X-Talon Ultra 260 V2

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)

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).

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.

There's rarely a perfect trail shoe for UK winters, just which compromises work best. Here's my advice. 1. If your route is fairly flat for the muddy bits then most regular trails shoes are probably fine, you'll be slipping around a bit but overall if you have a mix of terrain you'll be fine. Just try to relax and have fun! 2. If your route is steep or off camber for the muddy bits lean more towards a shoe with better traction in mud and suck it up on the tarmac bits. 3. If your run is long but flat and muddy where your legs will be really tired, lean more towards a shoe that's better in mud. I've run some ultras where it's been really muddy for miles towards the end and nobody can stay on their feet and it's brutal and the funny side soon wears off. Be the one in the grippy shoes but try not too look too smug. Everyone has their favourite shoes because we all have different feet and running styles but if you have a road shoe that you really like and they do a trail version, that'll probably be fine for option 1. Option 2 and 3, then something that's more mud focussed. Inov-8 always excelled for UK trails, I loved the x-talon's but I've not really used Inov-8 shoes since they went a bit more mainstream. The x-talons were my go to for winter trails. Avoid any US brands for UK winter trails, they usually suck.

I have the opposite problem! I find speedgoats very comfortable for road portions of off-road runs, even long road sections, and they're good on easy trail and wet rock, but I struggle with them on technical trail stuff as they're far too unstable and they're terrible in mud. (I do a lot of fell running, so my definition of 'technical' might be more extreme!) What I'm struggling with is finding something as comfortable as the speedgoats that handles technical trail, steep off-trail descents / 'light' fell running well, but is comfortable for long runs. I currently wear inov-8 x-talons for short fell races but need something for longer fell runs.

Would love to know how inov8 ranks here, imo x talons are excellent at wet rock

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.