Adidas Swoop II

i know its been covered,and i have done a search,but im still confused.

 i did my first xc on sunday,in normall road shoes,well nimbus 9's,i was looking at what people were wearing,some spikes and some what i would assume are the studed types,inov 8,walsh etc,i asked around for advice and again the advice was split.

so what do i realy need for xc,it was'nt too bad in my trainers,but im thinking of something like adidas swoops,the spikes seem like they have no cushion to me,and i would be wary of the lack of heel grip.

if someone can point me in the right direction it will make my life a lot easier,as i dont know which type to get.

Posted: 11/11/2008 at 16:04

First off I'm not a vastly experienced Cross Country racer, but for those Cross Country races I have done I always wear my Fell/Trail Shoes (Innov8 RocLite I think they are) These have always been perfectly fine for me, and on the X-Country in particular I've never felt like I've suffered from a lack of grip against those wearing spikes.

So for me personally I think I'd get a lot more use (and thus more value for money) from buying Fell/Trail shoes. Others may disagree, and if you're a quick runner then you may notice more benefit from spikes, but for a mid-pack runner like myself the Trail shoes seem to work just great.

Posted: 11/11/2008 at 16:29

Hi Tinka - I can't imagine doing a x-country mudfest wearing road shoes!  The cushoining isn't really an issue I wouldnt have thought as you're running on mud/grass and the ground is much softer than the road.  Likewise, if wearing spikes you really do not need grip in the heel. I used to wear spikes and had no problems with either heel grip or cushoining.  I switched to NB RX Terrain studded fell/x-country shoes as I can also use them for off roading on the hills and for mountain marathons.  I'm about needing a new pair and am currently looking at InoV8's range.

Posted: 11/11/2008 at 18:26

thanks for your reply guys,it was my first xc,so rather than splash out on some new shoes i thought i would see if i liked it first.

there was a short stretch that had a path,so i guess the stud type would come in handy for running on hard ground?.

Posted: 11/11/2008 at 18:40

I was confused which was best.  After struggling after an off-road training session with felll shoes, I bought some spikes off an ebay shop for 15 pounds.  They are Puma and are excellent in thick mud at a price that is worth a gamble.

Posted: 11/11/2008 at 20:15

Bought a pair of New Balance 240s for the XC season. Felt really good, and also felt that I looked the part too, which is an important psych. thing I guess.
Especially important to get a good fit, I find they are easier to clean and dry out than trail or road shoes.
Can't wait for next fixture in Ruislip in 2 weeks.

Posted: 15/11/2008 at 16:55

thanks everyone,ive borrowed a pair of spikes for the next race,so it should give me an idea of what they are like.

Posted: 15/11/2008 at 20:48

I'd definitely wear spikes for xc, unless the ground is really hard (like if it's below zero but dry).  As folks have said you don't really need the cushioning if the ground is soft, but you do need grip on the hills.

I have talked to folks who use trail shoes which seem to be a good all purpose option if it's not really really muddy.  We normally have crap weather up here, so it's spikes all the way for me. I know it doesnt matter what they look like (once they're manky), but I've got a pair of rather fetching Nikes - darth maul slippers

Posted: 16/11/2008 at 07:03

quick update,i decided on th adidas swoops,after doing rough common on sunday i realised that, with spikes you are a bit limited to their use, there was some hard stoney ground on sunday, which was'nt suitable for spikes.

with the studs they can be used on hard and soft ground, so i got them on the basis that they are a bit more versatile, and they are comfortable too, although ive not run in them yet.ill give an update when ive used them, but im sure they will be better than the nimbus i was using.

 and thanks all, for your advice.

Posted: 25/11/2008 at 21:55

Hi Tinka-like you I'm only just getting into x-country running and I also did the Rough Common race on Sunday,in a pair of Asics DS Trainers.

In those conditions,that was definitely a mistake ! as I found myself having to slow down whenever I came to one of the boggy or muddy sections.

Great fun though (even in the freezing wind and heavy rain) and I shall definitely look for a pair of Adidas Swoops:reading the reviews on the internet,they seem to be both lightweight and very grippy,which sounds ideal.

Posted: 26/11/2008 at 21:11

hi dave,there was times when i had to tip toe around some parts,and the long kind of down hill stretch i was zig zagging all over just to make sure i did'nt slip.

regarding the swoops,the spikes look evenly spaced and not to many of them,if you look at the inov8's and the walsh ones the studs seem close together and there are a lot of them,which to me looks like they wont dig in as much as the swoops.

i was blooming freezing at the start on sunday,good fun though,and looking forward to the next one.

Posted: 26/11/2008 at 21:22

I have been running in our local XC league for around a year now and have been using the original Adidas swoops. They are okay if it is not too wet, but they seen to struggle in slippery conditions rather than thick mud. I ran in swoops at the weekend it was very wet and slippy and they just did n't give me enough traction, I am thinking of investing in some spikes now. Again it is tricky as don't run that many XCs so don't really wanto splash out that much! Having said that I think the Swoops are an excellent all terrain shoe.

Posted: 15/12/2008 at 21:24

i did my first xc in the swoops on sunday and they were great,i felt realy good in them,there was some hard ground aswell and they were perfect for that too,i felt confident going through the mud and soft ground, so , so far so good.

ive got a few more runs coming up, so ill get a better idea once ive done them as to how versatile they are and if ill have the same problems as david,but at the moment i see no reason to get spikes just yet.

Posted: 15/12/2008 at 21:41