Inov8 - Mudtalon

I maintain that it was a crime to replace the Mudclaw and Xtalon with that shoe. They replaced their fell shoes with a trail shoe that's good in mud. They're just shit at contouring and too fragile to bash through heather etc.

I’d have to check but the ones I saw definitely had far more stack. As for the mudtalons, the issue has never been the drop but the total lack of precision and durability compared to the mudclaws and xtalons they were supposed to be replacing. It’s rearranging the deck chairs in the titanic.

The obvious one is that they’ve replaced their fell shoes with a trail shoe that’s good in mud. It’s super sloppy on foot, no precision, high stack and delicate so it falls apart when you bash through heather or bracken. The roclite 275 has been replaced by the trailtalon. Again, it’s much higher stack and a baggy fit. It’s just not the same shoe. I’m not the only one - I’d say at least twice a month the topic of inov8 being in the bin comes up on the club run. Far fewer seen in races these days and those that are seen are often old mudclaws or xtalons. I’d rather race in walshes than mudtalons. I’m similar on being a long time repeat customer of theirs.. I’ve probably worn 8-10 pairs each of 212s and mudclaws down to slick. I can’t see myself buying another shoe of theirs unless something drastically changes. If they are forged in the fells (as they like to emphasise), they currently reside in Regents Park.

They’ve shifted from a fell shoe to a trail shoe that’s good in mud. They are too high stack and baggy to have the precision you want in a fell racing shoe, plus they aren’t nearly as durable. They fall apart after really quite limited heather bashing.

It’s a trail show that’s good in mud. They start baggy out of the box and get baggier somehow. Contouring in them is horrific!

They made a strategic decision to make shit shoes and send them for production without testing them. When the mudtalons fell apart after one run, they blamed a bad batch. Well one year on and it seems clear that every batch for every new model is a bad batch. Ultimately, they have shifted from a fell running brand to a trail one that’s chasing trends while still trying to bank on their previous fell, grippy credentials that got them to where they were. They don’t even make a fell shoe any more. It’s resulted in a completely disjointed product line and marketing strategy where they are selling shoes aimed at the fell which are too baggy and high stack to be much use. Similarly they are running a get dirty marketing campaign while releasing white t shirts and shorts!! It all went downhill rapidly when the ASDA guys came in.

They still don’t feel like a fell shoe to me though as the mudtalons cannot contour to save their life. Just so rolly! Their supposed fell shoe is just a trail shoe with big lugs.

They were great, then they took the strategic decision to make rubbish shoes that fell apart. The further they have strayed from their fell roots, the worse they have gotten. The only decent true fell shoes they currently sell are limited edition versions of their old ones - the mud talons are a trail shoe that’s good in mud. Forced in the fells, destroyed in Surrey these days.

Worth noting that G270s are very passive lug-wise for inov-8, have stopped being made, and inov-8 have gone massively downhill in the past few years, including but not limited to using a new factory with massive QC issues and replacing the excellent mudclaw with the mudtalon, which falls apart and much worse on rough terrain. The classic mud shoe of theirs was the mudclaw, which is coming back for sale this winter, however it is being made by their new shitty factory, so it remains to be seen if they will survive a week of running.

I’m using inov8 Trailtalons wide aw25 Admittedly almost none of my running is on tarmac, but the small amount that is feels fine. I found them a bit stiff in the sole for the first 3 outings (9-30k) but they’ve worn in and I get a good degree of flexibility They have 6 mm lugs with a reasonable amount of surface area on each so tarmac and paving isn’t too slippery. Ive also used mudtalons (aw24). They were great for the really sloppy stuff in Feb and March but generally I think I prefer the trailtalons. Mudtalons are not as good on the road and I prefer something that’s a bit more versatile for occasions that warrant it. Good luck. Lots of great advice on this thread

Hi. I cut a couple of mm off the lugs on the heel area to lower the drop, as I'm used to zero drop. Cutting the lugs made the shoes much more stable. They don't roll at all for me now.

Inov8 Mudtalon. Check my review https://www.roadtrailrun.com/2025/12/inov8-mudtalon-v2-review-mud-digger.html

Where I live, cold mud and slush are fairly standard conditions for several months of the year. It's no fun, but you do get used to it. Shoes: look for something with long, widely spaced lugs. Think soccer cleat. These shoes are good in mid because they dig into soft ground, but more importantly, they are better at releasing mud from between the lugs to help avoid that annoying mud-slab-on-shoe situation. That said, if your area has a lot of clay soil, there may be no avoiding the shoe slabs completely. Here are a few examples of good outsoles for mud and soft ground: https://www.inov8.com/ca/mudtalon-v2-mens?colours=3813 https://www.salomon.com/en-ca/product/speedcross-6-lg9212/L47980500 https://www.lasportivausa.com/cyklon-cross-gtx.html I would stay away from Gore-tex shoes unless it's also quite cold. It's generally better to have shoes that drain well, and just prepare for your feet to get wet, than it is to have a shoe that will hold all your foot moisture in there like you're marinating a chicken. The exception would be slushy snow or cold mud near freezing. These kinds of conditions could actually warrant a waterproof shoe, as long as you can be reasonably certain that water isn't going to come in the top. A built-in gaiter is nice for this, but those kinds of shoes tend to be very expensive. Your feet will be wet either way, whether from water or sweat, so you need to learn and practice foot care and blister prevention. Wear good socks - for most people this means merino wool. I personally like to slather my feet in zinc oxide cream if I know I'm going to be out for hours with wet feet. Everyone's feet are different, so try a few things and see what works. Run *through* the puddles, not around them. Running around them causes trail braiding and damage. Embrace the wet. Lastly, there may be areas near you that are just too wet or too susceptible to trail damage and you may just be best off avoiding them for the winter. This is pretty locally specific, it's not as simple as saying "don't ever run on muddy trails", so ask around.

Of the trail shoes I've used Innov8 has the most aggressive tread. In fact I stopped using my G270s for "normal' running and save them for winter mud/snow runs.

I've had problems with the durability of the mk1 mudtalons (upper splitting away from the sole). The speed are sloppy feeling but seem to be more durable.

I have the innov8 MudTalon and the Innov8 talon212. I bought the Mud Talons to run that same 21k Spartan race last year due to the great traction and the softer insole (I thought would be beneficial for the longer distance). It was a huge mistake. They retained water like buckets. Zero drainage. That central Florida course is loaded with water and deep mud crossings (mid thigh to waist deep for long stretches. By mile 5 my shoes felt like cement blocks. Other than the miserable drainage they're pretty comfy for an OCR shoe. The Talon212's were my old trusty OCR shoe but were basically barefoot shoes or very minimalist in terms of cushioning which made me hesitate to wear them on the 21k run. They're equal in terms of traction but have far superior drainage, very flexible, and lightweight. Unfortunately they are no longer sold in stores so you'll have to search for them. I'm doing the same race this year but I'm bringing the 212s! My wife wore the Craft brand Spartan shoes that they sell at the race and on the Spartan site and she loved them. Said they held no water at all and were comfortable enough to get through the run. Long story short prioritize drainage for that Florida course! Good luck on the race Aroooo!

Inov8 mud talons or trail talons. I have the old mud talons, good ground feel and crazy grip, not the most comfortable longer distance. Otherwise VJ Maxx. In group tests the La Sportiva Mutants often come out in top of anything grip based. Haven't tried them myself but that rubber has an excellent reputation.

It depends on how much mud and slippery stuff you are going to encounter. If it's 10 mins of mud in a 3 hour race then you can loose 3 mins by wearing your Pegasus trail if not then get 6mm+ lugs on your shoes. If it's ice then any trail shoes plus decent ice grippers/studs will work well.  I did a race at the weekend with roal to trail shoes plus grippers and it would have worked brilliantly had I bought decent grippers rather than use my wife's 5 year old £3 a pair rubber grippers with metal coils on. I do a triathlon in Scotland and wear my Inov8 mudtalons with 8mm lugs and they work really well. Half the run is mud or bog and I do not slip or slide. I've tried it in Nike Ultrafly and I was a lot slower! The most efficient trail shoes on runrepeat seem to be the Saucony Endorphin Edge and the Xodus Ultra 3. So if one of those has enough grip I would maybe give that a try. The best shoe is the one you already own, so if you have the Pegasus trail just wear it... But it is a very middling trail shoe. It does every pretty badly. It's not massively comfy, it's relatively slow and it's good poor grip... But you can look up your own metric see what you might like then try on a couple of them 🤞.