UKC

Afternoon all,

hope all is good. I’m going to attempt to get back into a bit of running, will be a mixture of on the road and well maintained trails.

Having a gait analysis next week and will obviously only buy a pair that fit correctly but was wondering if anyone has a recommendation(s).

The last pair I had (years ago) and used for this terrain were Salomon Speedcross which were good but wondered if there were decent alternatives. 
 

Thanks, Den 

In reply to Denni:

Something like the innov8 park claw might fit the bill.  The Speedcross is a pretty aggressive trail shoe, there are better shoes for road and trail. 

In reply to Denni:

Speedcross are the worst shoe Salomon make. If you like Salomon fit, I'd recommend a Sense Ride for the sort of mixed terrain you're talking about.

Obvious caveat: if it fits

In reply to grectangle:

thanks, I’ll have a look at those.

In reply to ianstevens:

I found them not too bad Ian but then again I didn’t know any different back then!

In reply to Denni:

Hoka Torrent would work very well for a mix of road and trail. You can also pick them up fairly cheaply from Sportshoes.com. 

In reply to Denni:

If it's only road and well-maintained trails, I'd be open to the possibility of just using road shoes. I've used Brooks road shoes on a lot of trails, and they're absolutely fine.

In reply to Denni:

Honestly a lot of this is my personal opinion - I found them heavy, clunky, imprecise and spent 99% of the time wishing the lugs were smaller. For the sort of use you describe, it's also not really their design remit, moreso being for sloppy mud.

In reply to ianstevens:

Used to run in the Speedcross a great deal and loved them, not least because the drop suited my Achilles.

Always thought they were a cracking shoe, one that, for me, came alive on dry, technical mountain trails like you find in the alps. Dreadful on wet grass mind!

Just shows how personal preference plays such a huge part of shoe choice though.

In reply to plyometrics:

I also loved my Speedcross, wore them into holes and now have two pairs of trail shoes, Salomon Wildcross and Saucony Peregrine.  They both fit me well and perform as they should whilst feeling completely different on my feet.

Tried Hoka Speedgoat as loads of folk recommended them, they felt lovely and cushy when I put them on but managed to mangle both heels to bleeding point within a mile.  They’d probably be great if they fit you!

In reply to Denni:

I'm guessing they will only do the gait analysis if you are buy road running shoes?

Do you have any foot history to consider?

I've had periods of Plantar fasciitis and Morton's Neuroma (nerve pain in ball of foot). I bought some Brooks Cascadia 16 which where fairly narrow and had a large heel to toe drop, and this was a big mistake as it aggravated my feet quite considerably.

I switched to Altra Timp 4's with have a wide toe box, zero drop and a good amount of cushion and had no problems since. They are meant for trails which is mainly what I do, but when running on sections of road I have found them excellent.

My only disappointment is they have worn in the inside at the back of the heel really quickly, however, I may have exacerbated this when wearing ankle weight for a long period which caused them to rub.

In reply to Sealwife:

Just to make sure we have the whole range of opinions and not just the extremes, I think they're a bit 'meh'. Had a few pairs and I would use them for road-to-trail training but nothing too special. I quite like them as hiking shoes though to be honest.

I'm a fan of the Peregrine, and also the Iso - great for fast trail races.

These are weird. I'm on my third pair. One pair rubbed the top of my smaller toes causing bleeding. Another pair rubs my instep but I can live with it on short runs. Another pair I ran the entire UTMB in them for 42 hours straight (didn't even change socks) without a blemish on my feet.

To the OP - just go for what you like the feel of, its always a bit of lottery. I echo the comment about Brooks road shoes if you really aren't doing anything too demanding. I'm also a fan of Brooks Cascadia (they had a wobble a few years back) but I've put serious mileage into every model from 9-15 and find them comfortable and 'cruisy'.

I think also people over estimate the effect a particular shoe has. You buy a model, run in them, get injured - its probably the running and not the shoe specifically. I think gait analysis is a bit of a 'probably harmless' con as well but probably makes people feel better about their purchase because it feels more scientific.

In reply to montyjohn:

Cascadias do come in width fittings. I have wide feet and have used the 2E width fittings without problems.

I've used Altra Lone Peaks for off-road running and I love their shape and extra width. For wide feet, they're excellent.

In reply to Denni:

There'll be something in Inov-8s colossal range that suits. They give a width rating for each shoe. I've had multiple pairs of Roclites, Trailtalons and similar that see me through trails and the odd bit of road. Something with a flatter tread block for bits of road, rather than more pyramid studs you get on fell shoes.

For what its worth I think you can worry less about gait, pronation and all that stuff offroad. You want something fairly low to the ground (no offence Hoka) and without much structure, so your foot can adapt. Your footfall is constantly changing, unlike on tarmac.

In reply to Denni:

I've got wide feet and run in right mix of trail stuff, with gravel & tarmac paths thrown in. To this end I've had success with Brooks Cascadias, Hoka Speedgoats and Inov8's Trailfly Ultra G 280s. A few others that didn't feet my feet or split prematurely as being too narrow but happy with selection now.

Hate shoe and boot shopping, it's so personal!!

In reply to yorkshireman:

Hahaha yes Hoka Speedgoat definitely unpredictable! Mine felt amazing as soon as I got them but gave me blisters on anything approaching 10 miles. After about 100 miles they stopped doing that. They're quite fun (compared to most other trail shoes I've had) and still going strong after 200+ miles. Good grip for me.

My friend, however, tore through his really quickly, he didn't find them very grippy and before long the upper fell apart!

I found the Torrent great also, but for longer distances not enough cushion. Hoka's best road/trail combo is the Challenger ATR, nice cushioning and ok grip for non-muddy conditions. Have managed a (dry) 50 miler on the South Downs in them, very comfy.

But another poster mentioned Brooks road shoes as another option if dry. This works great for me too. I've got some Brooks Ghost which I didn't like for the road but they're amazing on dry trails. Sole is pretty hard wearing, grip good for road shoes, and I've done 300 miles in them. Given the OP's intended use of roads and well-maintained trails, a road shoe like Brooks might work well.

In reply to Denni: altra have plenty of form for falling to pieces very quickly. ILuckily they don't work for me , so I don't care.

I personally thought Speedcross ok , but for what the OP describe I'd try Nike pegasus road shoes , and live with the compromise

In reply to Denni:

I use the Hoka Challenger, specifically a mixed-road-and-trail shoe, and I love them. I have a pair of Speedcross but I think they are lethal on wet stone or wet grass, although good for Chilterns mud.

In reply to Denni:

Also, it's a good idea to go into a good running shop when it's quiet, where the staff will be keen to explain thebdifferent types of shoe - I found this hugely helpful a few years ago.

In reply to Denni:

All the big brands have a road/trail crossover shoe, some examples :-
Nike Pegasus Trail 4 is decent on the road.

Saucony Ride 15 TR, is a "trail-ised" version of the Ride 15 road shoe.

Inov8 Parkclaw G280

Hoka Challenger

Asics Fuji Lite 2 (or 3)