UKC

Hi,

Can anybody recommend a shoe for trails at the more groomed/maintained end of the spectrum?  Talking about maintained footpaths, canal tow paths, even forestry trails. Basically a shoe to plug the gap between my road shoes and my Roclites for when I need more grip than the road shoes offer but don't need an all-out trail-fell shoe.

Only contender I've identified so far is the Saucony Peregrine 10.

TIA.

In reply to Josslad:

Salomon Sense ride 2 is my go to for this. 

A responsive ride. I have 2 pairs on the go at the minute.

Can be found fairly cheap currently as the sense ride 3 has not long been released.

In reply to bouldery bits:

I've had a couple of pairs of asics gel so I a, mainly because they were cheap as chips. But they seemed pretty good. I used them in a mix of lanes, tracks and fields

In reply to Josslad:

My peregrines are peregrine 8s - fab for this stuff but the sole is probably more aggressive than Roclites to be honest.

For the type of stuff you describe I rally like these:

https://www.mandmdirect.com/01/details/NB2152/New-Balance-Mens-Nitrel-V3-Tr...

Cheap, light, decent midsole and fairly responsive with enough grip for tracks, but not to much for the road...

In reply to PFitz:

Thanks all - I'll check these out.

In reply to bouldery bits:

These have served me well. The 3's are more comfortable.

In reply to bouldery bits:

+1 on Sense Rides, they ride as if they are a road shoe. 

Not great on technical terrain (both mud and rock), but then they aren't meant to. 

In reply to Josslad:

I use a pair of ascics venture 7. Feels smooth using on pavement, good grip in the forrest and okay in mud. Not great to scramble in but wouldn't really wear it for that.

In reply to Josslad: what do you wear on the road.  Pegasus trail get good reviews... Hoka Challengers are good but they fall to pieces a bit too quickly..

As a comment I averaged 80 miles a week for years, with 90% of that offroad round Wim Common and Richmond park, and like everyone else used road shoes... don't overthink this

In reply to Josslad:

I have Salewa wildfire gtx for technical ( non mountain) stuff And Salewa Rapace gtx boots for harder terrain, but for a cheaper shoe I can recommend the Karrimor Panther low, I work as a dog walker I use them daily and get Around 1600 miles (around a year) out of a pair and they take some stick! they have a Vibram sole and it is always the uppers that fall apart first: but for around £60 for 1600 miles I think that’s a good deal for a general woodland / Trail shoe. they are not overly light though. I use Soloman Speedcross for trail running they are great and light but not as long lasting as the Karrimor.

hope this helps

In reply to Josslad:

Maybe just a road shoe with goretex lining. I'd be quite happy to wear my ASICS gt-1000-GTX on the terrain you describe (actually I do wear them on this kind of stuff 😁). Means you don't worry so much about puddles and a bit of mud, ideal for the kind of run where you road run to a park, run round the park (but don't care if it's just peed down 15 minutes ago), and then road run back home.

In reply to wbo2:

Oh I'm always guilty of overthinking things!

I'm in NB 880v10 for road work at the minute.  My local trails, like from-the-front-door local, are largely flat along the cliffs above the beach but they do get slick and greasy on top of a firm base. Of course I can use road shoes when it's dry, my trail shoes when it's not, but that's not gonna feed my gear addiction.....

In reply to Michael Hood:

Sounds a very good option 👍

In reply to Josslad:

I just use road shoes on terrain like this (which makes up 90% of my running)

In reply to Michael Hood:

GTX lining doesn't really do much for running shoes. If it's just a few puddles, the non-waterproof shoes will dry out much faster and can stay warm. If it's biblical weather, bogs or massive puddles, then the waterproof shoes will still get wet and will stay wet for longer. 

I had a pair of waterproof shoes and the uppers lasted probably hundred miles or so. 

I put multiple 20-25 mile runs this winter with regular trail shoes and merino or Injinji socks with no blisters. Admittedly, drenched shoes that don't fit well accelerate hotspot build up, so well fitted shoes are a must anyway. 

In reply to PPP:

Hmm, I got my first pair of GT-1000-GTX simply because I found a pair cheaper than the normal GT-1000s that I was looking for (think I'm on my 4th or 5th of the various GT-1000 iterations). Just found they were that bit better, always kept my feet dry when it was wet.

A couple of things that you mention don't apply to me and they might be where the GTXs don't shine:

• Biblical weather - that's me still inside then 😁 unless really caught out on the run, so I've not experienced the feet wet even with GTX (when of course they'll take longer to dry out).
• I only run up to about 10k and that rarely, usually in the 4-8k range. So that probably means my feet are less likely to overheat with goretex.

Always the outsoles that go first for me.

Funnily enough, when orienteering I use Mudclaw 300s and (of course) then I don't give a damn about wet feet. The only thing I want is for each orienteering event to have a convenient stream near the finish so I can easily clean all the mud off.

In reply to Josslad:

 I happily use road shoes on terrain such as you describe. My current fave is a Saucony Guide. If I feel like trail shoes, almost any would do apart from the aggressively lugged-up off-trail type of shoe. Brooks Cascadias have lasted me well, but I got a few hundred miles out of a New Balance pair that I got for £15.

In reply to wbo2:

I've not found that at all, I find they last really well. Had 3 versions :-

v1 - 470 miles

v2 - 630 miles

v4 - 530 miles

Just started breaking in a pair of v5 and fully expect to get around 500 or more

In reply to steelbru:  Decent numbers.  The midsole is in perfect nick, the soles tore off but I glued them bak on, but no easy cure for the holes in the uppers.  I know others have had the same.  But they would suit the OP very well I suspect

In reply to Josslad:

I run on the downs so mostly hard but occasionally slippy and muddy. I've been using Broooks Cascadia but they size up small so go half a size bigger. 

I've just bought a pair of Calderas as they were dead cheap and I think I prefer them for training mileage and easy terrain.

I prefer to save my road shoes for the road.

In reply to XXXX:

Thanks, I'll have a look at those. Like you, I'd prefer to keep my road shoes for their intended purpose. I switch surface quite a lot and so don't resent having the right tyre choice available - it's quite justifiable to me.

In reply to XXXX:

Very true, I have been caught out by that in the past, but for me they don't hold the mid foot very well compared to other trail shoes I have used. 

In reply to Josslad:

Another vote for Salomon Sense Ride 2 or 3, just buy whatever is on sale, only thing i find with them is that they have no rockplate in them so can be trouble on rocker stuff but for maintained trails and fire roads and smoother trails they are perfect.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

Thanks - just taken delivery of a pair of Sense Ride 2 (great price) and they appear spot on for the intended purpose 👍