SportsShoes Blog

Well, just to prove that sportsshoes.com caters for every kind of runner we have just taken delivery of the biggest running trainer we have EVER seen.

SIZE 19 Adidas Supernova Sequence 2 Running Shoes!… yes you heard right… SIZE 19!

What a shoe… what a carbon footprint  ( yes i know technically there is no carbon footprint… but it is a play on words, sorry but getting grief from fellow colleagues )!!!

… so ladies, gentleman and fellow runners… I present Size 19…

You could pretty much fit the size 6 inside!

Compared to everyday objects!

Have we got a bag big enough?

So, don’t be shy… if we haven’t got your size then all you need to do is ask, we can do all sorts here at sportsshoes.com

Click here to view the Inov-8 330 Mudclaw

Anyone whose read my earlier posts will know that I’m an Inov-8 convert.

I’ve been using their trail shoes for a number of years and recently tried and liked their lightest race shoe the 212 X-Talon.

As the trails have recently become a tad on the slippy side I needed to find something with a little more grip than my Adidas Kanadia trail shoes. The X-Talon’s have fantastic grip but they offer very little support so whilst they’re great for racing they’re not that good for churning out the miles in training.

I’ve never been a big fan of Inov-8’s fell shoe styling (212 excepted) but recent changes to their colourways and some subtle changes to the uppers have, in my opinion, improved the range considerably. We all know that what a fell shoe looks like shouldn’t matter a hoot but we also all know that it does and how things look can have a big effect, even if it is all in the mind.

When looking for a grippy trail shoe the 330 caught my eye and whilst I know it’s designed to be a fell racer the upper does look more like a trail shoe.

The shoes do feel slightly larger than the same sized 212 but I guess that’s to be expected as the 212 is supposed to be a tight fitting stripped down racer.

Following the obligatory walk around the house for a day, my first run in the 330s was a 90 minute trot around Baildon Moor and the first thing you notice is the massive amounts of traction that the heavily studded sole supplies. The shoes really inspire confidence in muddy conditions and certainly live up to their name.

The shoes are extremely comfy and although nice and low as a good off-road shoe should be, they offer descent cushioning from the midsole and also a noticable amount of welcome ‘bounce’ from the studs on hard surfaces.

The heel is very low, a feature of Inov-8 shoes which I still don’t fully understand, and initially I could feel a little movement when climbing steep ground. This has all but disappeared now the shoes have been wet and dried a few times and started to mould to my feet but I would prefer a higher heel to make sure the movement is not there in the first place.

The other issue is the shoe’s ability to handle wet rock - put simply, they don’t! Once you know this it is possible to use them very effectively but the first few times you try them on a wet, hard, cambered surface the results can be very un-nerving. What I know about shoe design / manufacture you could write on the back of a small stamp but I would like to have seen two lines of studs running along the length of the sole unit that were made from super soft sticky rubber.

If you have a reasonably efficient style and keep light on your feet these shoes can be used for just about anything from hard packed trails to the high fells but I think they will really come into their own on long distance fell races where comfort, support and grip are needed.

I’ve now done around 15 hours in the shoes and overall I like them very much and would gladly recommend them. If  you try before you buy to make sure you get the right size and be aware of their dislike of wet rock, you’ll not go far wrong.

Click here to view the Inov-8 330 Mudclaw

Click here to view  the Inov-8 212 Shoes.

I’ve done a couple of races in my X-talons now so I thought I’d give you my thoughts.

Although I’m a convert to Inov8’s trail shoes, these are the first fell racing shoes that I’ve ever tried as I’ve always been a fan of the classic Walsh PB and belived that where a ’stud’ is required they just couldn’t be beaten. Until this one came along I’ve always thought the Inov8 fell shoes just looked all wrong (especially the mudclaw with the offset laces) despite lots of folk wearing them and some good reviews.

To me the x-talon takes the great features of the Walsh PB (light weight and grip) and the Adidas Swoop (fit and cushioning) and blends them together to give a VERY impressive off road shoe.

They are very light 212 grammes for a UK size 8 (sounds about right as mine weighed in at 230 grammes on the works scales in a size 44) - and the fit is very good for a racing shoe. One of the most important thing about a pure fell shoe, as opposed to a trail shoe, is that your foot is kept as low to the ground as possible to avoid rolling your ankles on uneven surfaces. The x-talon achieves this but without compromising on cushioning which, for a fell shoe is excellent. I really think that if you are a reasonably light runner you could run a LONG way in these without a problem.

Where they really score however is in their grip. The sole pattern is similar to the Inov8 trail shoes but with fewer and more pronounced studs. This results in a sole that grips soft ground well and clears mud very quickly (in the same way that a football boot does) but I’m sure it will also lead to very quick wear if they are used on hard surfaces. However, what they’ve managed to achieve where so few others have is to make the shoe grip on wet rock. The x-talons match the Walsh in this very important area giving the wearer confidence over all surfaces.

If I had one tiny critisism it would be the laces. They are very thin nylon things (like really thick fishing line) with clever little lumps of rubber along their length to stop them coming loose. Although they’ve stayed tied in both races I’ve done they aren’t as easy to do up tight as a conventional lace.

Overall these are great shoes from the box - only time will tell how they last through the season.

Here’s a pic of mine at 1 hour 18 mins old (after the Noon Stone fell race).

Click here to view  the Inov-8 212 Shoes.

Well we all know that every year Nike likes to come up with something fresh and new and, unsurprisingly, this year it’s all centered around the Olympics. Their latest grand design is the Lunar shoes. With their distictive designs this is a shoe you will be seeing a lot of on the TV during the olympics - especially when it comes to the athletics.

Nike lunar trainer

• Introduces the Lunar lite foam - mega springy and lightweight
• Has an anatomical last - based on nike free technology
• Has pillow waffle outsole - lighweight with cushioning value

WHAT WE THINK…

The hype is good - it always is with Nike. This shoe is ‘out there’ - the colours are bold and the outsole has a futuristic shape - but it works. The fit is fantastic, the feel plush and it is very light. Time will tell if stands up to serious road training but so far it feels fantastic.

Watch the lunar trainer designer video

Nike lunaracer

• Nikes lightest shoe other than the Mayfly (which is limited to 100K)
• Flywire upper adds structure without weight
• Pillow waffles - add cushioning without weight

WHAT WE THINK…

Nike promise ‘a super lightweight experience that makes me wanna run’ - well that is a little over the top from our amigos in the US of A - but the truth is that there’s some excellent technological thought gone into this shoe… and ultimately the scales don’t lie - it’s progressive and incredibly light (oh and it looks the business too doesn’t it?!)

Watch the lunar race designer video

Wow - I’ve spotted these little corkers on the website and they look great - can’t wait to see them in the flesh and maybe give them a try.

Only reason I’m excited by them is that I used to use Nike’s Tupu trail shoes which I thought were brilliant and could never understand why they dropped them. These look like a new version of the Tupu but even lower and leaner.

If they work like they look I reckon they’ll sell very well…..

Well I’ve given my 320s some stick now so I thought I’d let you have my thoughts.

Firstly they are a very good looking and comfy shoe with no pinch points or loose areas that can rub and cause blisters. Like other Inov 8s they also have a very roomy toebox (area around the toes) which I really like as it prevents the loss of toenails when doing long descents.

The lacing system is simple but effective and the laces themselves are good at staying tied.

The cushioning is good - perhaps a little too good for a trail shoe - but Inov 8 would argue that the 315 is there if you want less cushion.

The tread pattern is fantastic for off-road use - just nice simple blocks that stay clear in all but the worst of clag.

On the downside, they do tend to feel a bit heavy when wet and don’t appear to dry as quickly as a 315. More of a worry is their performance on wet rock where you have to be REALLY careful on certain rock types (particularly that found on Scafell!!!). The boffins at Inov 8 need to get their thinking caps on here and develop a compound that wears well but prevents the wearer looking like a pig on stilts whenever the floor’s wet.

Overall, I think they’re a great shoe capable of handling anything from long road runs to ultra distance trail runs to fell races that are predominantly track based (pure fell needs a lower profile stud such as a Walsh).

My last piece of advise would be to make sure you don’t buy a size that’s too small - I would always advocate going up a half size rather than down if ever you’re unsure.

As fresh as fresh can be - just through the door we have some new mizuno running shoe deals.

Mizuno are a technical sports company. Known within the trade as being incredibly product focused. They tend to invest in imporoving the product rather than in marketing - which I guess ultimately benefits us runners.

Their major running technology is the mizuno wave plate. This sits alone in the market place as the only technology that deals with the twin issues of cushioning and stability at the same time.

Read about mizuno’s history

The shoes we have on clearance are their most popular ’runners’ and we’ve got them in mens and womens:

mizuno wave rider 11 - a favourite high mileage shoe of neutral runners - £50

mizuno wave inspire 4 - popular high mileage support shoe -£55

mizuno wave elixir 3  - £45 - lighter weight performance running trainer

Interested in more mizuno technology?

Take a look at this wave rider japanese ad we’ve found

Visit our mizuno technology glossary

Take a look at our mizuno specialist store 

We’re here to keep you all informed of interesting technologies…

Well …. what with it being summer and everything it seems the eternal quest for a beach body is on - and this ties in nicely with the technology that is catching our eye at the moment……..fit flops.

What’s more fit flops seem to be catching everyones eye - not only are they selling well, they seem to plastered all over the women’s glossy magazines - featured in such style bibles as vogue and grazia.

Anyway …… from a shoe technology perspective what’s it all about?

Well, several leading studies have shown that wearing Fitflops actually extends the amount of time that your slow twitch muscles are engaged during each step by between 10-12%. They do this becasue they have a multi-density midsole which works your big leg and bum muscles in a slightly different way through the foot strike. So, just by wearing them, walking to work, working around the house or shopping and you’ll feel and see the benefit. Fitflops have even been clinically proven to increase the amount of time that the gluteus maximus muscle is activated during walking…meaning they work your bum muscles more.

Our view? …. Although the multi density midsole technology isn’t necessarily revolutionary, the way it is being applied (to help tone muscles) is new and interesting. The stats back up the hype, they’re mega comfy and they’re as hot as hell.

These sandals get a big thumbs up from us

Click here for more shoe technology