Inov8 Trailtalon review

If shoe-sucking mud and lashing rain are very much part of your off-road running life, then a trail running shoe designed to keep you steady and moving over the soggy mess of a UK winter (or indeed spring and summer) is a godsend.

Enter Inov8’s Trailtalon, with its smooth ride and bags of superior grip.

Inov8 Trailtalon review

A cousin of the much-loved Roclite, the Trailtalon (£130/$150) is designed for the trail runner who enjoys mixing soft and hard-packed paths on their running adventures.

Sporting the brand’s new wider anatomical foot design, it has a wide toe box which gives plenty of room for toes to splay as nature intended them to and helps with the feeling of connection to the trails.

The upper is made of lightweight mesh which I found kept my feet cool on longer runs whilst the reinforced extended overlay toe bumper helped protect my toes on rocky ground.

Whereas the main shoe feels comfortably wide, I found the heel cup held my feet in very well and combined with the lacing and gusseted tongue gave a really firm locked-in feeling, great on the downhills.

Inov8 Trailtalon features

The extra lace loop could provide more lacing flexibility for those who need it. The heel is soft and padded, yet it stands up firm and this along with a heel loop makes getting the Trailtalon on in your rush to get out of the door easy.

A favourite detail are the long laces – especially good for lovers of double knotting. My only grumble would be the duller choice of colours in this shoe for women compared to the vibrant men’s versions.

The comfort factor continues to the midsole as the Trailtalon features Inov8’s new Powerflow Pro foam. With a stack height of 18mm at the heel and 12mm at the forefoot, this gives a drop of 6mm and great feel of cushioning on the run, yet I found the shoe felt very stable.

Add to this the 6mm Boomerang footbed, and this is a comfortable shoe for both soft ground and also for longer runs where I mixed in some road.

The G-GRIP Graphene Rubber is sticky on rock and the 6mm lugs are excellent in soft mud and snow. The lug shape is said to mimic a mountain goat’s hoof print and the grip it gave certainly gave me the confidence to run fast when tricky underfoot.

A nice bonus was that this pattern seemed to make mud less likely to clog the lugs and also made it easier to bang out at the end of a run. Handy on the trails too, as a clogged sole will turn slippy very quickly, no matter how good the lugs were to start with!

At 310g (UK 6), the Trailtalon is not the lightest trail shoe on the market, yet it feels dynamic and light to run in. It comes in a standard and wide fit.

The Trailtalon is one of a range of three which also includes a waterproof version, the Trailtalon GTX, and the Trailtalon Speed aimed at those wanting a lighter, faster version. 

Inov8 Trailtalon specs

Price:	£130/$150
Buy from:	Inov8
Available sizes:	Women’s UK3-8.5; Men’s UK6-14
Lug length:	6mm
Drop:	6mm (18mm heel – 12mm toe)
Weight:	130g (UK6)

For more shoe reviews, check out our best trail running shoes for men and women article.