forefoot resists folding where your toes bend, and ideally resists twisting through the middle. There is no official cut-off. On RunRepeat’s bend test, the middle half of the 35 shoes we review takes between about 13.9 and 18.3 newtons to bend 30 degrees; the five above 20 N are the stiff end, and those near 10 N need about half their force.
What are some examples of stiff-soled shoes?
Of the 35 the lab has bent, the HOKA Bondi SR (27.4 N), ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28 (23.1), New Balance 860v15 (20.7), On Cloudmonster 3 (20.5) and Brooks Ghost Max 4 (20.1). A post-operative shoe or a walking boot is stiffer than any of them.
Are HOKA shoes stiff-soled?
Some are. HOKA’s range runs from the stiffest shoe on our list, the Bondi SR (27.4 N), through the Gaviota 6 (19.0) and Arahi 8 (18.3), to the Clifton 11 (13.5), which bends more easily than the median. The Bondi 9 sits just above the middle at 16.5. Much of HOKA’s reputation comes from its rockered soles rather than from the bend.
Which Brooks shoe has the stiffest sole?
The Ghost Max 4, at 20.1 N the fifth-stiffest of the 35, followed by the Addiction Walker 2 (17.9). The Adrenaline GTS 24 (10.1) and Ghost 17 (10.9) are the two easiest of all 35 to bend.
What is the stiffest running shoe?
Of the 35 we review, the ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28: 23.1 N to bend, and the hardest of 24 to twist. The Bondi SR is stiffer but is a leather work shoe. Carbon-plated racing shoes are not among the 35.
Do I need a stiff-soled shoe after a broken toe or a foot fracture?
Usually. A broken lesser toe is often treated from the start in a stiff-soled or post-operative shoe, taped to its neighbour if your doctor agrees; a broken big toe needs an X-ray first. A broken metatarsal usually starts in a boot, and after it the stiffest shoe you can walk in comfortably, with a carbon insert if it still folds, protects the healing bone while you build back up. Our stress fracture guide covers each phase.
Is a stiff sole good for plantar fasciitis?
It can help when the pain is worst at push-off. When the big toe bends up it winds the plantar fascia tight, so a sole that limits that bend, ideally with a rocker, reduces the pull on it. For most heel pain, heel cushioning, a firm heel counter and a sole that will not twist or fold through the arch matter more; our plantar fasciitis guide covers all of them.
Related charts
The same lab figures sit behind our other reference charts: the toe box width chart, the stack height chart and the heel-to-toe drop chart. The shoe spec database holds every published figure for every shoe we review.
Sources
- RunRepeat, testing methodology (forefoot flexibility: the forefoot bent through 30 degrees and the force recorded in newtons; torsional rigidity; stack height on the cut shoe at the World Athletics points), read October 2026.
- RunRepeat, laboratory reviews of the 35 shoes in the table, read 28 September 2026.
- Munteanu SE, Landorf KB, McClelland JA, et al. Shoe-stiffening inserts for first metatarsophalangeal joint osteoarthritis: a randomised trial. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2021;29(4):480–490. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2021.02.002. 100 participants, carbon fibre inserts against sham, 12 weeks.
- Menz HB, Auhl M, Tan JM, et al. Effectiveness of foot orthoses versus rocker-sole footwear for first metatarsophalangeal joint osteoarthritis: randomized trial. Arthritis Care & Research. 2016;68(5):581–589. doi:10.1002/acr.22750. 102 participants, 12 weeks.
- Lim PQX, Lithgow MJ, Kaminski MR, et al. Efficacy of non-surgical interventions for midfoot osteoarthritis: a systematic review. Rheumatology International. 2023;43(8):1409–1422. doi:10.1007/s00296-023-05324-3. Six studies.
Recently reviewed
Individual shoe pages state their evidence tier, published measurements and who should skip them.
Saucony Endorphin Speed 5
Spec AnalysisLight plated neutral trainer. Saucony publishes both stack heights and they match its 8 mm drop — not yet tested.
HOKA Mach 6
Spec AnalysisLower, firmer neutral HOKA. HOKA publishes a 5 mm drop and neither stack height — not yet tested.
ASICS Novablast 5
Spec AnalysisBouncy high-stack neutral. ASICS publishes an 8 mm drop and neither stack height — not yet tested.
Our funding and evidence policy
We earn affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases. Our policy is to assess published evidence and fit needs rather than rank products by commission rate. Current reviews are specification analyses; see our method for their limits.