A 'what shoes to wear' thread?

[Raymond Hickman]

I currently run trails over the Soutdowns in Inov8 Flyrocs; I really like them and they've been great in the Malverns, Hereford hills, Isle of Purbeck and Cornish coastal paths. However, as I stated over on the beginners forum I want to do some 'real' fell races; so what should I put on my feet? I've looked at a ton of stuff on the 'interweb' about Walshes, New Balance RX Terrains, Inov8s, Mountain Bears...; but am keen to hear from people who actually use them rather than those who sell them. So what do poeple prefer and how can I choose between the different options; I haven't seen Walshes or Mountain Bears down here in any of the sunny Sussex running shops, indeed my Inov8s were bought from the Sweat Shop in Milton Keynes.

Cheers - Raymond

[Denzil]

Ray

For out and out traction you cant beat the Innov8 Mudclaw's, though the 270's have been problematic with their build quality. The 330's are certainly a more hard wearing shoe but at the expense of weight and are my current faves.

Mizuno Wave Harriers are a great new shoe. Lots of grip, low mid sole and quite light. Not quite as extreme as the mudclaw but more and more people are starting to wear them now. They are worth a look at.

[detritus21]

For training I use a pair of Rx Terrains and race either in them or a pair of walsh pb races. I like both the walsh's give a little more traction I've found but also think the others give more support.

[Bladerunner]

Raymond, it all depends on personal preference. You'll find people who swear by Inov-8s and others who hate them and the same with Walshes. You've got to try them on and see which suit you.

I never got on with Walshes and love Inov-8. If you're looking for an allround shoe from them the Mudroc 290s are very good, in terms of grip I'll echo an earlier comment the Mudclaws are outstanding, I've got the 330s and really like them, however they are no good on hard ground so only really suitable for winter whereas you can wear the 290s all year.

[The Juicer]

Mudclaw 330's for me too. Love 'em. First pair of fell shoes though, so can't really compare to others.

[supersaintee]

Don't get too hung up on other folk's views on shoes. The most important thing is how they fit your own feet - are they comfortable, do your feet slip inside them (especially when contouring) and are you going to be able to wear them for a long time on rough ground when they're soaking wet and full of mud.

Unfortunately,the only way to find the best shoes for you is to go out and try them. Inov8's get great write-ups, and clearly work well for lots of people, but they're worse than useless for me - I find them clumpy and they chew my heels to bits. After years of (bloody expensive !) trial and error, I've found Gladiators and RX Terrains are the best studded shoes for me, and I'd echo positive comments on Mizuno Harriers as a great trail-type shoe for rockier or drier conditions. But they might not work for you....

[david]

Don't get too hung up on other folk's views on shoes. The most important thing is how they fit your own feet

Absolutely right. The only shoes I can run properly in are Gladiators and PB Racers but others will obviously disagree.

[Iken Fityemean]

Don't get too hung up on other folk's views on shoes. The most important thing is how they fit your own feet - are they comfortable, do your feet slip inside them (especially when contouring) and are you going to be able to wear them for a long time on rough ground when they're soaking wet and full of mud.

You said it all there!

[Margarine]

I like walshes but they're not so good for long cold winter runs I find because they're meant to fit tight so I use 290s too to get two pairs of socks on.

[B.K.]

Sorry to hijack your thread, but does anyone know where I can get hold of Walsh cross country spikes (spikes at the front & studs at the back). I can't see them @ Pete Blands.