UKC

Hello all! As the nights draw in I will, as part of my mission to build an aerobic base so big you can park an aircraft carrier on it, be running regularly up and down the gravelly Canal path aswell as some of our slightly more interesting local footpaths. 

I would like to get a shoe that will be comfy, stop me from falling over, not ruin my body and take some serious hammer. The G spec terraultras seem to fit the bill.

Has anyone used either? What're your thoughts? The G270 is pretty pricey atm (I know it's not pricey when compared to road shoe world!). Is it worth the extra outlay? 

Thanks all for any opinions. 

PS #DucksArentReal

I've had a few pairs of Terra Ultra 260s and they are decent.  Only thing worthy of mention (and actually the reason I bought them) is that while they are cushioned and have excellent grip (so they aren't "barefoot shoes") they are zero-drop, which might cause a bit of complaint from your calves if you're not used to it.

I've found the non-Graphene ones to last just fine.

Thank you very much for your response. Very helpful.

BB

I absolutely love my G260s, they're so comfy if you have the correct running style.. I did have to return them due to manufacturing fault, but other than that my feet loved them! I'm currently waiting on a pair of G270s to be delivered as the replacements.

I've a pair of Terra Ultra 260s and they're ok, I actually find them a bit 'unresponsive' compared to numerous other Inov8s i've had. They are quite wide, presumably to fit a swollen foot 30 miles into an ultra. They're fine, just not the first shoe I reach for on bread and butter trail runs. They'll take a bit of road too. Last year's were going cheap - always a bonus

Don't keep us in suspense...... What do you reach for?

Let's not make this about me [preens self] currently Trailtalons and before that the similar but different Trailroc

Do Inov-8s ever wear out at the sole before the upper anyway?

As for my Roclite G 290s, rand peeled at 100 miles and I got a massive hole I could poke my finger through at 180ish miles (finished at 193mi). Only 3 months old and just sent them back. At £108 with 11 runs in total, that's pretty steep price to pay! 

I’ve had a pair of G270s for just over a month. Had terraultras before them.

They’re really versatile for a trail/fell shoe. I’ve found them to be good on long hill days but equally quite comfortable on hard packed trail with short road stints. 

I find zero drop works well for me, especially on rough ground. Cushioning is just enough without being too high off the ground. 

As seems to be the norm with Inov8 the downside is the durability. They already feel a bit knackered and there’s holes developing in the upper. I’d guess 200ish miles in. Disappointing considering the cost. 

Thanks very much all.

I have considered everything and decided that, on balance, zero drop might be a bad idea.

A friend's advice was 'don't be the guy who tried something new for no reason and got injured'. This seems sensible advice. 

Thank you for taking the time to help me!

No worries.  FWIW Inov8 do a very wide range of shoes, you might find one of their other shoes with a drop is suitable.

Kind of weird that buying a zero-drop shoe is taking a risk, but that's where we are.

I had a pair of G260s until they got lost during a flight. They fit my feet perfectly—wide front, narrow back, and the soles were doing fine after the few hundred miles of summer scrambling they had suffered before being lost. The upper had a big tear in it and the fabric rand was very scuffed.

I picked up some plain 260s to replace them. The sole on one shoe delaminated from a single day of scrambling on granite. Shame, because I liked the fit, but I won't be buying again.

If you're not dead set on Innov8 it might be worth a look at VJ Sports MAXx - my go to shoe at the moment. The soles are a very sticky butyl rubber which does wear quite quickly however the kevlar upper is so durable that I ended up getting a pair resoled (LSR) and they're still going strong on their second set of soles. 6mm drop which may be a bit kinder too.