Inov8 X-Talon 255 Wide Trail Running Shoes

Great shoes for muddy conditions if you have wide feet

Great shoes for muddy conditions if you have wide feet

Dave - 30/10/2021

Automatic translation View in original language

Facing a British XC season for the first time in many years, I needed a new pair of shoes that would cope with the winter to come. Many fell shoes are quite narrow and, whilst I don't normally need a wide fitting in a road shoe, certain brands either crush my little toe or rub on the big one. The X-Talon 255 has very aggressive sole pattern but with a broad fit so was worth trying. On first fitting, they did seem to be too wide for my feet. However, a test run today at an off-road Parkrun in appalling wet and muddy conditions assuaged my fears. The grip is epic and I spent the last mile overtaking people in road shoes who were struggling simply to stay upright. The huge, deep puddles similarly presented no issues and the water drained well with no squelching feeling on exit. I barely noticed the extra width which I think is in part because the toebox has a lot of vertical space as well. The rest of the shoe holds the foot in place just allowing more "wriggle room" for the toes. It's an unusual feeling when stationary, but perfectly natural whilst running. The only issue was one uneven, stony section where the 8mm lugs caused some instability - to be fair, it would be even worse in XC spikes of any length though. I'll be interested to see how they cope of different terrains like sloping ground (given the width at the front) and rocks, but very pleased with their performance today in mud!

Facing a British XC season for the first time in many years, I needed a new pair of shoes that would cope with the winter to come. Many fell shoes are quite narrow and, whilst I don't normally need a wide fitting in a road shoe, certain brands either crush my little toe or rub on the big one. The X-Talon 255 has very aggressive sole pattern but with a broad fit so was worth trying. On first fitting, they did seem to be too wide for my feet. However, a test run today at an off-road Parkrun in appalling wet and muddy conditions assuaged my fears. The grip is epic and I spent the last mile overtaking people in road shoes who were struggling simply to stay upright. The huge, deep puddles similarly presented no issues and the water drained well with no squelching feeling on exit. I barely noticed the extra width which I think is in part because the toebox has a lot of vertical space as well. The rest of the shoe holds the foot in place just allowing more "wriggle room" for the toes. It's an unusual feeling when stationary, but perfectly natural whilst running. The only issue was one uneven, stony section where the 8mm lugs caused some instability - to be fair, it would be even worse in XC spikes of any length though. I'll be interested to see how they cope of different terrains like sloping ground (given the width at the front) and rocks, but very pleased with their performance today in mud!

Inov8

INOV8

Raul - 22/10/2021

Automatic translation View in original language

It's not easy to find the weaknesses of inov8 x talon 255

Não está fácil encontrar os pontos fracos do inov8 x talon 255

Excellent Trail Running Shoe

Excellent Trail Running Shoe

Soner BÜYÜKATALAY - 19/10/2021

Automatic translation View in original language

Durable trail running shoe especially on rocky terrain. Rigid upper canvas keeps your feet steady even on very long training days. Very light weight, which is good for trail running races.

Durable trail running shoe especially on rocky terrain. Rigid upper canvas keeps your feet steady even on very long training days. Very light weight, which is good for trail running races.

Inov8 purchase

Inov8 purchase

David Bonney - 12/10/2021

Automatic translation View in original language

Excellent turn around given the Covid world we live in. Ive been searching for a wide shoe for ages and finally found the Inov8 X-Talon 255 at an awesome price

Excellent turn around given the Covid world we live in. Ive been searching for a wide shoe for ages and finally found the Inov8 X-Talon 255 at an awesome price