User Review: Inov-8 X-Talon 212

Summary

Great off-road running shoes, lightweight, good fit, really nice to run in. Not so good if your runs involve longer sections on tarmac.

The fit is really nice. I did as suggested and steamed them before I first put them on so they'd fit my foot shape better. Very comfortable to run in on the right surfaces.

They seem to be really well made, and use good materials. They're usually pretty muddy, but I'm sure they'd be like new if I cleaned them.

They're not designed to be water resistant, but water runs freely out of them and they dry quickly. Great if you're running through streams or boggy ground.

Grip is excellent both in mud and on wet rocks.

They're minimal and lightweight and you feel like you're in full contact with whatever surface you're running on.

I generally run between 8-25k on a range of surfaces, grass, trails, rocky paths and sections on tarmac. I've also run a few trail races in the Lakes which are usually about 15K. And I probably do up to about 120k a month.

The only fault with these (and it might just be down to my foot shape) is that because they are fairly minimal shoes without much cushioning and have very knobbly soles, they can become painful when running on harder ground. There's one stud on the sole in particular which I land on right in the centre on the ball of my foot behind my second toe, if the ground is hard then this really becomes uncomfortable after about 8k.

As I say it might just be my foot shape. Having said that the stud seems to be wearing down and the shoes are becoming more comfortable.