Mizuno Wave Cabrakan 3
At 396g, the Mizuno is one of the heavyweights on test and, as well as the weight, the whole feel of the shoe is on the bulky and clumpy side. This is confirmed when you start running – although perfectly comfortable, they’re unresponsive and inflexible.
There’s no sense of connectivity with the trail, and the shoes seem to encourage you to plod along heavily rather than running fast and light. Grip on the easier terrain isn’t bad but there’s a tendency for the sole to clog with mud.
On technical terrain it’s worse; in fact, they’re a liability. They slide out when trying to climb steep, wet grass; clog up further in deep mud; and provided more than one backside-in-contact-with-ground descending moment.
The water-resistant uppers work well but having dry feet is slightly ruined by having a soggy bottom! The lack of feel for the terrain and inflexibility also made them almost impossible to contour in.
Contact : www.mizuno.eu
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
