Inov-8 X-TALON 212, Men's Trail Running Shoes

Product Information

The light weight, aggressive outsole, and snug fit of this shoe make it well suited to short-distance cross country racing or in sloppy conditions and the uppers breathed well. I haven’t tried them in a water-crossing yet, so I don’t know how well they drain, but I think they’ll perform well there also. Shop for the X-Talon 200 if you have broader feet and/or have obstacle course and other challenges in mind. Although the Ultra 260 v2 is branded as an ultramarathon shoe, for many people, it’s going to be more applicable as a 10k-to-marathon option. It’s weight – 260g – is, in fact, still at the lighter end of the scale. And while there’s a little more cushioning than normal, the overall feel is one of a shoe that’s still low to the ground and built for speed as well as endurance.

We’d recommend looking at the size guide which shows the approximate length of each size’s midsole in centimetres. If you already have a hiking boot, running shoe, or training shoe that fits you well, you could measure the length of the shoe’s insole and match this with the size guide. The 190 weighed just 190g and had a 3mm drop, bringing the foot closer to the ground for an even faster feel, while offering underfoot comfort courtesy of an injected EVA midsole.

Delivery timescales are esimates in working days; Public Holidays, Saturday's and Sunday's are NOT classed as working days.

When I finally got to try them out, the X-Talons were a slightly better fit. Remembering my dads advice not to go for the ones with the coolest name, I finally bought the X-Talons. They were ridiculously light and felt great - from a functional perspective, there was also very little cushioning or material on them and as I do a lot of running through streams, rivers, big puddles and water in general, drainage was important for me. They fit like a glove, which made me wary. The run felt amazing and I did 13 miles from my house to Chingford in rain with soaking wet feet. I only decided to stop as I had pulled a muscle in my groin. Bearing in mind that with my previous running shoes, anything over 10k became uncomfortable, I was blown away by these fantastic foot gloves.

Drop

If I could rate these shoes higher than five stars I would. They fit perfectly. I was able to overcome all terrain. They clean up well also. I highly recommend these shoes. The only fault with these (and it might just be down to my foot shape) is that because they are fairly minimal shoes without much cushioning and have very knobbly soles, they can become painful when running on harder ground. There's one stud on the sole in particular which I land on right in the centre on the ball of my foot behind my second toe, if the ground is hard then this really becomes uncomfortable after about 8k. In this review, we’ll take a separate look at the X-Talon 212’s outsole, midsole, upper, and insole before wrapping up with a conclusion. From time to time carriers may deliver earlier or later, or on non working days however this is cannot be guaranteed nor should it be expected. The X-Talon 200 has been designed to cope with the challenges of obstacle course racing. It is made on Inov-8’s standard fitting last which means that it is broader then the X-Talon 212. It is also a 3mm differential between the height of the heel and the forefoot making it a flatter, more stable shoe. The X-Talon 200 is also a bit more flexible than the X-Talon 212. So, although it is designed with the obstacle course racer in mind it would be ideal to the runner looking for a more minimal wider fitting X-Talon for fell or cross country running.