UKC

my inov-8 mudroc 290 fell shoes are approaching the end of their life and ive been looking at these as replacements
roclite 295
trailroc 255
xtalon 212

i did have some walsh pb but found them too hard and unpadded

does anybody run in these, any preferences?
thanks

In reply to owena: for proper fell shoes, you can't get much better than Mudclaws. The Xtalons are probably as good the others are more trail/fell or just trail shoes.

In reply to owena:

I wear X-Talon 190 and 212, great grip, but don't offer much protection. My feet can get pretty beat up wearing them. I am quite selective about when I wear them, usually when I know the ground will be soft. I cover a lot of fell terrain in trail shoes, of which Adidas XTs are a current favourite.

In reply to owena: x talons.. the others aren't fell shoes.

In reply to owena: thanks for the input, i discounted the Mudclaws as I felt the lugs were too aggressive, I do mostly do fell but as with any route, there is always a stretch on a road or a trail somewhere.
I am wary of the X talons as mentioned not much protection

In reply to owena:

I can vouch for the trailroc 255 shoes if you are after an all-mountain / technical trail shoe. If you need a shoe specifically for fellrunning, you might want something better suited to wet/muddy terrain.

thanks, im trying to narrow it down to 2 different ones to try on
so far based on the inov-8 website descriptions and what you have said, im leaning towards the roclite 295 or mudclaw 300

I agree that the trailroc does not look like it would be that good for mostly fell.

keep the recommendations coming please guys.

In reply to owena:

X talon 190s for me. They are really light(obviously)and it is like running in slippers. The drop of only 3mm is really good for me but may not suit everyone.

As has been mentioned they offer little protection but I've had no real problems just a bit of bruising occasionally when I haven't been careful enough. Not sure if the 212s (6mm drop, I think) offer a bit more but worth trying on if you get a chance.

In reply to roperat: what are they like on hard sections of gravel / tarmac?

In reply to owena:
I try to avoid tarmac as much as possible mainly to preserve the soles but when I have to I'm glad I run on my forefoot because otherwise it would be hard going due to the lack of cushioning under the heel.

In reply to owena:
The Roclite 295 is a great all-rounder and will be fine with a bit of tarmac or hardpack, struggles a bit on true off-path and steep fell terrain. Mudclaw is pure fell and you'll feel like you're running on little stilts on the road

I use Roclite 295s for trail/fell running (mostly on path or moorland) and for long distance walking. Very comfy, suit my feet well, have walked 40 miles+ in them with no issue. Grips struggle slightly on sloppy mud but I wonder if most shoes would.

Had some issues with quality of manufacture - lace loops snapped almost simultaneously on both shoes but got them replaced by Inov-8 without issue. Some stitching coming undone on my current pair but after 300 miles with 13 stone of Yorskhireman beating them up I think this isn't too bad considering their lightweight construction!

I'm happy enough with them to have bought another pair for when the current ones get retired to the DIY shoes pile.

In reply to owena:if you found washes unforgiving then forget x-talons. I've just gone t'other way (talons to washes) and I find them much better on rock both traction and protection wise. The x-talons are great on open fell and not so bad on road for a mid foot striker but you will find you'll be quite prone to rocks poking into the soles or inside your arches which is particularly painful; it was one of the reasons I made the switch. I'd say mud claw 300s would be a good mix of inov8 squish with some beefier protection. Certainly a popular shoe at the races and highly regarded as a training shoe. Have a look at 'stolly's running blog' on google, he's got a good review of them.

In reply to owena:
As you will no doubt understand now, if not before, there is no shoe that can do really well on fell, trail and road, every shoe is a compromise.

Do you go for a specialist in one area ( eg mudclaw, or x-talon ) and suffer more in the other areas, or go for the best all rounder ? Only you can answer - if you do 90% fell and 10% road then get a fell shoe, etc

If you decided to go for an all-rounder then one that's not been mentioned is the Salomon Fellraiser. Pretty aggressive sole for fells, 6mm drop ie not too high, drains well, but a bit of cushioning as well for trail/road. They get good reviews, not tried them myself, but definitely on my list for the future.

In reply to owena:

Currently preferring Inov8 Oroc 340s. Metal studs on the bottom

Inov8 call it an orienteering shoe .

If you are running or walking on a moorland or upper grassy areas ,the grip is excellent.

Great in the snow yesterday too.

I really trust those shoes now.

Inov8 ,make great shoes.

In reply to owena:
I used to be a massive fan of inov8 and would only buy that make when the previous expired. I have the mudclaws and they're ace but have barely any padding.

Then got a pair of asic gel fuji elite and have changed my mind about inov8's. I feel the inov8's are great if you have tough feet but the asics are more comfortable. Ok they're not low enough as a fell shoe but Im sure you'll be able to find a more fell specific model in the asics range though.

In reply to owena: Well I just did a run up Moelwyn Mawr from Tanygrisiau in my mudrocs and its definately time for them to step down from the limelight, much too slippy now. Ive ordered some salomon fellraisers (castleberg outdoors £69) and Ill update this thread once Ive had a run in them incase anybody else is interested.

Also as a side note I used my Alpkit gamma headtorch for the first time tonight and its spot on, main beam was actually too powerful for running so had it on dim, but no doubt full will be ideal for cycling.