Inov8 - X-Talon Ultra 260 V2

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.

Get them while they are still around - their replacement is significantly worse.

Oh I use “shoe rotation” as a regular excuse to buy more shoes, but in the real world I have: - shoe for trails and ultras (Salomon Genesis currently) - shoe for technical and short trails (Hoka Zinal 2) - shoe for gravel / road to trail (Hoka Tecton X) - shoe for deep or thick mud (Inov8 X-Talon Ultra) - shoe for OCR racing (VJ Spark)

Soles on mine completely de-laminated after 250km and were unusable. Got a refund for them though and might have just been unlucky. Good grip and a bit of cushion whilst they worked though.

Going to try and stock up on as many pairs of G270 and X-Talon Ultras as possible before they all go. Not a fan of the new line of shoes at all. Where could I go for low drop, low stack and wide fit trail shoes? The VJ iRock+ look good but only 5.5mm lugs.

Mud and soft terrain - awesome grip. Roads and dirt - acceptable - no discomfort with the outsole. Rock - it gets slippery AF, wouldn’t recommend. Enough space for toes (not as narrow as precision fit stuff; my feet are wide and they fit in it well). Quite durable - didn’t manage to destroy them this far. 

My inov8 xtalon 260s are reaching their end so I thought I’d order a new pair ! Oh, they’ve axed all the xtalons and created the mud talon. Ordered a pair - what a disappointment so sent them back. Nowhere near as comfy as the 260s, and what’s with the uppers ? Paper thin uppers that wouldn’t survive looking at a thorn let alone brushing against one. I’m gutted. Seem to be focusing on producing shoes for muddy XC races and abandoned shoes for longer distance trail and fell runs. So, xtalon wearers, what are your new favourites?

When I tried the mudtalons on I was rather surprised by the uppers. Feel so thin and fragile and prone to stretching. The xtalon 260s were bullet proof (once they sorted the issue with the soles coming away from the uppers that is).

I'm in two minds. Most people commenting have not even tried out any of their new shoes and just go by "I heard that they're now shit" My experience: Used to be a big fan of the Roclite 275, a little long and could've done with more toe box, but otherwise superb. Same for the Mudclaw, Xtalon 200 and Xtalon 260. The new TrailTalon feels a little clumsy, and a bit of heel rub. The Mudtalon was too high stack, not comfy and I had to stop using them.gril was great but rubbish otherwise.

For what it's worth; I called inov8 today and they said all of the old xtalon stock and roclites have been sent back to their office, and they have a limited number on the web outlet that you can order. I was a big fan of the x ultra 260, awfully tempted to buy a pair for old times sake, as they were a superb shoe.

So... I have a pair of VJ Maxx2 for normal local trails, it's already quite worn down so just a basic shoe. Then I have another pair of Maxx2 for technical trails on specific terrain. A pair of Brooka ghost for regular road miles, pair of brooks glycerin for easy road miles, pair of hyperion for road races or parkruns here in the UK. Pair of inov8 mudclaw for short muddy races (up to about 15mile) Pair of inov8 xtalon 260 v2 for longer all day winter mountain runs in UK, and a pair of xtalon 200 for short muddy races.

I had a pair of Inov8s which were the best, again from around this time period. And then they changed everything but kept the names the same, my next pair tore my feet up - you can't win!

Got a very battered pair right here, just at the end of their life. I liked them, but that's no guarantee. They have a bigger toe box than most.

I like them but only use them when the trails are muddy in the winter , good grip in mud and some cushioning but not loads, wide toebox

Yeh xtalon long lugs, mud and rain + gaitors is a must for me with my lab running through hilly woods. I only wear them for that occasion and lasting me years. I wanted to get trailfly max when I saw I pic of them, went to the shop to try them and the shallow heel cup was the reason I'm looking elsewhere, different brands.