UKC

Hello. I'm looking to buy a pair of trail running shoes. My road shoes are stability design - Asics GT 2170, and I run in Inov8 Mudclaws on the hills.

Looking for something in between for running on the trails.

Any tips, gratefully received.

Thanks. JB

In reply to J Brown:

My preference for trail (not fell) are the salomon speedcross.

In reply to J Brown:

Adidas Kanadias might be worth looking at, found them a good shoe for runs with a mix of road and offroad.

Plenty cushioning for the tarmac sections and decent grip for the offroad(although the current Kanadia 4 has a tendency to have you sliding sideways in sloping mud, new Kanadia 5 on the way and from pics I've seen the tread pattern might sort this issue.)

In reply to J Brown: for trail Salomon Sense

In reply to J Brown: Inov8 295's do a decent job for me.

In reply to J Brown:

Mizuno Wave Harrier

In reply to J Brown: Im on Brooks cascadia 7s, quite a good balance between road and mud.

In reply to jjmacewan: I'll second Adidas Kanadias, they're cheap as chips too.

In reply to fawlty:

I've got a pair of these, love them. Not sure if they've been replaced by version 8 or 9 yet

In reply to J Brown:

These Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra 2

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/salomon-xa-pro-3d-ultra-2-trail-running-shoe-p2...

In reply to RankAmateur:

Me too, very comfy shoes. Happily run on the road in them too

In reply to J Brown: I've been running in a pair of New Balance 110 for the last month or so and have been very impressed. I wasn't struck by the look of them at first and the sole looked a little tame but so far they have been fantastic through the snow and now mud of this winter. Another selling point was they are a good price at around £40 to £50!!

In reply to fawlty:

Second that. I'm running on a lot of snow and ice at the moment and the snow bunches up a bit in the midfoot area but on the whole they're good, and handled the autumn mud well.

I mainly run trails.

However, a thread like this just demonstrates how if you ask 10 people you will get 12 different answers. What works for me won't necessarily work for the OP so just get out and experiment. It sounds like you run offroad enough already to know what you're looking for.

In reply to J Brown: If Inov-8 fit you, look at the Flyroc model, especially designed for train running. It is my most used footwear, a sort of default choice.

In reply to altirando:

Ditto, I bought Flyroc's recommended on UKC. Great shoes, really comfortable and sure.

In reply to J Brown:

If you're used to running in the Mudclaws then look for some other Inov8's with the same transition (prob 2). Ive got a new pair of roclite 295's for trail running and they feel great.

In reply to J Brown:

If they fit, a pair of these: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mizuno-wave-ascend-7-shoes-aw12/

Or the Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra 2

I've been very pleased with both.

In reply to J Brown:

Salomon Speed Cross are fantastic!
I have used them on trails and open fells...
I find them very comfortable on all surfaces and the cable tightening is a major plus point, If your like me, really picky about how tight you want them to be, they are the way to go as the wire lace system is great for quickly making minor adjustments in how tight you want them.

Definitely recommend them!
oh, and they look amazing too! mine and bright blue with orange treads.

In reply to J Brown:
sportiva wildcats - trail and fell - excellent for both - am on my second pair and definitely recommend them

In reply to J Brown:

I really like last year's Salomon XR Crossmax Guidance, for trail running. I found nothing else with as good support under the instep, although I understand some find it too much. I've just bought two more pairs as they are discontinued in "guidance" form.

First pair did start to split a little I confess. Wiggle replaced them so I am hopeful all ok now.

In reply to J Brown: My own research in this area shows Kanadia's, speedcross or inov8 trail roc 255 to be thebest options. Have to decided which ones yet though...

In reply to Voltemands:

Personally, I find Kanadias to be cheaply made, lumpy where the tongue attaches for example. They are cheap and have an excellent sole.
The sizing comes up particularly small on them too, I find.

In reply to Roguevfr: I did assume that their build quality was not as good. There seem to be many people having had several pairs, obviously I don't know how many miles per pair but my experience with inov8 products so far is definitely one of longevity.

I guess you get what you pay for.

In reply to Voltemands:

I am surprised you feel longevity is the experience with Innov8, I own a few pairs and like them for what they are, but the usual debate is which go first, soles or uppers, the answer for both is usually quickly.

To the OP, do you need much support in trail shoes, I thought the standard view is that uneven ground tends to make it superfluous. I find the Salomons far too unstable due to the amount of drop in the heel on most models, particularly the Speed Cross. I do most of my trail miles in Adidas Adizero XT.

In reply to The New NickB: To be fair, my experience is only very limited (1 pair of mudclaw's) . But they are a couple of years old now and have done a high mileage with minimal wear showing.

In reply to J Brown: Currently testing a pair of these: http://goo.gl/qZEKT

I've been using them for Moorland running and so far so good.

In reply to J Brown: Would the Adidas Kanadias be ok for a mixture of running on road and trail? I need to run on the road to get to my local farm tracks, fields and footpaths.

In reply to michael lawrence: Aye.. fairly generic trail shoe..

In reply to IainRUK: Great; they're half the price of the adidas riot 5's and I really don't need them for serious off roading. Cheers.