Inov8 - Mudtalon Zero
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 15, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
50
25
"As someone with severe nerve compression and multiple extruded discs; I need these shoes - they aren’t just for sport. ... Had to scour the internet to order new speedgoat 5s"
"I'm really prone to rolling my ankle. ... they definitely reduced ankle sprains for me."
"with a very nice stiff back around ankle it really plants your foot in place (and I had my ankles srrpingkled number of thimes back when I was playing baksetball)"
140
121
"they are extremely durable. ... I’ve got well over 1000 miles out of a pair and they still have grip and the uppers are in great shape"
"I've used them for 1500 miles of multi-day hiking with no issues!"
"But I got 900 miles out of one pair of Lone Peaks on the PCT, and 750 from another pair."
225
30
"the splay in the toes is naturally better with that wide toe box"
"I think I have a similar foot to you - front is wide due to bunions but the rest of my foot is regular width. I absolutely love my Topos"
"Still keep the wide toe box ... minimizing hot spots I had with Hoka and Salomon in particular."
22
5
"They also have the best sole material I’ve found for slippery mud and rocks."
"they provide grip even if you're in mud up to your ankle."
"the 6mm lugs really helping in the shitty clay mud of the Surrey and South Downs hills."
7
2
"Absolutely love their shoes. ... One of my pairs is 5 years old and is in desperate need of repair but somehow still get me round semi mudi trails."
"I’ve been wearing Inov-8s for 15+ years for trail and fell running and even moved to them for XC races when achilles injuries meant I could no longer wear spikes. ... Always done the job for me"
"I’ve gotten great longevity out of Inov8 trail runners. ... 800-ish Appalachian Trail miles on a pair."
Disliked most:
19
27
"The stability around the ankles is terrible ... keep rolling the ankle ... it has happened with both ankles"
"The only thing I don't like about these is that for very rooty trails the heel height really contributed to ankle rolls."
"I was running exclusively in SGs, and rolled my ankle badly thrice in three months at the end of last year."
4
20
"I’m not convinced the Zegama is suitable for terrains that are moderate and up in terms of technicality. ... And I’m not convinced they can hold up on slippery surfaces. ... If I’m going to go for a mountain run with small rocks and tree roots, where there might be some damp/water, I’m going to reach for another shoe."
"I’m not convinced the Zegama is suitable for terrains that are moderate and up in terms of technicality. ... And I’m not convinced they can hold up on slippery surfaces. ... If I’m going to go for a mountain run with small rocks and tree roots, where there might be some damp/water, I’m going to reach for another shoe."
"shit at contouring"
3
15
"In the front right corner of the left shoe (and vice versa with the right one) they have a strange sharp strengthening that cuts against my toe. ... It doesn't really hurt the first few kilometers, but if I run over 8 km, especially in the descents they destroy my toe to a point it really hurts a lot and I can't wear the shoes for another 2 days."
"I'd have destroyed my toenails for sure if I bought my actual number"
"I'd have destroyed my toenails for sure if I bought my actual number"
5
11
"the material is starting to tear on both sides where my foot bends. ... Low miles on the shoes. ... so it appears durability has decreased as well. ... It’s very disappointing."
"total lack of durability ... delicate so it falls apart when you bash through heather or bracken ... aren nearly as durable. They fall apart after really quite limited heather bashing ... fall apart bashing through heather ... When the mudtalons fell apart after one run"
"I had two pairs start to delaminate at the toe bumper after 40km and 60km respectively!"
0
5
"The only downside is that they absolutely suck if you need to run a short stretch of paved road."
"bleed your legs dry on any hard surface ... you get no return on them"
"hate the lack of energy return. ... Feel like I've got bricks on my feet after 50 miles!"
I started noticing this a couple years ago and planned accordingly. For me I have huge feet and it's hard to find good shoes. For those in my situation and like a low drop and low rise, look into Inov-8. I've only bought these shoes since early '23 and I hope they never change.
r/trailrunning • Why are so many trail shoes now high stack + high drop? ->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.
r/trailrunning • Need advice: trail shoes for muddy ultra races ->They still/again have zero drop trail runners? Trailfly zero, mudtalon zero. Trailfly speed is 4mm drop. So I'm not sure if you're looking in the right place?
r/trailrunning • What happened to Inov8 shoes? ->I have wide feet and went for inov8 mudtalon wide in 1.5 size up. They were still not wide enough so I'd say she can skip them altogether with this shape of feet
r/trailrunning • Help needed to find shoes that fit these feet. ->I much prefer the new Mudtalon to these - have had both. The X-talon a pure soft ground shoe I think though. Wouldn't like to be caught on wet slabby rock. You can get a range of fits in the newer shoe too - precision, standard and wide which helps.
r/trailrunning • Inov8 X Talon 260, worth a buy? ->Long reply here but I understand this quite niche problem all too well. I have a bunion in the same place on left foot but actually have skinny midfoot so always struggle to get a lockdown in 'wide' shoes. The Inov8 Trailfly and their new range works well here. I'd actually go for the standard fit over wide as the toe box is already foot shaped. The width I think is in the midfoot. For example, I have a pair of precision fit Mudtalons and get a super snug midfoot lockdown but the toebox still lets my foot spread. The problem you actually have is that a lot of 'wide toe box' shoes still carry that super straight line on the inside of the foot which obviously doesn't work. Even the Prodigio Pro mentioned is quite accommodating but suffers from this to a degree as the bunion pushes the mesh out and can become uncomfortable by forcing your foot or all toes away to the side. Salomon shoes are quite bad for this, even though I suck it up and wear them as the midfoot just suits my feet. The Trailfy is the comfiest shoe I've worn in years, and I've even cleaned mine up and now wear them for walking around daily and the gym. They do a Trailtalon too if you need more softground grip, plus a road shoe. Edit to add: if anything like me, mine is just on the one foot so if I buy wide shoes, the other is super sloppy. This is why a better shape toe box works better than a wide fitting shoe in my opinion.
r/trailrunning • Help needed to find shoes that fit these feet. ->Gravel is a tricky surface, I agree. It probably depends on the the percentage of a certain terrain in a run that I choose the shoes. Generally, for steep grass I like Mudtalons with 8mm lugs, for snow the Genesis and for barely runnable rocks Bushidos. But then again, there is always a trade-off, since a run is usually composed of different surfaces. As an allrounder in alpine environment, I often go for Dynafit, Prodigio or Ribelle Run. YMMY. (And yes: I might have too many shoes).
r/trailrunning • The 25 most recommend trail runners on Reddit (in the past year as of Jul 2025) ->I’ve been wearing Inov-8s for 15+ years for trail and fell running and even moved to them for XC races when achilles injuries meant I could no longer wear spikes. Always done the job for me, reasonable value and regularly available with chunky discounts online.
r/trailrunning • Looking for my first trail running shoes..help needed ->Inov-8 has a bunch of models in a wide size now. Even the older models I use have a lot of room for my toes. Durability is fine I think, compared to what I read about Altras.
r/Ultralight • advice wanted on trail runners for hiking ->I'd say yes (not having used the latest models personally though). I find mine very comfortable.
r/Ultralight • advice wanted on trail runners for hiking ->I can also confirm the durability of Inov-8s!
r/Ultralight • Another discussion on shoes - please help ->The new Inov8 shoes all have anatomical toe boxes ( at least as wide as Topo), and their Trailfly (4mm lug), Traltalon (6mm), and Mudtalon (8mm) are all getting zero-drop versions released in the next couple of months. They will have a 12mm stack height though.
r/trailrunning • Does barefoot/barefoot-friendly trail shoe that can handle mud exist? ->The new Inov8 shoes all have anatomical toe boxes ( at least as wide as Topo), and their Trailfly (4mm lug), Traltalon (6mm), and Mudtalon (8mm) are all getting zero-drop versions released in the next couple of months. They will have a 12mm stack height though.
r/trailrunning • Does barefoot/barefoot-friendly trail shoe that can handle mud exist? ->These were amazing in mud but I had two pairs start to delaminate at the toe bumper after 40km and 60km respectively!
r/trailrunning • Top 3 trail running shoes for muddy trails ->Which Mudtalon do you have? I had the regular Mudtalon women’s wide ones. I bought through sportsshoes.co.uk and they replaced the first pair and refunded the second pair thankfully.
r/trailrunning • Top 3 trail running shoes for muddy trails ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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