Kjerag Series

For road: Adidas Asizero Adios 9 For trail: Nnormal Kjerag 1 Also consider: VJ lightspeed & maxx2 aren’t what I’d consider low stack, but they’re not high stack either. Very capable on highly technical terrain. VJ midsole foam in these feels awesome.

Here’s my contribution. I haven’t done controlled tests like you did, but I run a lot of rocky vertical terrain and have put lots of miles in all these shoes. Trying to focus here on wet rock grip from the outsole and ignore other shoe attributes (fit, lock down, flexibility/stiffness, weight, cushion, etc) that also come into play with their overall ability to do the job on wet rock 5: VJ Maxx 1&2 VJ Spark Arcteryx Norvan VT (limited mileage) 4. Arcteryx Norvan SL 1, 2, &3 Salomon s/Lab Sense 7&8 Nnormal Kjeraq 3. La Sportiva Helios SR La Sportiva Vertical K & VK INOV-8 F-Lite 195 2. Whole bunch of older inov-8 x-talon and RocLite models NB minimus Salomon s/lab ultra 3 Salomon s/lab sense 7SG 1. Old Nike Terra kiger Salomon s/lab sense 1, 2, 3 For spiked shoes, I actually think they suffer quite a bit on rock because they don’t stick instantly like pure rubber soles. 4. VJ Devil 4 3. VJ bold race, VJ ice hero, INOV-8 ORoc 280

There is a new version coming out. I don’t think the changes are substantial though.

Yeah, the kjerags are a good option. I have a pair, but prefer the norvans for steep and technical stuff. Norvans are lighter and fit my feet much more precisely. Kjerag upper is a bit sloppy on me so my foot isn’t as secure as I’d like for rocky downhill stuff. Kjerags definitely have a little more cushion and “pop” to the midsole, which is nice, but not enough cushion or outsole grip that I’d reach for them over my preferred all-arounder: VJ maxx2

My recommendation would be the VJ Maxx2 I also really love Arcteryx Norvan SL3 for steep technical uphill stuff, but these are maybe a bit too minimal for a lot of people’s taste and I think they’re discontinued. Bought a pair of Vertex Speed Low to try as replacements? But they’re not really the same. You could also try Nnormal Kjerag. This kind of splits the difference between the two shoes I listed above. I found the upper to be a bit too sloppy (foot will move/roll relative to the sole on off camber stuff) compared to the other two though, so I don’t trust them at speed in serious technical terrain. That’s pretty specific to my foot though, otherwise I think I’d be a big fan.

My go to for this is the Arcteryx Norvan SL3. They might be discontinued though. I recently picked up a clearance pair of Merrel Skyfire 2 Matryx that see very very promising. Never owned a merrel shoe before, but excited for these this year. Wouldn’t be my first choice for pure rocky trails given the lack of surface area in the lugs. Another similar shoe is the Nnormal Kjerag. I don’t love the fit. Seem a little too sloppy in the upper midfoot for my taste on really technical terrain, but everyone’s feet are different. Common theme among those - lightweight, matryx upper, megagrip sole. I find that to be a good recipe. You could also check out VJ Spark. I put a few hundred miles on a pair, but honestly I wish they had more rock protection and a less bulky upper. VJ Maxx2 is a great all around shoe. It’s not heavy, but not super light either.

I‘m unfortunately also very prone to ankle rolls. That’s we many shoes are out of question for me already when I do a slight roll test while standing in them. The NNormal shoes work fine for me except the Kjerag 2. I sent them back after standing in them. What works for me is: - Kjerag - Tomir 1 - Tomir 2 (best) - Tomir 2 NN (feels harder) - Cadí (my new favorite) I‘m personally very impressed by the durability. I had to retire most shoes at the 400km mark. With Salomon Sense Ultra, already the last 100k from 300k upwards were bad. On the Tomirs, I could do 1000k. However, the last 200k were merely fillers because I wanted to reach the 1000k mark. I‘ve never before ran in shoes >500km and I have >80 pairs of shoes tracked in my strava.

Yes, consistent sizing throughout the line. I‘d say durability as a whole. With Salomon (my other go to) I kill the outsole after 300k and also the midsole starts to give. The NNormals were consistent good in all respects. Even pairs used in races didn’t look terrible on the upper. Of course, after 700k it wasn’t a fresh shoe of course but still fully functional. With Salomon, the upper started to give too, especially with shoes I raced in (>100k trail ultras). My theory is that the salt from sweating during race efforts weakens the upper. Disclaimer: i got my Cadi only recently and only ran about 250k in them, so I can’t comment on the durability yet.

I‘m unfortunately also very prone to ankle rolls. That’s we many shoes are out of question for me already when I do a slight roll test while standing in them. The NNormal shoes work fine for me except the Kjerag 2. I sent them back after standing in them. What works for me is: - Kjerag - Tomir 1 - Tomir 2 (best) - Tomir 2 NN (feels harder) - Cadí (my new favorite) I‘m personally very impressed by the durability. I had to retire most shoes at the 400km mark. With Salomon Sense Ultra, already the last 100k from 300k upwards were bad. On the Tomirs, I could do 1000k. However, the last 200k were merely fillers because I wanted to reach the 1000k mark. I‘ve never before ran in shoes >500km and I have >80 pairs of shoes tracked in my strava.

Yes, consistent sizing throughout the line. I‘d say durability as a whole. With Salomon (my other go to) I kill the outsole after 300k and also the midsole starts to give. The NNormals were consistent good in all respects. Even pairs used in races didn’t look terrible on the upper. Of course, after 700k it wasn’t a fresh shoe of course but still fully functional. With Salomon, the upper started to give too, especially with shoes I raced in (>100k trail ultras). My theory is that the salt from sweating during race efforts weakens the upper. Disclaimer: i got my Cadi only recently and only ran about 250k in them, so I can’t comment on the durability yet.

Well, they are a lot softer. More gentle cushioning and midsole and also less sturdy upper. They come with a vibram outsole and the grip is the same as with Tomir /Kjerag. I think the shoe is positioned as a more gentle training trail shoe with the less "professional" athlete in mind. After my first run in the Cadí  I was wondering whether NNormal deliberately made Tomit 2.0 NN harder to have a clearer product differentiation to the Cadí  (my guess). The Cadí  come at a slightly lower price point too.

I’ve worn Speedgoats in wide (2), the 7s didn’t seem as wide as previous models so I’m trying NNormal Cadi. They are, in size 13.5, waaay wider than a Speedgoat wide.

I sized down from my normal true-to-size for Kjerag 1 (10.5 to 10). But I was randomly in a store in durango that had the kjerag 2.0. Tried the kjerag 2 in US 10 and it was definitely way to tight. Unless this new upper has more give than the former, I will likely get my normal 10.5 when i pull the trigger.

I sized down from my normal true-to-size for Kjerag 1 (10.5 to 10). But I was randomly in a store in durango that had the kjerag 2.0. Tried the kjerag 2 in US 10 and it was definitely way to tight. Unless this new upper has more give than the former, I will likely get my normal 10.5 when i pull the trigger.

Very curious to hear how Kjerag 2 compares to norda 005. The norda looks sweet but the outsole wear makes it hard to justify the cost. Kjerag 2 seems like a good compromise. Anyone have a feel if the new midsole significantly extends the length of run someone would do in it? people claimed the kjerag 1.0 could handle up to a 50k but i kinda maxed at 25k.

The heel thing is probably a Haglunds deformity (knowing the name makes it easier to research). I too have this issue. What you want is the heel counter on your shoes to not be stiff. For the big toe issue, as long as the shoes actually fit correctly, you want thicker socks or double socks. My current shoe is Nnormal Kjerag 001 and I dont need heel stickers. I do wear thicker socks in these because they have no built in padding so the socks protect my one big toe that likes to blister on hills. Look up shoes with soft or flexible heel counters and try one of those.