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Trail and Road shoes - check in!

post #1 of 14
9/16/09 at 6:55am
Thread Starter 
I am interested in what running shoes people own, and what they like/dislike about them. I have been through a lot of shoes to find a trail shoe I really like (Montrail Mountain Masochist), whereas I had no trouble at all finding a make/model of road shoes I consistently like (ASICS Kayano).

What models do you own?

What do you like or dislike about them?

Trail:

I have two pair of Inov-8 (Mud-rocs and fly-rocs, I think) trail shoes, and both have too small a toe box for me. They are uncomfortable for anything over 45 minutes long.

I had a pair of ASICS Gel Trail Eagles and hated them. They were slippery on rocks and too cushiony and also rubbed a weird spot on my right heal (?)

I had a pair of Brooks trail shoes (Cascadias?) that were basically the same as the ASICS but without the rubbing issue. Still had traction issues.

I had a pair of La Sportiva trail shoes, and I liked them but they wore out in about 200 miles. They were good and light and comfortable and had good grip.

The Montrail Mountain Masochists are the best trail shoe I've tried. The toe box is perfect. They're not too cushiony. I can wear them for hours without blisters or hot spots, and they drain water better than a lot of other shoes I've had.

Road:

I have a pair of NB road shoes (can't remember the number) and they were okay, but too cushiony for me.

I have basically stuck with the latest version of Kayano for road shoes for about 4 years now. I realize they're expensive, but they consistently fit and cause me no pain and generally last a long time.

So, for trail shoes, it's the Montrail MM's and La Sportiva that are what I consider the best.

I'd like to try the Vibram 5 fingers, and would like to have easy access to a larger running store. I suppose living in rural Vermont does have one downside...

Sorry for rambling, but I'd appreciate your thoughts.

HJ
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post #2 of 14
9/16/09 at 11:58am
I own 3 pairs of Inov-8's and LOVE them. I have wide feet too. I have Terroc-330 (not sure if they make these anymore), Rocklite-315, and Mudclaw-330. I've never owned any other kind of trail shoes.

Have been running in the Brooks Adrenaline line for road shoes for about 5 years now, maybe longer? I used to be in Asics, but they changed the model from the 2080 to the 2090 (or was it the 2090 to the 2100?) so much I couldn't wear them and switched to Brooks then.
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post #3 of 14
9/17/09 at 1:11pm
Always have several shoes "active" at once. At any one time, I'll probably have something from both the 1000 and 2000 series of asics, a brooks adrenaline, a saucony omni and something from NB (right now - the 886, I believe) in a big rotation. I try to get them in "narrow", but run in mediums if that's what's on sale. I like that they all feel a little different and run a little different.

yar
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post #4 of 14
9/18/09 at 9:06pm
I don't have any trail shoes yet but hope to find some this fall. I also have a wider foot so it's good to know that the Inov-8s and Montrails might be a good place to start looking.

I ran in Saucony Guides or Omnis for the last few years and although they fit my foot like a glove I have been plagued with injuries off and on and lower back pain so I decided to make a big change. I started running barefoot a bit in May and then decided to buy some Vibram Five Fingers and have been running in them 2-3x week on grass, trails and some roads. After running in the VFF I had a really hard time running in the Guides so I tried some Saucony xc flats (too narrow) and then bought some Newtons against my better judgement. I'm actually quite surprised at how much I like them because I thought of them as a novelty shoe and not really for me. I don't know if they are the long term shoe for me but for now they are working and I really like them. The best part is that I've been injury-free and have no back pain at all since I stopped running in the Guides and working to change my form.

I want to start looking for another option to add in the mix - something a little less structured than the Guides.
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post #5 of 14
11/1/09 at 10:02pm
I use a variety of NB models for road, I think I'm currently in the 700s, they're ok - I find most of NB's pretty similar.

For trail (fell running to me) I use NB RX terrain, they're not serious fell running shoes but are light and studded and cheaper than walshes.
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post #6 of 14
11/1/09 at 10:37pm
It was the 2090 to the 2100. That's when I switched to Brooks too.
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post #7 of 14
11/4/09 at 8:42am
I have had lots of problems with shoes due to poor biomechanics which is to long a list to describe here. I have been trying a more minimalist approach to shoe selection and have stated running with the Nike free and find that they have been the best selection yet however they are terrible on trails. So I recently discovered the newly released New Balance trail shoes MT100 and love them so far but I have to wait before using them on the trails due to current injury.

http://run100miles.com/gear-reviews/...l-shoe-review/
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post #8 of 14
11/4/09 at 9:54pm
I've taken to doing my road running Nike Free 5.0 v4 - LOVE them. I feel like a kid - so light and (dare I say) free.

Have been in Asics Gel Trabuco 12 - it's OK, but now that I'm in the Frees, the Trabucos seem like cushiony coffins.
Tried the Inov-8 Roclite 260, but the MetaShank hit me in a weird (annoying) spot in each of two different sizes.
Just started with Adidas Adizero XT - so far, so good.
Am curious about the New Balance WT100.
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post #9 of 14
11/10/09 at 2:05pm
Two pairs, ea. color, of End Stumptown 12oz. (this is a trail shoe). Have a wide 1-E, forefoot - high arch. I use an insole from Foot Solutions for high arch/metatarsal pad. Work great in all my shoes. My roadsters are Pearl Iz. Guide (firm/neutral) & Nike Vomero -4 (SOFT/neutral). Have had some North Face trail shoes also, which I liked (Voza). I posted a review w/a photo on Backcountry.com for the End 12oz.,- from JJ100.
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post #10 of 14
11/16/09 at 1:34pm
Hi all. Just wanted to chime in and thank Roly for the heads up on the MT100s.

For road shoes I have been gradually getting more and more minimal, went from:

Asics 2XXX > Asics 1XXX > Asics Speedstar > Asics Hyperspeed

I loved the Speedstar II, but the III was too clunky, so that was when I moved to the Hyperspeeds and have been very happy with them.

For trails, I have been using the various version of the Asics Trail Attacks. I loved the trail Attack IIs, which were pretty minimal, but they have gotten clunkier with every version. My third pair of Trail Attack IVs was about ready for retirement, so I decided to branch out and try the NB MT100s (after reading about them in this thread).

I just did my first run in them this morning and they were great. I run on some fairly technical trails and was a little afraid that my feet would get beat up by the rocks in such light shoes, but they were great -- the rock plate really worked....
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post #11 of 14
11/16/09 at 5:56pm
I have two different pairs of trail shoes. I use a pair of UA Chimeras for just training on trails. They're not bad, but really heavy at 13 oz. Late in a run it starts feeling like you're wearing ankle weights. I would never run a race in them, that's for sure. I'm pretty certain I'll look for something else when these are ready to be retired.

For trail racing I have a shoe made by Asolo, an Italian company...I think the model is called the Vision. They've worked pretty well so far...I got them at Hudson Trail Outfitters. I've done 3 trail races in them, ranging from easy and relatively flat forest trail to highly technical and steep with mixed surfaces.

BTW I used to have the highly rated Brooks Cascadias. They did not work so well for me though.
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post #12 of 14
12/4/09 at 7:52pm
A question for the folks who have Innov-8s... I'd like to try them but there's no close store that carries them. How do I decide which one to order? I need a neutral, cushioned shoe that's good for rocky, sandy trails.
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post #13 of 14
3/10/10 at 12:01am

Trail and Road shoes

Just for background, my trail runs are 2-5 hours in length, while my road running consists of short speed workouts, and medium to long runs in the 14-23 mile range when training for marathons (I just completed my 6th). Anyway...

I have only had 2 trail shoes: Salomon XA Pros and Montrail Mountain Masochists. I prefer the Salomons for several reasons: the sole is much harder...which I preferred on the rocky/rough terrain that I run on. They are goretex, so I can run through 2-4 inches of water without getting my socks and feet wet. They also seem to grip better on slick rocks. I do like the Masochists for trails that are much less technical since they don't have the stability or grip of the Salomons.

As for road shoes, I have been racing 10k to marathon distance in Nike Zoom Vomeros (version 1, 2, 3, and now 4). They are the most comfortable and cushioning shoe I have ever worn. For training I have been wearing Nike Frees 3.0 and 5.0s. Recently went on the internet to find the 3.0s....which appear to be discontinued, so now have 5.0s V4. They seem narrower than previous models, but I still enjoy them for the foot/leg muscle development they promote due to their minimalist nature. I have also considered (but not yet committed) to trying the Vibram 5 fingers
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post #14 of 14
5/3/10 at 2:25pm
I used mizuno and nike. But I prefer mizuno coz its lighter. I fell foot pain whenever I use nike.
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