Article by Nick Higgins
Inov8 Trailtalon Max ($170)
Editor's Note: We welcome Nick to the RTR team. Nick specializes in very long runs in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, RTR home territory, where the trails are extremely rugged, rocky and rooty, the weather equally tough and which we think is an ultimate test of athlete and gear.
Introduction
Nick: The Trailtalon Max is a great addition to the inov8 Trailtalon lineup. This is the first offering I have tried from Inov8 and I can truly say I am IMPRESSED! The Trailtalon Max enters the lineup as your go-to for bigger miles on technical terrain and also flatter single track.
I have put about 120 miles on them in the rugged White Mountains of New Hampshire so far and have loved every step. Let's get into why!
Pros:
Nick: Natural footshape and widened toe box accommodate your fit perfectly from start to swelling.
Nick: The Boomerang Footbed provides everlasting cushion and rebound, I truly find this to be one of the stars of the show, so to speak.
Nick: Nitrogen-infused supercritical Flyspeed Pro midsole has kept my legs fresh from mile 3 to 30 and even further!
Nick: Durability, at 120 miles I see no degradation in the Flyspeed Pro foam or the Boomerang fFootbed. I see no issue routinely getting 500 plus GOOD miles out of these shoes.
Nick: The Graphene-Grip traction has provided safe and secure footing for me in everything the White Mountains of New Hampshire have to throw at it.
Nick: Padded tongue is among the best I have tried.
Cons:
Nick: Only two color options!
Nick: Graphene-Grip not the best on wet slimy slab.. Alathough I am not sure anything is.
Nick: Weight is a bit high, but Talon makes up for comfort!
Most comparable shoe
Altra Timp 5
Stats
Approx. Weight: 9.65 oz / 274g US9
Sample Weights:
men’s 9.9 oz / 281g US 9.5
Total stack 37mm heel / 31mm forefoot
(includes 6mm outsole lugs, 1mm base rubber & 6mm footbed)
Midsole Stack Height: 18mm heel / 24mm forefoot
Platform Width: 85mm heel / 63mm midfoot /115 mm forefoot
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Nick: The Inov8 Trailtalon Max comes in both a wide fit and a standard fit version.
I went with the standard fit, and it has proven to be plenty wide for my feet that are used to the wider platform Altra provides. This felt like slipping on a good glove once laced up.
The padded tongue and upper wrap the foot better than almost any shoes I’ve ever worn. Some shoes I have a hard time dialing in the lace tightness to give a secure fit but not being overly tight. This shoe strikes the perfect balance of giving me a secure fit for any technical terrain without having to even think about it.
Nick: The color way was a bit bright for me to start out, but quickly faded to a subdued slime green with a light layer of mud or dirt usually covering them now. Just how they should be.
Nick: The “natural footshape” that Inov8 follows with this last gave me just enough room to not be worried about taking these into big mileage days where foot swelling after 20 hours of hiking is quite common. These truly provide a wide toe box while not compromising on the secure fit of the rest of the shoe, a balance I have seen others fall far shorter on.
Midsole & Platform
Nick: This is where the magic happens!! The supercritical nitrogen-infused Flyspeed Pro midsole truly comes to life with each step. It gives a naturally propulsive ride with excellent rebound that doesn’t fade deep into a hike or race.
I was blown away how fresh my feet felt after a 20 mile outing in the Pemigewassett Wilderness. The Flyspeed Pro midsole foam is certainly on the softer side, but is firm enough to not degrade the longer you go. I have never had a foam keep my feet this fresh on the rooty, rocky, and uneven terrain I get to call home in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Inov8's famous Boomerang TPU beads insoles included!
The stack height of these being middle of the road, leaves me with a stable ride over uneven and often tripping-prone terrain.
These will be my go-to for an upcoming 700 mile thru hike connecting the White Mountain Direttissima, the Cohos Trail, and the Long Trail which will have every type of terrain to truly put these to the test. I have no doubt they will be awesome, as I have had friends get over 1000 miles out of Inov8 trailrunners before!
Outsole
Nick: This was my big question mark when first taking them out for a spin. I have grown accustomed to the excellent grip Altra and La Sportiva shoes offer on the tricky terrain I can often run into. From wet slab, knee deep mud, rocky and rooty single track, and steep granite faces these have done nothing but inspire confidence.
The 6mm lugs provide great traction on softer terrain and mud, while the Graphene-Grip outsole has kept me glued to everything else.
The only spill I took while wearing these was stepping over a slimy moss covered rock on a misty morning.. I am not sure anything would have done me good stepping on that one!
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Nick: The ride is a naturally responsive and stable experience. With a lively foam composition in the midsole and the TPU Boomerang Footbed insert, my feet feel great even after long long days in some of the country's most brutal terrain. Rock protection underfoot and around the toe box is certainly adequate, leaving nothing more to be desired. I cannot overstate how well this shoe wraps the shape of my foot , having been in Altra Timps for many years this was a pleasant surprise. The lace lockdown is the best I have tried on trail running shoes, eliminating my need to stop midday to loosen the laces as my feet swelled.
Nick: Overall this shoe has A LOT to love for me. It is stable, protective, bouncy, responsive, grippy, and secure. My one thought would be maybe a Vibram Megagrip outsole for wet slab versus the Graphene-Grip which does great in all but the wettest and slipperiest slabs. This is probably due in part to the 6mm lugs on the outsole which provide outstanding grip in all but the wettest slimy rocks. Maybe a little more of a lively foam wouldn’t hurt, but I certainly appreciate the balance the Flyspeed Pro offers.
Nick’s Score: 9.1 /10
Ride- 9.0- responsive ride with a stable platform and not too rockered make for a perfect fit all day long
Fit- 9.5- The lacing system and padded tongue work with the upper to envelope your foot in total comfort and protection. Secure fit leaves my feet protected even when charging downhills and your toes would be cramming forward in most other shoes.
Value: 9.5- At $170 these are certainly not the cheapest options, but not a big step up from typical trail running shoe prices (especially for what you get). I think this is an excellent value with premium foam materials used in the midsole and footbed you’d usually only find on shoes well over the $200 price point!
Style: 8- Would like to see more than two color options, but neither are big misses in my opinion. It is a sharp looking trail runner, especially once you splash some mud and dirt on them!
Traction: 9.0- The 6mm lugs provide outstanding grip on softer surfaces and even the worst mud the Whites have to throw at them. Excellent grip on the hard granite slabs New Hampshire is known for thanks to the Graphene-Grip compound used on the outsole. Overall, I think the outsole balances everything extremely well and can handle just about anything I will throw at it.
Rock Protection- 10- The layer of foam underfoot has always left my feet feeling great after hiking on rocky and uneven terrain. I have not had any issues feeling rocks underfoot, but at the same time ground feel is not totally eliminated in this shoe. The reinforced toe box provides great protection from stubbing your toes on stubborn rocks and roots.
Comparisons
Nick: I have exclusively worn Altra Lone Peaks and Altra Timps for the last 7 plus years. I will be better suited for comparisons when I have tried more of a range of trail running shoes. I have always hated how dead the EVA foam feels in the standard Altra shoes, having always felt like I want something more. The Trailtalon Max has a roomy fit in the toe box like both Altra models listed above, but with a more secure midfoot and lacing system.
The real separator is the lively and responsive ride from the nitrogen-infused midsole foam compared to the not so lively EVA used in the Lone Peaks and Timps.
Altra Timp 5 (RTR Review)
NIck: The Timp 5 has been my go to trail shoe for thousands of miles now. It performs beautifully on the technical terrain here. The wide toe box of the Timp also shines in the Trailtalon Max, but with the Trailtalon Max having a better, in my opinion, fit across the rest of the foot.
My biggest complaint is the EVA foam used in the Timp 5 leaves my feet feeling battered and beat down after big epic days in the mountains, whereas the Flyspeed Pro midsole combined with the Boomerang TPU footbed leaves my feet feeling fresh mile after mile. This will be a HUGE upgrade for multiday pursuits where my feet would slowly degrade each day in any trail runners using standard EVA foam in the midsole.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Tester Profiles
Nick is from the Boston area and moved to Lincoln, NH to pursue his love of long distance endurance projects and trail running. He works at Burgeon Outdoor in Lincoln where all their apparel is made right in house (Sam and Dominique from RTR first met Nick at the Burgeon store and we did a video together here). He’s run the Lincoln 100 Miler twice in the past year, despite having previously never run more than a 5k (18:41) road race. With thousands of miles logged on the rugged White Mountains trail networks, it surprised him to have recently found a love for road running. His current regiment includes about 60-70 miles per week on the road and 20 miles in the mountains. Stay tuned for an epic nearly 700 mile endurance project in the fall!
Samples were provided at no charge for review purposes. No compensation was provided by brands for writing this article. RoadTrail Run does have affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased via shopping links in this article. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content. The opinions herein are entirely the authors'.
No comments:
Post a Comment