Xodus Ultra 2 (S20843)

I loved this shoe until they put the rock guard in the toe, now it rubs the shit out my big right toe. Wife has these and loves them. I ran the soles off v1 and v2.

Currently in Saucony Xodus Ultra 2. Looking at VJ Ultra 3 as my next. A trend I'm seeing is trail shoes getting heavier, well over 300g, pushing 350+. I haven't tried TNF shoes, but have seen some good reviews on them. Can't remeber the model, though. So, my tip for you. Keep them light, with good cushioning and decent space in the toe box. Get rid of everything on/in the shoe that doesn't need to be there. With shoes getting heavier (Xodus Ultra 3, Xodus Ultra 4, Mafate Speed 5, to name a few) a lighter shoe that can offer the same thing should stand out in the crowd.

My Sauycony Xodus Ultra 2 are starting to feel a little...well, dead. Never really loved them, mainly due to the fit, seems like Saucony always makes go choose between too wide or too long :/ And dispite what the title suggets, I'm after new shoes that feel a little less firm than the XU2, less clunky and "flat" too, without sacrifising too much on ground feel and stability. Anything sub 250ish gram out there that's not too minimalist and uncomforable for the occasional relaxed 60K road/trail endeavor, nor too heavy and slugish for my modest 62kg body? So I'm not really looking for sprint shoes, I'm after that goldiocks type of option that keeps my feet and legs protected and comfy no matter what, without being a big unstable max cushion mess. Terrain: mostly gravel, mud, grass,...and mostly wet and slippery. Need traction to climb and descent, and good drying/drainage. I'd rather not buy seperate shoes for dry/mellow trails in my neighbourhood (tree roots, fire trails, grass, gravel, sand,...), but if I have to I can use one of my regular daily trainers for that. I'm kinda new to all the non-road running shoe brands. Seems like Nnormal, La Sportiva, Inov8, The North Face, etc...are kinda pricey compared to my usual 100€-150€ road shoes...but I'm open too all suggestion, I'll consider stretching my budget if I have to.

- Bmai Pace6 Trex-Cordura: 35km - LiNing Di Lu 2: 25km , replacing my SG5 for ultra distance - Salomon ultraglide3: 225km - saucony endorphin rift: 25km, a lil too snug n rigid toebox for long distance, so it will be for short distances only for now - asics novablast 3TR: 750km, mainly on non technical cruising use my SG5 n Saucony XU2 just got relegated: - hoka speedgoat5: 475km,the lugs worn out severely, i still kept it around undecided if it worth resole - saucony xodusultra2: 950km, upper medial side already start tearing, lugs worn out

As many people have said here, the SG6 is too firm and has lost some of its “fun”. The Merrell Agility Peak 5 is a good option. The Saucony Xodus Ultra 1 / 2 are great. Miss version 3. Version 4 is supposed to be a return to form. Salomon Genesis is a good shoe I’ve run 200km in but runs narrow. I am loving the Mafate 5 but it’s a marmite shoe for this community I’ve noticed. La Sportiva Prodigeo Pro has a lot of fans but the midsole is less stable, more bouncy and it’s not cheap. The North Face Vectiv Series are decent now - there’s a lot to choose from. Final option if you want great outsole grip is the VJ Ultra 3. Fab lockdown too.

Hoka is my go-to for this sort of thing. Mafate 5 is super plush, bouncy and fun. Tecton X3 is great for gravel and works well in the technical stuff too. Anything else you look at will be heavy or narrow. I like Salomon a lot, but the S/Lab Genesis is a little too narrow for more than 25km, and the Ultra Glide doesn’t seem to have the real bounce conpared to the Hokas. Saucony Xodus Ultra is great over the distance, but I felt it was a little clunky and heavy - for some reason the Mafate felt more agile. Speaking of which - Merrell Agility Peak 5 would be a good choice. I hate to say it but I really dont rate many of the Asics trail shoes. Fuji Lite is fine for a daily but not for a race day shoe.

I mean, use the shoe you’re most comfortable in. Everyone has a different preference. Also, terrain can vary massively. So a trail marathon like Wales will be different to the Serpent Trail or Spine. But if I was you I’d experiment with some shoes with a bit more cushion, a bit wider in the toe box, and a slightly different lug pattern that can handle more varied terrain. I like the Hoka Mafate 5 or Speedgoat 7. La Sportiva Prodigio Pro is also great. If you want to stay in the Salomon camp try the S/Lab Genesis or Ultra Glide. Saucony Xodus Ultra is a good choice - far better than the Peregrine for this sort of distance.