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.

Yes I'd say it's for comfort, the high stack stuff is oriented to long runs, hikes, and ultras. The brand's sponsored athletes likely have a say too, meaning that the shoe may be oriented to particular types of trails or races. I like high stack on occasion but still prefer the shoe to be on the lighter side when possible. I liked the Saucony Xodus Ultra 1 and 2 but the 3 got a bit bloated to me.

I had one pair of the XU1 and 2 pairs of the XU2. Durability in XU1 was acceptable, got around 300 miles overall, much of it in the mountains above treeline. Traction was fine but not stellar. Durability of the XU2 was worse, I lost several outsole lugs and the upper began fraying/tearing by 170 miles, lasted out to 250 or so before I had to retire them. No idea on the XU3 and after.

I have >200 miles in my Nnormal Tomir 2s, spanning short steep runs to 20 mile runs with >5,000 feet of climbing at altitude. Previously ran in Saucony Xodus Ultra, Endorphin Edge, and Endorphin (g)rift. Traction and durability on the Tomir 2 are great. They are on the firm side, even with the mileage I put on them so far, and lean on fast feeling given my previous shoes. I would want more underfoot cushioning for anything beyond a marathon or 50K. To me, these are medium generalist leaning shoes, great for racking up miles and training. Fit was a touch too narrow at first, I have wide feet. Took around 50 miles for the insole to pack down and the upper to stretch and flex a bit. Fits comfortably snug now. For the long stuff I am using the Mount to Coast T1. Comfortable fit for my toes, good underfoot cushioning, yet light and fast enough that I don't feel like I'm working too hard when running uphill or picking up the pace. I have ~80 miles on them so far, really just a few long runs, they're great. Durability looks good but need to take them out to at least 200 to say more. If these still look good after 300 miles I would switch completely to them and not get another pair of the Tomir 2s.

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.

i used xu2 for my utmb chiangmai 100k n verbier 100k, theyre plenty cushioned. prior to these 2 races, i used sg5 for transjeju 100k n chiangmai 50k, also comfy. the reason i went for xu2 for my recent races coz theyre less 'bulky' than sg5. so far for my races with dropbag access, i havent swap shoes despite having 2nd shoe in bag, but i do swap socks n insoles(when theyre damp)

- 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

Hello. As a lot of people say, a good road shoe will be good on the hard packed trails as well. But if you want a bit more traction and security, go with something that has a good foam and a smaller lugs. Options I’ve run in and like include: - Hoka Mafate Speed 4 / Tecton X - Salomon Genesis / Ultra Glide - La Sportiva Prodigio Pro - Merrell Agility Peak 5 - Brooks Catamount 4 - Saucony Xodus Ultra 1 / 2 (avoid the 3) For reference I am 85kg and usually run 30km / week.

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.

Hello. I come from the same issue. I had major issues with Plantar Fasciitis after running in the Speedcross and S/Lab Speed for many years. My first shoe was the Hoka Speedgoat Evo. That was an epic shoe, but sold out everywhere so quickly I only ever ran in one pair. Since then I’ve tried many similar shoes, looking for great grip, soft and bouncy ride, but good stability as I over-pronate, plus I recently developed osteoarthritisin my big toes. So, I really rate the following: - Hoka Mafate Speed 4. Good all rounder - Salomon S/lab genesis. A little narrow and unstable but speedy and shed mud quickly - La Sportiva Prodigeo Pro - great foam and good grip, lightweight. - Saucony Xodus Ultra - 1 and 3 are pretty good, ignore the 2. - Hoka Tecton X 3 - my go-to race shoe for hard packed trails and gravel I like the Speedgoat, Catamount, Fuji Lite, Ultra Glide too but they all have compromises that the shoes above don’t have in the same way.

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.

If you can get your hands on some Xodus Ultra 2, those are holy grail for technical long races. They have a rock plate.