Inov-8 X-Talon Review

INOV-8 X-TALON 230 REVIEW 

SPECIFICATIONS:

Make: Inov-8

Model: X-Talon 230

Fit: Standard Fit

Pronation: Neutral 

Size: 8.5 (UK); 9.5 (US); 42.5 (EURO)

Colours: Black/Red; Grey/Blue 

Weight: 230 grams 

DESIGN AND APPEARANCE

The Inov-8 have put these trail shoes as a fit scale of 1.  Inov-8 has a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is a narrow fit and 5 is a wide toe fit.  This means that since a scale fit is 1 there is minimal internal movement which is what you'd require running on trails.  However, the downside is that since your feet spread when running longer distances there is little room for your feet to spread.  In essence there was no wide toe box and I suffered from rubbing on my little toe on my right foot. I would recommend not running more than a half marathon distance in these shoes, unless you opt for a one size larger.  

HEEL-TO-TOE-DROP

The heel to toe drop is 6mm.  The 6mm drop is calculated as the heel height outsole of 13mm minus the forefoot of 7mm.  

As I have a supinator gait (one where the outside of the heel strikes the ground first) I'm trying not to have a heel strike where the wear pattern is neutral.  This would make the trainers last longer. This would increase running efficiency and speed and make you less prone to injuries particularly in the knees and hips.  I experienced a wear pattern on the outer side of the sole, but this was more to the fact that I have a supinator gait. 

Inov-8 claims that because the midsole has a 6mm drop there is a 10 percent better shock absorption.  I don't know whether I could agree with 10 percent but there is certainly some absorption when jogging.  

The downside is that the absorption is at the heel and not at the forefoot.  If your gait is a midfoot or forefoot you can increase your cadence as you can push off once striking the ground.  For me, I'm trying to have a forefoot or midfoot strike pattern to increase my cadence. There's probably some scientific reason why not but I'd like to see more cushioning at the forefoot. 

Inov-8 also claims that because of the 6mm drop there is a 15 percent better energy return.  This is also due to the lightweight and flexible rockplate design. This supposedly gives underfoot protection.  I'm not convinced as jogging long distances certainly felt the impact on my forefoot, particularly the metatarsals.  Especially when striking numerous stones.  

GRIP

The Roclite 275 has hexagonal lugs with a lug depth of 8mm , one mm more than the Roclite 275.  

I didn't notice better grip when comparing the X-Talon 230 to the grip on the Roclite 275. The former has the sticky grip compared to the Meta-Flex Graphene grip on the Roclite 275.    

The lugs are smaller in diameter when compared to the Roclite 275. On the Roclite 275 they are 20mm x 15mm at their longest longest length.  In comparison, the lug diameter on the X-Talon are 12mm x 10mm. More grip surface area means more grip on wet, muddy trails.  

HARD-WEARING UPPER 

They are certainly not waterproof (although they don't claim to be).  I did experience wet feet dashing through puddles and the like at the forefoot but certainly not at the heel.

The design does not have a wide toe box so I did experience rubbing on my right small toe.  The size was one size larger than I would normally accommodate so I would have thought my feet had even more room to spread.  

PROS:

• Lightweight
• Comfort
• Value for money
• Cushioning and responsiveness

CONS:

• Loud noise when running after high mileage

Overall rating:

• 80 out of 100   

https://runrepeat.com/inov-8-x-talon-230