Which pair of inov8 roclite's? - Gear

ross Fripp

29/04/2012 at 11:58

Hi guys,

Looking at buying a pair of inov8 roclite trail shoes but not sure which one is best for me? will be used for the odd trail race, maybe some XC races if some tarmac is involved, and long steady runs across tarmac, mud, grass, gravel etc you name it.

i generally prefer a lighter shoe and am not a really quick runner but pretty brisk (5k 17:35, 10k a shade under 36) but mainly looking to these as i like to do my long runs on trails where normal shoes don't cut it but spikes are out because of the distance (anywhere from 8-15 miles) and the occasional section of tarmac)

the choices are:

http://www.sportsshoes.com/product/INO68/inov8-roc...

http://www.sportsshoes.com/product/INO30/inov8-roc...

or

http://www.sportsshoes.com/product/INO40/inov8-roc...

thanks in advance

Roland McCartney

29/04/2012 at 14:10

Each of those shoes suit a slightly different foot shape Ross, have tried all 3 and the difference between them was quite surprising.. If you have a wide foot look at the 295, narrower its the 285...

btw, any reason why the Talon 212 didn`t make your short list..??

ross Fripp

29/04/2012 at 14:21

Thanks for the reply Roland, much appreciated.

No idea why I didn't consider the Talon 212, just had a look on inov8 web site, it would appear that the grip levels on harder surfaces (tarmac?) isn't as good compared to the roclite....any idea what they're like in the wet on tarmac?

i think my short list is now the roclite 285/talon 212 and roclite 295.

not keen on the colour of the 285 but that wouldn't put me off....main thing i can't get my head around is the difference between the 285 and 295 other than a 10g weight difference?

thanks again in advance

Roland McCartney

29/04/2012 at 14:37

285s more of a racing shoe, sits lower to the ground (2 arrow sole) and has the tighter fitting performance last.. The softer compound soles of the Talon 212 - Roclite 285/295 grip very well on wet tarmac, only time my feet have slipped with the Talons has been during sharp decents on wet (rock & wooden surfaces)

Its been raining solid for the last 30hrs and I`m just about to head out for a mixed terrain 8miler, wouldn`t want to complete this run in anything other than the Talon 212`s...

Hope you find what your looking for Ross....

ross Fripp

29/04/2012 at 14:41

brilliant advice. Talon 212's it is then

ross Fripp

29/04/2012 at 18:46

ordered the X-talon 212's. a mate of mine who is a keen fell runner has them and swears by them. also has some roclite 315's but said if you're on firmer then the roclites are better and more comfortable over long distances, but for everything else....talon 212's every time.

Roland McCartney

29/04/2012 at 19:13

Depends on the idividual Ross, there are men/women out there winning 50+ mile trail races in Talon 212s ...... some world champ level orienteers use these shoes for sprint distance qualifying events on tarmac courses!! ........

The stock laces are there thin and hard and cut into your fingers like cheese wire, ended up replacing them with something softer/thicker..

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/311567_206222569441922_100001625413800_584419_935828_n.jpg

ross Fripp

29/04/2012 at 19:33

thanks again mate...guess i'm hitting the trails next week

have a lovely trail near me in south wales.....11 mile course....1 mile tarmac the rest a HUGE mix.....woods, mud, grass, gravel, over a mountain.

very hilly (around 450m total climb according to garmin) but it's gorgeous. when it's been bone dry and hot for a while normal trainers are fine but it can get seriously muddy in patches so with the current weather i really need something else. plus, these will help in some XC races where there are some tarmac sections, or fell races when you can't really use spikes.

i'm wondering whether these will be as good as my XC spikes for grassy XC races? i use spikes anywhere from 9mm to 15mm

Roland McCartney

05/05/2012 at 10:29

Have the shoes turned up yet Ross...??

btw, if you have any problems with there width then a very good option would be these :

http://www.ol-shop-conrad.de/produkte/olschuhe/2011irock_rubber.jpg

Edited: 05/05/2012 at 10:29

ross Fripp

05/05/2012 at 12:16

Hi mate,

yep, they turned up thanks not tried them running yet....that's for tomorrow...but they fit really nicely, wouldn't want them any bigger or smaller. feel tight getting them on but once on they fit like a glove.

they look like they'll really get the job done too, thanks very much for the recommendation! did a track session today....5x400m with 60secs rest each 400m in 70 (except 1 was 71 and the last 69) then 10mins rest/jog recovery and 5x200m each in 30/31. steady 10 miles on the muddy trails tomorrow!

Ross.

Roland McCartney

06/05/2012 at 08:13

Hope you enjoy todays muddy 10miler Ross, have a sneaky suspicion it`ll be anything but steadily paced...

ross Fripp

06/05/2012 at 12:21

Hi Roland,

Loving the X-talons really good grip in the mud and felt fine on the short tarmac sections (managed to cut overall tarmac/road down to just 0.6 miles on a 10.7 mile run). very hilly though as said so overall pace wasn't quick, something like 8min/mile, on a flat easy steady run i'm usually around 7:20-7:30/mile just to give you an idea.

they fit really nicely and really go offer great grip. i'm wondering whether to use this for future XC races instead of my XC spikes....any thoughts on that? i find XC spikes can bog up with mud rendering the spikes almost useless unless you have 12mm or 15mm spikes i guess.

good recommendation! day off tomorrow as i'm racing tuesday in a 4 miler....hoping for sub 23mins.

Ross.

ross Fripp

09/05/2012 at 09:32

got 22:30 for the 4 mile race official time....though my watch had it at 4:01 miles and 4 miles was at 22:28 haha. also got a 5k pb on the way round as i went through there in 17:18, pretty pleased with that

Steve Riley

09/05/2012 at 12:19

I used fell shoes for xc before I got spikes - ok, but I prefer spikes. In thick mud, I think the Inovs will pick up more mud than spikes (think mine are 12mm). You're a good bit quicker than me mind

Roland McCartney

09/05/2012 at 19:07

On order ...

http://www.sport8.no/img/p/198-280-large.jpg

WRXMANIA

12/05/2012 at 15:06

I've just received a pair of Innov-8 Rocklite 315's - seem very good, lightweight and comfortable. Not yet run in them.

Brian.

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