UKC

I've been using the X-Talon for years as my shoe for steep / wet routes. I like the tight fit and slipperlike feel. The last version that I bought were the 'old' yellow / grey / black ones (I stockpiled a couple of pairs), but now I need to replace them.

The newer versions seem a bit stiffer in the upper and the sizing seems to have got a bit smaller which has put me in a size debate, and they just don't seem as comforrtable - granted, it might just be that my old ones have stretched but I don't think so.

Another angle to this is, that when things get rocky, they don't do much to protect the feet and a tiny bit more protection (while still shooting for a fairly minimal feel) would be good for longer routes. So I'm wondering if I should look at other options, but there is nowhere to try trail shoes on locally, so I'm going to have to order a few pairs... what would you suggest?

Salomon S-Lab Speeds or Ultra SG?

Anything else?

In reply to LG:

I'm in a similar boat, my orange & blue X-Talons are coming to the end of their life. Really like them for racing/saving for best. You know there's 2 fits in the current model - Standard & Precision? A few mates have gone to the 200 which doesn't have the rand - I quite like the rand protection. The new 225 is supposedly made of bulletproof fabric, too early to say tho.

In reply to LG:

Afraid I don't have any good suggestions but I'm very interested to see if anyone else has any ideas.

I used to run in the original Sportiva crosslites and loved them, I found they were basically perfect for what you describe. Regrettably they first made them worse when they redesigned them and have now discontinued them. The subsequent shoes had a weird heel cup so I haven't looked at them for a while, and I moved on to x-talons which are pleasantly similar to the crosslites (though worse on rocky ground - but better on wet grass). It may be worth looking at the latest sportivas, or I've never tried them but maybe walshes?

I've used Salomon speedcross. I don't know if this applies to their other shoes but I found:
The rubber compound and/or cleat design was really rubbish on damp ground. My pair are quite an old and I have heard that this may have been improved on newer shoes.

They are pretty built up and padded. Nice for trail running but I didn't like the lack of feel when fell running.

In reply to LG:
They do soften up after 30-50 miles or so. I have this issue every time I change X-Talons, it's just they're so comfy when broken in/softened that it's a bit of a shock to the system when you put on a new pair. I'm on my 5th pair and have had all the different colours. I generally put around 400 miles or so of rough terrain running into a pair before they start falling apart. Not the best build quality if you ask me put I haven't found anything else that comes close in terms of performance.

And yes, there are now two different widths, precision and standard. The precision is the same as the old black and yellow sizing. Standard is wider.

(EDIT: I should say this is the 212 model I'm talking about)

In reply to LG:

La sportivia have some ok ones similar to xtalons, just cant remember the name. The salomons I've tried have been poor on wet rock but good on soft

In reply to LG:

Thanks all, I'm aware of the two different fits and I definitely like the 'precision fit'. That said, I managed to find somewhere with all the size options and I'm certain that I would need to go a half size up in the newer models, and it doesn't seem to have quite the same 'made to measure' fit as a result.

Managed to try on some S-Lab Speeds (which have apparently improved the rubber from the speed cross / fellraiser and they felt like a good option - very narrow but I think that they are comfortable enough. Shame they look like bowling shoes!

In reply to Pesda potato:


Suspect you are referring to the Anacondas? Nice, apart from they taper towards the toe from the inside which I find uncomfortable - my big toe points forward!