“After much research, I bought these shoes for a specific purpose - racing or fast workouts on the broken ground of Dartmoor.
I had seen many runners wearing them in fell races, already have 2 other pairs of Inov-8 that I'm extremely happy with (Race Ultra 290 and Trail Talon 275) and I already know that they will become a go-to shoe after a 9.5 mile fell race on the moor and a couple of hill sessions.
They are very precise and confidence inspiring in mud, bog and loose stone. They also shed water pretty quickly after stream crossings and bogs.
The fit reminds me of a x-c spike from years back ('precision fit' had me slightly concerned, but they are only marginally more snug than a Salomon Fellraiser, a shoe which has equal grip but is not as low to the ground).
In truth they will probably get phased out pretty quickly now, and I would advise anyone who runs on fell or moorland to get a pair while they are still out there (although most seem to have some!).
The only reservation I have for them would be that I would be surprised if they would suit a heavier runner as there is very little cushioning. However this a compromise I fully accepted and the light responsive feel was exactly what I was looking for. I have a pair of Scott Kinabalu Supertrac, which are much more cushioned but have a similar depth of tread, but the truth is that as soon as they get wet, they weight double the X-Talon, and this can lead to tripping, turned ankles and all the rest.
Sometimes simple is definitely best”
“An excellent shoe. Second only to the Mudclaw for grip, and then only on sloppy peat. Mush more flexible than the Mudclaw and still has plenty of cushioning. Surprisingly good for short sections of road too, though the lugs wear very quickly in that environment.”
“A great off-road shoe. I have quite wide feet but find the precision fit to be fine. They are very comfortable, have good grip and keep my feet warm. Good value for money in my opinion, and I will continue to wear these :)”
“Bought them because I had a pair previously and the fit was perfect and 'snug' along the foot. This pair the top of the heel tab rubbed badly on both Achilles for the first couple of runs. Nothing a plaster on the Achilles didn't fix, just never had that on any running shoe before. Now I'm through that little rubbing episode, so far so good and just as expected. Sure footedness and even ok for the odd short road section without destroying the sole. I'd buy again without doubt (in fact I already did - I bought two pairs!....). I've not had anything else other than Innovate since Saucony messed up the Jazz range so can't compare although I did like the old Jazz which was more of a road/offroad shoe than the Talon.”
