Trail shoes/runners?

oirishfruitie

Looking into buying some Trail shoes - but as I'm not a REAL Trail runner ... I don't want to spend lots.... and ideally I'd like a pair that would also allow me to run on the road...
for example...
Dingle Adventure Race - ..... a pair of shoes that would give me some confidence running down Mount Brandon but then would allow me to do the 10k on the road.
Do most people change shoes after Mount Brandon?
Thanks

sconhome

Its a fine balancing act.

A trail shoe will have lovely grippy outsole for dirty slippy surfaces and may not be giving you comfort and support on the road. Whereas a road shoe will work 100% on the road but not give you any grip if the off-road is anyway wet and slippy.

Something like the Brooks Cascadia, Saucony Peregrine should work as a hybrid shoe but do not expect the same road comfort as a road shoe nor the same grip as a trail shoe over the longer distances. It's a happy halfway medium.

A lot also depends on your normal road runner as to whether you need guidance / neutral for the road portion of the events to avoid injury.

Outkast_IRE

I would also say the Brooks Cascadia are a lovely shoe, im wearing it the last 2 months and they are great so far.

lgk

Salomon XT Wings would do the trick.

nerraw1111

amphkingwest wrote: »

Something like the Brooks Cascadia, Saucony Peregrine should work as a hybrid shoe but do not expect the same road comfort as a road shoe nor the same grip as a trail shoe over the longer distances. It's a happy halfway medium.

A lot also depends on your normal road runner as to whether you need guidance / neutral for the road portion of the events to avoid injury.

Hey Amphkingwest,

What trails shoes would you recommend for someone looking for a light trail shoe, suitable for fireroads, odd bit of muck/grass? Ideally I'd like something similar to Asics DS trainers, in terms of lightness and support.

Currently using Colombia Ravenous, which are fantastic but would like something lighter

sconhome

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Hey Amphkingwest,

What trails shoes would you recommend for someone looking for a light trail shoe, suitable for fireroads, odd bit of muck/grass? Ideally I'd like something similar to Asics DS trainers, in terms of lightness and support.

Currently using Colombia Ravenous, which are fantastic but would like something lighter

Off the top of my head the iNOV-8 Terrafly (about 300g) has a smoother sole than the Roclite, so on the hard pack it will be more comfortable yet still grippy in the muddy stuff. The new iNOV-8 Trailroc (245g) is specifically designed for your type of running.

Just to note, they don't have a support post like the DS Racer but they are built closer to the ground and get their stability that way.

Saucony Peregrine - nice low & stable with sole that grips well across a range of conditions. My pair are battered after last winter on simiilar surfaces.

ThisRegard

lgk wrote: »

Salomon XT Wings would do the trick.

They're fine for trails and forrest tracks but wouldn't recommend them for anything rougher, they're very high which is not good for stability. When my roclites were away getting assessed for replacement I switched back to my wings for a race on the Sugar Loaf. I immediately felt like I was wearing platforms compared to the Innov8s and didn't feel steady at all. Sure enough I went over on my ankle quite badly on the descent.

Having said that, if I never wore innov8s I'd think the Salamons were fine as I hadn't become accustomed to wearing a lower shoe.

lgk

ThisRegard wrote: »

They're fine for trails and forrest tracks but wouldn't recommend them for anything rougher, they're very high which is not good for stability. When my roclites were away getting assessed for replacement I switched back to my wings for a race on the Sugar Loaf. I immediately felt like I was wearing platforms compared to the Innov8s and didn't feel steady at all. Sure enough I went over on my ankle quite badly on the descent.

Having said that, if I never wore innov8s I'd think the Salamons were fine as I hadn't become accustomed to wearing a lower shoe.

Don't think the Roclites would be great for extended road use though, and sounds like this is what the OP is after, especially with the 10k road section in Dingle. The Wings might be a better compromise for an introduction to trails.

oirishfruitie

So, for DAR for example, would most people start in their bike shoes, carrying both trail shoes and road shoes? Seems alot to me. Which is why I was wondering if there was a happy medium.

ThisRegard

lgk wrote: »

Don't think the Roclites would be great for extended road use though, and sounds like this is what the OP is after, especially with the 10k road section in Dingle. The Wings might be a better compromise for an introduction to trails.

I know, I wasn't recommending them for road use, I was putting forward the cons of wearing Wings 2 in certain conditions.


3 pairs of shoes is way overkill imo, some people bring a pair of road/trail shoes and their bikes shoes, some people only wear their running shoes. I don't know of anyone who has carried one of each though.

hardCopy

I haven't seen the Dingle course but I find these very comfortable on the road and on light trails/grass. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/asics-gel-trabuco-14-shoes-aw11/

They're now discontinued but here's this year's model: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/asics-gel-trabuco-14-shoes/

jeffontour

The Inov8 f-lite 230s are a great half way house for someone coming from something like the DS racer I think. Fine on the road and perfect for trail. I've used them in all sorts of slop and not as aggresive as a xtalon or the like they are addequate.

Only problem is the upper is very light and doesn't stand up well to abuse.

BeepBeep67

jeffontour wrote: »

The Inov8 f-lite 230s are a great half way house for someone coming from something like the DS racer I think. Fine on the road and perfect for trail. I've used them in all sorts of slop and not as aggresive as a xtalon or the like they are addequate.

Only problem is the upper is very light and doesn't stand up well to abuse.

I'd agree with that, one of my fav shoes. Don't offer a whole pile of protection though, so be careful if the road section has steep downhills, if you hammer it your shins won't thank you!