Inov-8 X-Talon First Impressions

Inov-8 X-Talon Review

Yes, so I finally bought a pair of these shoes out of absolute frustration with the Mizunos. The Shoe Goo was OK but was peeling after a few runs and created blister bringing bumps in the shoe. I got the X-Talons for a number of reasons: Firstly, the full length rand from toe to heel to toe. Hopefully this suede like material in combination with the very thick mesh will hold up at least a year (should be about 800 miles for this particular shoe). Also, the minimalistic approach: the shoe has a 6mm drop and weighs only 212g (hence the name). While this is not as flat or light as you can go, you will be lucky to find a randed shoe with zero drop.

The shoe also hits a lot of sweet spots for me: I like shoes with mild responsiveness (somewhere between the Adidas Adios 2 and the Mizuno Evo Ferus) and this shoe is so far doing exactly that: the shoe gets stiffer as you travel backwards from toe to heel and has a nice spring; not deadening like the Evo Ferus but not overly stiff like the Adios 2. The cushioning is also in that nice area where it is not pillowy and not rock hard: it is nicely balanced.

The grip is also beyond any other shoe I have used. I was so confident in its grip that today I went for a Strava CR down Watlington in Oxfordshire (and up too) and despite being a slippy day, I set CR up and down. I was able to hurtle down the around 20% slope to get 1:28 over 450m which is pretty fast. The X-Talon outsole grabs dirt, gravel, rocks, slush and grass like an absolute boss. I'm glad I got the shoe fitted in store so I could get a close to foot feel which gives me absolute confidence which bombing down hills or up slippy mud.

So, I have really high hopes for this shoe and think I might use it for some of my more gravelly school cross country races over my spikes! Anyway, I will be recording the milage for this shoe and will get back to you when it breaks (my bet is 600 miles?).

My Dream Running Shoe!

Introduction

Recently I got into a discussion with my dad about running shoes (mainly centred around durability concerns). Inevitably big companies have profit as a priority over durability. Although I think the companies do actually care, I don't think they pay attention to durability as much as they should. So my dad asked me how would I make a running shoe; I have had some time to ponder this and here is my answer:

Firstly, different configurations are good for different situations (race/train) and terrains (grass, track, trail, road). This shoe will be one I would be happy to use for all my training (50% trail, 30% road, 20% grass) and all my non xc racing (mainly road racing when you exclude xc).

So what do I want? I want close to zero-drop, lightness, durability, speed and less importantly, good looking.

Manufacturer

I have often asked myself whom I would like to be sponsored by if I were to become a big shot. I think that given my great impressions of the XCS4 and Adios 2, I would chose Adidas. The only problem is that they don't really deal in trail running, but hey, this is conjecture anyways. I would like Adidas to make my shoe because of their spot-on use of materials, attention to detail and polished look. I will not restrict myself to Adidas materials though.

Outsole

Here, I am tempted by the flat Continental Rubber on the bottom of Adidas' marathon shoes and the sticky rubber compound on the Inov-8 255's sole that has received so much praise.

The Adidas sole has the advantage of durability on the road and less luggy discomfort whereas the Inov-8 has the ability to really stick to fell material. I think that the Adidas' superiority on roads makes it a better choice as I prefer race performance to training performance. The Continental rubber is the most durable outsole material I have ever run in so it should easily protect a minimal midsole!

Midsole

This category again involves Adidas- the boost material's stat as the best energy returner on the market earns it a place on the shortlist. The Adiprene + from the now outdated Adios 2 has also impressed my with its responsiveness so this will have a shout. The u4ic midsole (and outsole) on the Mizuno Universe 5 is very light but is very weak and probably a bit squishy if you make it thicker.

I think that the Boost's lightweight, durable, energy efficient characteristics make it the right choice however we will need to get rid of that heel drop. Let's go all out and make it completely zero-drop and hope I would be able to adapt to it in time for a marathon.

To make it light, we'll go with a 10mm flat stack height and to give it that very Adidas snap, we'll put in that bit of yellow plastic they can a torsion system. In order to make this shoe a little more versatile and suitable for longer distances, I would include a set of insoles so you can swap and change the stack height to suit the distance. I'm thinking (in mm, heel-toe) 4-1, 4-4, 7-1, 7-4, 7-7, 10-1, 10-4, 10-7, 10-10.

Upper

So far we've basically made an Adidas shoe but here in the upper, I don't think Adidas have enough durability (if only they made randed shoes). It should be obvious by now that I want want want more randing on shoes. How much? I think the Inov-8 x-talon 212 does it nicely leaving no possible points for breaking to occur. I might reinforce it a little just to make sure:

I would also keep the pull on strap at the back of the heel and the lace eyelets which transmit the tension down to the sole so that the laces do not pull on the weak upper. I would however replace the thick material of the top of this shoe with the extremely light upper from the Mizuno Universe 5 since I have never had a failure in this area and it would allow the shoe to breath and be light!

 I would use a very minimal tongue- Like the one used on the Universe 5 but I would take away that silly plastic 5 at the top which just gets in the way.

I would then give it to Adidas to paint perhaps asking for red or orange- I love their designs!

Summary and weight

Given what I have specified, I would expect this shoe to have a weight around 100g and it should be rather durable, fast and good looking!

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Cheers!

Shoe Goo- A very good investment!

It's been a while since my last post- I have been rather busy with Cambridge interview preparation and November tests. I am now on my winter break so hopefully can add more posts in the coming
weeks.

On to the meat of this post: As many of you will be aware from my previous blog posts, I have a history of popping all my shoes (trail or not) at the sides of the upper seriously curtailing the life of the shoes. This means I often throw away shoes with nowhere near enough outsole wear! I have previously cited randing as a possible solution to this which seems popular on a number of Inov-8 shoes (trailroc 255, roclite 243, x-talon 212) and Salomon (S-Lab Sense 3) shown below.

However, as much as I'd like to buy all these shoes right now, I only bought my Mizuno Evo Ferus shoes in August so I am reluctant to shell out upwards of £50 for these. In the Evo Ferus post, I described how the upper had popped earlier than expected and how I had tried to use superglue and stitching to heal the sides. This arrangement only lasts a few runs and I think the superglue becomes brittle after a few days and is not water resistant.

I decided to buy a tube of 'Shoe Goo' to fix this problem. It cost under £10 with delivery and I immediately attempted to fix my Mizuno Wave Universe 5s (yes they are really suffering now) and Evo Ferus shoes. Since that, I have done a race 10k road race in the Universe 5s and a number of shortish runs and general exercise in the Ferus. The Goo remains fairly flexible indefinitely so does not crack in the fashion of the super glue. The only problem I have found is that if you use it on the soles (as I did with my Universe 5s), it does rub off in the fashion of a blister. As an upper healer, it certainly does a sterling job- I certainly think that it will extend my shoes' lives by around 100% or more. Even for a randed shoe, a splurge of Shoe Goo could help to toughen up that vulnerable area.

Watch this guy's video on how to apply it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zzd3pJwkoQ

I look forward to getting some more miles out of my Evo Ferus shoes: If you ignore the poor durability, it is a zero drop, under 210g shoe. My only remaining dislikes are the fit (still a thumb too long) and the flexibility of the sole (some people will like this and to be fair I should probably be grateful for its foot strengthening effect).

In the meantime, I hope more shoe manufacturers use rands on their shoes so I can buy a finished product.

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Cheers

Why read my reviews?

There is a good number of reviewers on the internet today (whose reviews I often read) that come out with a new review every week to month. This is usually because they have sufficient earnings to buy new shoes or they are popular enough to get freebees from companies every week or month. I review shoes that I want to wear and buy myself and I don't buy shoes more often than I have to.

Because of the large number of shoes that reviewers tend to go through, they end up having a milage under 100 miles so it is difficult to tell if the shoe will really last a long time. However, I use running shoes until they break and sometimes beyond that so that I don't have to shell out every few months and so I have time to really find my feet in the shoes. Reading these reviews will let you know how a shoe progresses beyond 300 km (if it lasts that long) and I really wish in the case of Mizuno Evo Ferus that it had been tested by reviewers enough to know the weakness of the upper.

You will also get an impression of a shoe's suitability on different terrains and speeds; I live with the Chiltern ridge to the east and flatland to the west and I race on road, trail, XC and track so there is a lot of variety.

Thanks for the support,

Henry

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Adidas XCS 4 Review

Back in 2012 when I was basically only a XC runner for my school club, I had a pair of Nike XC Zoom Waffle VIII spikes. When I started wearing them, I felt so fast and they were so light (it turns out they are not very light in the world of XC spikes). Such was my love of these shoes, I took out the spikes and ran two 10k PBs in three weeks because I didn't want to plod in beefy trainers. They ended up breaking because of overuse and since I have been through a number of spikes without finding the same feeling of speed. Recently though, my school coach gave me some Adidas XCS 4s. More and more I am discovering the same speed and easiness I had with the Nikes. This might be my only ever review of a spike but I think this one deserves it.


Upper

To be honest, there is not much to say about the upper. I can't say I've put too many miles into these shoes (about 50km I'd guess) but as yet there are no holes in the upper which is slightly surprising to me given how aggressive and fast each of those kilometres was. The upper is not paper thin like most racing flats but feels like a double layer thickish mesh which might be the reason for the durability. There is a nice sturdy heel counter and this combines with excellent lace lockdown through the Adidas stripes to give a shoe that stays on whatever the conditions (I have run across streams, ankle deep mud, hills, grass, 1500m of synthetic track...).

The toe guard is pretty sturdy and I can't figure out why it's there. Anyhow, I think it looks pretty cool when cleaned and gleaming. In fact, the whole shoe has a very cool design and is a top choice among those at the front of packs. The toe box is, as many have said, a little tight however I personally prefer this in a racing shoe; it makes your feet feel more precise and quick in my opinion.

Finally, the laces are pretty average. They are not the easiest to tighten especially if you haven't had a chance for an inter-race clean however they do stay tied up pretty well and don't really loosen or slip.

Midsole

This is another midsole that Adidas has impressed me with. Like the road-going Adios, this shoe has a stiff under arch section which really gives you confidence as you bomb up and down hills without mercy. This is an extremely responsive spike with sturdiness aplenty. I think this may be the desirable similarity between the Nike and the Adidas- the light responsive tight race feel(!). The lugs in between the spikes also probably provide a bit of grip themselves and the outsole wear on my version is non-existent. The heel grip is probably pretty effective if you are the type to go slowly down hills, although I'm afraid I won't be able to advise on that front.

All in all, this is a very well thought out and implemented sole with little consideration for cushioning (good in XC).

Summary

I thought I should share my good, but perhaps limited, perception of this XC spike with you. Personally I think I shall either buy it again or buy the next version if I have to when this one disintegrates although I can see it carrying on for a while. Another top job by Adidas!

Mizuno Evo Ferus Review!

Introduction

After wearing out my first pair of Adidas Adios 2 running shoes I thought I'd switch it up and get a trail specific shoe. I didn't want to keep replacing running shoes because of the busting out of the sides of the shoe so I thought a trail specific shoe would be more rugged. I had particularly high hopes for these shoes due to the welded overlays around the bottom of the upper. I was also very happy with Mizuno as a company given my good experience with the Wave Universe 5- I thought their concentration on the basics would translate across to these shoes. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed in that hope.

As a sort of minimalist runner, I was attracted by the zero drop sole in this shoe. There are a number of other zero drop trail shoes on the market such as the Inov-8 Trailroc 235 which I considered but I dismissed because of reports of poor durability in the typical areas (near ball of foot)! This shoe has a constant 14mm thick sole (including insole). It also has a wide toe box, a relatively modest 7.9oz of weight and flexible midsole so it seemed like a perfect minimalist trail shoe.

Upper

When I got this shoe, it was really large! I can fit my thumb between the end of the shoe and my big toe in UK size 9.5 which I certainly cannot do in my 9.5 Adidas Adios 2 shoes. The forefoot goes beyond allowing toe splay: it is like a paddle. So, even if you decide to get this shoe after reading this review, I recommend you go at least half a UK size down. Even so, I was determined to like this shoe. The shoe did seem to last a number of harsh trail runs but within around 2 weeks of seeing some fraying on both sides, there appeared some holes which I was able to hide relatively well with the mud on the shoe. Then the more I used the shoe, the wider the holes became until it was obvious to anyone near me. To rectify this, I've decided to sew up the holes and to protect the thread I've glued half of this old Asics Piranha SP4 tongue to the outside. Thus far I haven't tested this configuration.

Even so, having got less than 300km out of the original upper, I feel let down. The upper situation isn't helped by the fact that every time I lace these up, it feels as though the tension is transmitted through the woven breathable mesh rather than through Adidas stripes or Inov-8 overlays for example shown below:

I really don't see the problem with putting some heavyish material around the toe box of most trail shoes as in the Inov-8 Trailroc 255:

In fact, so sick am I of shoes breaking so prematurely in this area that I will surely buy the 255 when my makeshift upper disintegrates. Could this be a matter of built in obsolescence? I would welcome any shoe manufacturer explaining why I repeatedly have this problem. In fact, the only shoe which I will not throw away due to damage in this area is the Wave Universe 5 as I think the sole will have disappeared by then!

Midsole

My first run in these was one of my favourite shortish runs: roughly 4.5k of road then 1.5k really steep uphill trail in the Chilterns and then back down. My first run was pretty unremarkable; I think the softness of this sole compared with my Adidas Adios 2 threw me a bit. So much was my dislike of the pillows on the bottom of my feet that I took the insole out for one run. This left me even more room in the shoe and I got some high pressure points on my foot during a long run.

I thought I would like a flexible sole because of the extreme flexibility of the Wave Universe 5- I think the difference here is that the Wave Universe 5 is soft but because it is so thin, it doesn't seem so. When I run in the Ferus though, I feel like I am losing a little bounce.

As I increased my milage in the shoe though, I got used to the softness but I would not consider using it for a road race. I did however use it for the Watlington 10 mile race in October and I won by over a minute and set a course record by over two minutes. I think that had this been a road race (rather than a really hilly trail race) I would not have performed as well relatively. I put this down to a rather good outsole. I have never slipped in this shoe and in some of my runs up Watlington hill, there is a dangerous twisty downhill bit which is really fun to go fast on. I decided once to test the mettle of the shoe by taking the brakes off just before a tight downhill twist and I felt completely safe. Another situation in which the grip excelled was during that 10 mile race where at about 12k, there was an ascent up the side of a slope and then a path parallel to the top of the slope right on the edge. By this point I had a good half minute lead and wobbled onto the slope and thought I was going to lose it. This shoe held on and saved my race. The outsole is taking some wear but not more than I would expect from some tough trails; it will certainly last longer that the upper. Below is the X-pattern for 'multi directional traction': 

Summary

This is a shoe that has a lot going for it: It has one of the best outsoles on a shoe I have used. It is also zero drop and light for all you runners trying to run more naturally. Unfortunately it is thoroughly let down by a poor upper. I will not be buying this shoe again but there are many shoes that I wouldn't buy in the first place (expensive heavy Nike wads of eva come to mind...). Mizuno, if you make a Ferus 2 with better durability in the upper and then I will buy it, OK?

Adidas Adios 2 Review

Introduction

This is Adidas' now twice outdated marathon shoe having been replaced by the Adios Boost and Adios Boost 2. For a frequenter of zero-drop shoes like me, this is not a typical buy given its heel to toe drop of 9mm (24mm heel, 15mm forefoot). However, this is the only shoe I have ever bought a second pair of. I was so impressed by its versatility, reliability and  responsiveness that I couldn't think of a better shoe to take me 26.2 miles for the first time in April (Great Welsh Marathon). Until recently, it held the marathon world record having taken Wilson Kipsang through the Berlin marathon in 2013 despite the Boost being available at the time. There are suggestions from many that he didn't like the soft feel of the boosts so instead used the firmer Adios 2. Now he has switched to the Boost 2 as did Dennis Kimetto for his world breaking Berlin marathon in 2014.

I have not tried the Boosts but as a forefoot runner, I could see little purpose to the huge lump of Boost material on the heel (I also would rather save £30).

Performance

I used these shoes at the 2014 Reading Half Marathon where I set my personal best of 1:20:05. I will use them once again at Reading and look to go sub-80. I do not consider these shoes 'fast' as such. That title goes to the Mizuno Wave Universe 5 due to it being near barefoot. These shoes are different- they seem to let you cruise at high tempo for a long time (hence Marathon and Half-Marathon suitability). I would not limit these to longer distances; I have run 5k and 10k in these and although they are unlikely to set a personal best 5k you could do a pretty good 10k in these shoes, especially if you're not prepared to go minimal. They have some pretty firm cushioning to let you go on long road runs and this extra cushioning contributes to a modest weight of 7.4oz. I think this is a great value for weight if you will- the outsole is rather durable, the upper is comprehensive and it seems the whole design has been thought through.

Upper

The upper is very smart and the Adidas stripes and overlays hold the foot very well when the laces are tightened. The suede material on the front of the shoe is very durable and helps hold the foot well. I also liked the pointed look of the forefoot (much better looking than perhaps the Mizuno Wave range for example).

These shoes really do look good and would be ideal apart from one issue that might just apply to me. There are no suede or welded overlays at the ball of the foot leading to easy breaking of the upper at this point. My first pair of these shoes popped here and got worse and worse because I could not stop myself running in them (to the despair of my mother). Eventually I bought another pair which I will use sparingly. I still have my old pair and use them for my morning runs where nobody can see anything.

The heel counter is comprehensive and there is a nice plastic part surrounding the heel. The tongue is nicely padded. My only gripe with the upper is the scratchy inside which prevents sockless running but I suppose keeps the shoes odour free.

Midsole

I love the sole on this shoe. There is a good bit of continental rubber on the outsole which does make it grippy although I have never slipped on a road before in any shoe. The flexibility seems to vary as you could expect the foot to. There is a plastic plate right in the centre which give the shoe a 'pop' and this is my benchmark for responsiveness. The Adiprene + foam gives a nice stable ride and doesn't seem to get in the way too much when you really pick up the pace.

The Adiprene foam is the predecessor of the boost material used by Adidas and there are all sorts of energy return figures suggesting that Boost is better but I think Adiprene must be second only to the boost in terms of energy return. You don't have to put too much into this shoe to get speed back which is probably why it excels over longer distances.

Some would complain about the high heel to toe differential but I think it saves your calves as the miles tick by.

Summary

This is my all-round favourite shoe of all time. Its durability issues are a bit disappointing but there are few shoes which don't experience the same problems. It is a great choice for longer distance races due to its responsiveness and middle of the road stack height. Every part of the design has been thought through and if this is not the world's best shoe, it can only be the Adios Boost 1/2. Thanks Adidas!

Mizuno Wave Universe 5 Review

Introduction

Having run in the Asics Piranha SP4 for just over a year, I was in the market for a minimalist racing shoe for 5k-10k. I must say that the Universe 5 fulfils this role. I understand that to this day this is the lightest shoe on the market at 2.8oz!

Its heel to toe drop of 2mm (13mm heel-11mm forefoot) really is unnoticeable and the soft 'u4ic' foam on the midsole compresses upon foot strike to leave probably less that 5mm between you and the road. It is truly a barefoot style shoe with its wide toe box and hardly there feel.

Performance

This is the fastest shoe over 5k-10k that I have ever run in. This is no surprise given its flexibility and weight. I have noticed roughly a 15 second improvement in 5k test times with this shoe over my regular Adidas Adios 2 shoes (which are no slouches themselves). I would however think hard before taking them into 10 mile + territory even for those with strong calves and arches. I think that extended running in these shoes will leave your calves very tight after the hour mark. I did however, rather optimistically, wear them in a half marathon. Although there might have been other factors at play, I missed my 'firm' goal time by 90 seconds. Take from that what you will.

Upper

The upper is extremely light and thin all over the shoe. There are two seamless stitches on each side and the heel counter is very light. The tongue is not much thicker than the majority of the upper and the laces are the lightest I have ever owned (perhaps because there are only 5 loops to lace). All this adds to give a really light shoe.

In terms of looks, the number pattern on the upper is unusual and I can't say its my favourite feature. I don't mind it and I think that whatever your perception of the looks, you will forgive it once you realise the incredible speed.

When it comes to durability of shoes that I wear, for some reason I ALWAYS bust out the sides of the upper near the ball of the foot perhaps due to some aggressive trails or unusual running style. I was surprised with the durability of the upper given its thickness and while I have only ever used it on road, track and occasionally well kept grass, it stayed mostly intact for longer than I expected. Now I am beginning to see the outside of the upper pop open but not in such an obvious fashion as has been the tendency of some other shoes on the inside of the foot. I must have done around 150km of sub-4km pace in these and around 50km of sub-3:20km pace in these shoes and I think that the upper will just about hold up for another 100km of this type of running.

The upper is very comfortable with no annoying seams or restrictive overlays. This is definitely a sockless racer for those who are comfortable with the odour.

Midsole

There is not really an outsole on these shoes; there is just a thin slab of exposed foam with a few bits of black harder rubber in important areas. I can't say this with any other pair of shoes I have ever used: I wore through the sole of these shoes before the upper gave up. Yes, you did read that. There is a finger sized hole in the sole of my shoe! I temporarily fix it after
each run by putting glue in the hole and letting it dry- this lasts about 10 km and I really wish I didn't have to do this but I suppose I have just gone beyond the shoe's lifespan.

In terms of grip, I would just say that it suffices- I have never slipped over but nor would I expect to running on roads.

The midsole is extremely flexible- such that you can roll it up into a 5cm diameter cylinder. This means that you'll want strong high arches to get the best out of these shoes. You can easily think that you have no shoes on. I have often wandered what the effect of adding an Adidas 'torsion system' to the bottom of the shoe would be. This would give it what some might call a 'pop' and make it less flexible; would this make it faster?

Summary

This is certainly in the minimalist, zero-drop, barefoot and racing categories. I would be surprised if any shoe on the market matches it for speed. Although I have had durability issues lately, I would certainly buy it again just to get another 100km of blisteringly fast running and personal bests. It is pricey compared to traditional shoes and some of my friends have asked why I would pay so much for such a light shoe (I think I payed around £80 in April 2014) so in a sense it is bad value given how many road miles you can get out of it but I would argue (with my great british pounds no less) that the times you will achieve make it worthwhile.