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Reddit Reviews
When I "technical trail" I winder what people mean because where I am at we have some black diamond shit. Wet, mossy rocks, mud, roots, more rocks and scree... we have everything except dry trails for 300+ days a year to put it into perspective. With that said I run in the following, ranked from most used to least... 1. Speedland GS GAR with some spikes added (3 on toe area and two all the way at the back) for a liiiitle extra grip on wet roots or rocks. I love these shoes for the wet, long run days. I leave the carbon plate out of these. 2. Speedland GL PDX: tempo/threshhold/ 5k, 10k even 20k but no more than that. Deeper lugs also helps when it gets really sloppy and also same spike arrangement added and I like the carbon plate in these. 3. VJ Ultra 3: Not the super deep lugs like the Inov8 shoes but amazing rubber and a really good wide toebox fit... at least by my standards. Hoka Tecton/x 3: On the dry days where the trails have had a couple days prior to really get things dry. I really love these shoes but they just don't have the traction for trails as technical as these. Hoka Zinal 2: For the short up's / hill races, hill sprints, etc. added a Sper Feet sole to these to add a little stiffness and protection. That's my quiver and my recommendations :) at least for trails...
Trail Rotation: Norda 01, La Sportivia Prodigio Pro, Mount to Coast T1 Treadmill: Mount to Coast R1 Tried & Didn’t Like: Arteryx Sylan Pro, Speedlands GTX
I like my speedland GS much better than the H1. Better for my feet and more cushioned.
Speedland GS. Worth every penny
Speedland GS. My go to winter shoe for the past two seasons, unreal traction and durability
Came here to say this! The Speedland GS are unreal. People are scared of the price tag but they will feel like new after 500+ miles
Speedland shoes, Path Projects & Roark clothing
I’ve been using Speedland shoes for over a year. Changed the game for me and I’ll probably never go back to “big box” shoes
Said it before and I’ll say it again. Speedland shoes are unreal. Wide toe box, cushy, great traction and will outlast just about any other shoe I’ve ever ran in. Worth every penny!
No one is going to take my recommendation seriously based on their price point. But the Speedland GS series has been my go-to for high volume running. I got 850 miles out of my first pair before the tread was completely gone. If it hadn’t of been for the tread, they still had plenty of miles of comfortable running in them. I’m on my 2nd pair of GS and they are at 387 miles and still going strong.
I ran the entire thing in Speedlands last year. Didn’t change shoes, just socks twice.
The removable carbon plate really makes it feel like running in two pairs of shoes. I’d remove them on long-flat surfaces, dial up my boas and be back on the road in :40
Since you’re willing to spend some money, you should look into Speedland. Superior durability.
Oh yeah, bummer. Get a stateside friend to send some!
I haven’t run in M2C but they look interesting. That said, I’m a little bit hooked on the Boa system. It’s just so nice to be able to do minor adjustments both ways easily. I’ve never had a trail shoe just refuse to let my toes bang against the front on technical/steep descents like Speedlands do, thanks to the Boa lock in. I have just under 600 miles on mine with no sign of wear. Also, the road shoes are the best I’ve ever worn.
I invested some extra money into Speedlands. I’m very happy with them so far- it took me many pairs of HOKAS to pull the plug
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Deep mud and soft ground

Top pick
Salomon - Speedcross Series
Best for Quick draining and drying for wet trails

Top pick
Hoka - Speedgoat Series
Best for Road-to-trail transitions

Top pick
Nike - Pegasus Trail Series
Best for Steep technical descents

Top pick
Salomon - Genesis Series
Best for Technical rocky terrain

Top pick
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series
Best for Ultra-marathon racing

Top pick
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series





