"Trail Shoes"

Out buying some shoes for the forth coming cross country season and, never having done this since school when plimsoles were the only option, I was a little lost as to what I should purchase. This is where a really helpful (and startlingly young!) lad gave me and the wife the benefit of a wealth of knowledge on the British Cross Country scene.

I had gone in with the (mis) preconception of purchasing something that might be refered to as a "Trail Shoe" and quickly realised that this was no better than an extra-treaded road shoe. I.E. next to useless when faced next week with the gloop the first week of October is going to provide us with (according to the soon-to-retire Mr. Fish).

My opinion is that these so called trail shoes are only derived from walking shoes and at that, only suitable for dry dusty trails. In these situations, I'm sure my trusty road shoes will suffice and save me a small fortune.

I was quickly convinced for the need for something a little more aggressive and opted for spikes over studs, but was then confronted with the choice of spike length.

Does anyone have any experience of using spikes (difficulty?) and what sort of length should I use for what conditions?

Comments

  • 100mm spikes and aireate my lawn for me :-)

    The wetter/gloopier it is the longer, If there is any hard stuff on the course, then shorter is better.

    I've compromised at between 8 and 12mm

    djb
  • We did the Midland cross country relays on Saturday, I wore Walshs(trail shoes) and stayed upright.
    My partner wore road shoes and fell three times in the muddy conditions.
    I do not like spikes, scared I will spike myself (I do kick my own shins a bit when I run.)
    10-15mm spikes would be best if you like spikes, but if there are any road sections they can be difficult to cope with, whereas studs are better for multi terrain type runs.
  • Yes between 9mm and 12mm. the latter are a bit scary but if it is that muddy..... just remember not to tread on the person in front. Being spiked is not very pleasant

    To be honest some of the specific trail shoes are not too bad, it is just that a lot are tweaks of road shoes. However having got a pair of trail shoes, I agree if you are doing real cross country i.e. mud and fields then spikes are better. Just remember that there is no cushioning on these which in mud is fine but if you are on slighlty harder surfaces the achilles can tend to notice it after a while.
  • Some trail shoes are very definitely not beefed-up road shoes, eg Inov-8 Flyroc and Terroc. But I agree that most don't seem to offer that much, unless you have road shoes with particularly poor grips.

    If the weather's fine, I reckon my regular Sauconys will do the job - they've got pretty decent grip. For out-and-out cross-country, or muddy trails, I'd use my Flyrocs.
  • Can anyone recommend a pair of XC spikes that would be able to be used on the track also (does such a shoe exist?). I can only really afford one pair and they will be predominently used XC but would like them for use on track training sesions also.
  • Birdman you could try the New Balance 230/ 240. This is deemed X/c but good for indoor outdoor track. I'd agree with So Very Tired about Inov8 - Mudroc 290/280 better traction, as they are a fell shoe.
  • The alternative to spikes is 'studs' or fell shoes. These are similar in construction to spikes but have a tread with lots of pyramid studs on them. They give a very good grip (almost as good as spikes) but have the advantage that you can run on rock, tarmac or other hard surfaces. Good ones are :-

    Walsh, Innov-8 (already mentioned), New Balance RX Terrain, Adidas swoop.

    As you've already spotted Trail shoes from the regular road shoe manufacturers are a waste of time.
  • i have addidas swoop. play footbal in them more than xc. great for running to the park to do reps. cope with the road and the wet grass. up side they are cheep at the mo. £30-£40. down side is they are heavy 350g compared to walshes/NB 220g. they all wiegh the same full of water!! my thought is this. in propper mud it doesn't matter because there is no grip anyway, its the inbetween to worry about
  • Dean NDean N ✭✭✭
    Hi there just come across this forum while
    looking for some info on off road shoes ,I am looking to do some cross country this season and also live close to Richmond and Bushy park in southwest London therefore will be doing pleanty of off road running am looking for a shoe which will be suitable ,the only problem is that i tend to pronate and also wear othodics,the shoes i normally wear are addidas cairos, mizuno
    wave legend,

    and brooks addiction on long runs which are all motion control any advise would be great, thanks
  • Dean, you can get Addiction Trail shoes. Also New Balance 906/ 781 has some medial posting, as does the ASICS Trubuco. Might question wearing orthoses with that much stability but I'm sure you've had advice from your podiatrist about this.
  • Dean NDean N ✭✭✭
    thanks kanichan,no probs with the over stability,the podiatrist is ok with that.
    How effetive do you think the Addiction trail would be in mud? are they much different to the Addiction?just the tread I would imagine
  • I recently spoke with someone who 'converted' his old road shoes with a new xc sole. Worked a treat for him, less cost (about 20 quid) and no problems about 'running' them in...
  • Dean, sorry about the delay. The Addiction Trail has a more water resistant upper and a more aggressive outsole. Stability wise, it's pretty much the same. If you don't want something that stable you can also get the GTS in an of road version.
  • Dean NDean N ✭✭✭
    thanks for the replys,
Sign In or Register to comment.