Inov8 - Trailtalon Series

I started noticing this a couple years ago and planned accordingly. For me I have huge feet and it's hard to find good shoes. For those in my situation and like a low drop and low rise, look into Inov-8. I've only bought these shoes since early '23 and I hope they never change.

I love Inov-8 the Trail Talons are great.

Topo mtn racer has better grip. Inov8 has better grip also; Trailfly for hard trails and Mudfly for wet/mud.

Long reply here but I understand this quite niche problem all too well. I have a bunion in the same place on left foot but actually have skinny midfoot so always struggle to get a lockdown in 'wide' shoes. The Inov8 Trailfly and their new range works well here. I'd actually go for the standard fit over wide as the toe box is already foot shaped. The width I think is in the midfoot. For example, I have a pair of precision fit Mudtalons and get a super snug midfoot lockdown but the toebox still lets my foot spread. The problem you actually have is that a lot of 'wide toe box' shoes still carry that super straight line on the inside of the foot which obviously doesn't work. Even the Prodigio Pro mentioned is quite accommodating but suffers from this to a degree as the bunion pushes the mesh out and can become uncomfortable by forcing your foot or all toes away to the side. Salomon shoes are quite bad for this, even though I suck it up and wear them as the midfoot just suits my feet. The Trailfy is the comfiest shoe I've worn in years, and I've even cleaned mine up and now wear them for walking around daily and the gym. They do a Trailtalon too if you need more softground grip, plus a road shoe. Edit to add: if anything like me, mine is just on the one foot so if I buy wide shoes, the other is super sloppy. This is why a better shape toe box works better than a wide fitting shoe in my opinion.

Inov8s are the answer.

I've previously had Roclite 290s, and wanted another pair but they have been discontinued, I emailed them and they said the closest thing they did now was the TrailTalon - this has a much thicker sole and more drop, (and are twice the price I paid for my Roclites) but I bought them and I'm pretty happy with them, my only real complaint is the heel part of the shoe isn't tall enough, so it feels like I may lose a shoe in a bog (but haven't yet!) I've done just over 100 miles in them, so can't comment on durability yet...

My absolute shit bust favourite was my first pair of On Cloudventure Peaks - the orange and grey ones. It was a proper game changer. I hate massive chunky Hoka-style soles. The Ons were light, insanely comfortable, with amazing feedback, good grip - basically everything you want in a shoe. Closely followed by my first pair of Inov8 XTalons (the red and white ones from c.2012). I’d had bad trouble with my ITB and had tried gait analysis (which led to some Saunconys), physio, orthotic footbeds etc, but on the recommendation of some mates and having read Born to Run I bought some low drop, minimalist X Talons which allowed me to run pain free again, and I never looked back. I wore them for everything - training runs on pavements, trail runs, and the swimrun world championships, OTIllO, in 2013. Probably my favourite shoe because it allowed me to rediscover the joy of running, albeit not the best. Honourable mentions to my workhorse Inov8 Trailtalon 290, which have seen me through a few 50 and 100 milers, and my Roclite 275s, which were superb on the Cape Wrath Ultra.

I’ve been wearing Inov-8s for 15+ years for trail and fell running and even moved to them for XC races when achilles injuries meant I could no longer wear spikes. Always done the job for me, reasonable value and regularly available with chunky discounts online.

Inov-8 has a bunch of models in a wide size now. Even the older models I use have a lot of room for my toes. Durability is fine I think, compared to what I read about Altras.

I'd say yes (not having used the latest models personally though). I find mine very comfortable.

I can also confirm the durability of Inov-8s!

Don’t know of any places that offer that kind of support but you could try inov8. They’re outsoles are supposed to be tough. The ones I’ve used fell apart before the sole showed any wear. They’re sizing isn’t very consistent though so worth trying in a shop if you can find them.

I love Inov-8 shoes, but for some reason their new wide toe box shoe, the inner heel padding wore out on my after 200 miles. First time I had a blister in ages. Other than that, they make the best quality shoes.

Topos never did it for me, they have a really high arch. Outside of Altra, I prefer inov8 for a more snug fit and wider toe box.