Yeah, look into these. Had the same issues with zero drop as you, picked up some Altra Experience Wild 2s recently. Have done about 25 miles on them so far, very comfortable.
I have both the UV and the EW2 and definitely would recommend the UV. It’s a very good shoe. The EW2 isn’t bad, but not a fan of the fit on the heel for running hills. The UV also has pretty good durability for me so far. Got about 700 miles on my first pair, whereas normally get 300-400 with altras.
There's honestly a ton of gravel shoes which would be great winter options if you're worried about traction. Ghost Trail was just released from Brooks. Experience Wild 2 from Altra. Salomon Aero Glide 3 grvl. They're not nearly as stiff as a trail shoe.
ALTRA Wild 2 (4mm drop) if you want something reasonably priced, or the Wildhorse from NIKE (9/10) are good road to trail options that can see you through a lot. And both are really comfortable shoes. Asphalt all the way to "rocky" is a tough spectrum to cover it all, but those are the two that come to mind. Maybe try the TOPO Ultraventure 4, too, if you really need a wide toebox and some all purpose grip
I’ve done about 4000km in Ultraventure 4s this year (5 pairs) and more recently just over 1000km in Experience Wild 2s (2 pairs).
Personally I find the EW2s faster and more fun. That being said both have been fantastic for me in terms of comfort - I am however light-ish and could see the EW2 foam struggling with increased weight.
What’s not been great with either is the durability of the uppers. In every case that’s been the weakness that has necessitated maybe slightly premature replacement - the soles could probably have gone a few hundred Ks more.
My best advice would be to try both ovrr the course of your training as I suspect you’ll need to replace them way before the summer
I loved my Sense Rides but then I found Altra Experience Wilds. They are so light they have the same fun ride the Sense Rides had but removed the main issue I had with the rides being how narrow they were.
Only downside is they last about 1/2 as long before needing replacing.
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Versatile road-to-trail, but struggles on wet, technical downhills.
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