In order to run a little different and to ease the pressure on my old bones that road running surely does I have started entering races with more of a trail/woodland/mud feel....but the real problem for me is shoes and in particular shoe that can not only run on trails but is good on road. I recently bought (and returned ) some solomon speedcross 4 which are only for running in muddy conditions over soft terrain. So what trail shoe can be the all dancing shoe that enables me to comfortably run on roads and then switch to trail mud etc.....or do I just persevere with my excellent Brooks Glycerin 14 shoes which are not ideal for running over trail ground etc..
I did the Keilder Winter 10 mile trails race last weekend in Salomon Wings Flyte 2 shoes which were great. They seem to have a bit of a thicker sole than the Speedcross The route was a mix of mud, grassed areas, rocky areas, gravel paths and a small amount of asphalt roads. My roads shoes are Brooks Adrenaline which would’ve been unsuitable for some of last weeks course. Other with road shoes were really struggling.
How were they on the road Stephen did they cope just ok?....this was the problem with the speedcross they were only suitable for mud but as you say an MT course is usually a bit of everything
They did very well on the road sections, even coped well with the icy sections. They wouldn’t ever replace my road shoes for a full asphalt circuit but then thats not what they were designed for.
is this the same shoe? http://www.wiggle.co.uk/salomon-wings-flyte-2-gtx-shoes/ I tend to buy on wiggle as their returns policy is brilliant and this was the only wings flight they had in stock...the type of terrain and race they would be used in is the following which are club in Bristol is running this year and I plan to as well https://sites.google.com/site/chepstowharriersrunningclub/open-races/tintern-trot More and more running clubs are introducing cross country/trail which is great just need the right gear....so what do you think of these shoes Stephen...
They certainly look like rhe same shoes. Companies change colour every year. I have’16 and ‘17 pairs of the same shoes are they are totally different colours. I personally think these shoes are great. My aging knees get of well will them. Don’t know where you are based but any cross country races I did in Greater Manchester called for spiked cx shoes. I have numerous pairs as I like to have the right shoes for the particular terrain. Somebody once told me running was cheap. They lied!
Golly I'd love some decent road-to-trail shoes. The best I've found is Salomon but they're not ideal.
The really hard thing is trying to buy a pair of shoes that are both good on road and trail without losing too much "road" comfort. As all trail runs usually include sections of road the salomon speedcross were not ideal so I sent them back yesterday
The problem is I think a "do-it-all" shoe would get bad reviews for being neither her nor there and get stick for being useless at both trail or road.
That is prob true then prob the best question to ask what is the best trail shoe that is acceptable and runable over short stretches of tarmac (up to 1 mile) the rest being over mud and trail...
One of the things to consider in the difference between road running shoes and pure trail running shoes in the drop (difference between heel height and the ball of the foot. Road shoes generally have quite a high drop (adding comfort) with trail shows having a low drop (putting the runner slightly lower, reducing the risk of going over on the ankle). A big change in drop may require a number of short runs to get used to. Salomon are one brand who do have quite a range of high drop trail shoes.
A bit too late perhaps but for your next pair you might want to consider a pair from the Saucony Peregrine series. Great for light trail and still has that cushioned feeling for road running. If you want shoes for rougher trail however, then definitely consider going with separate shoes for different runs. Happy running! / Daniel
Thumbs up for the Saucony Peregrines, 16 miles in mine today, mud, hardpack and a little road and they coped well.
great advice Daniel even though I have now have a pair of Salomon's I did consider the Saucony and so may well buy an additional pair.....just like road bikes you can't have enough running/trail shoes
