It’s time to sum up a bunch of miles off-road in our Inov-8 TrailFly Speed review. The Inov-8 TrailFly Speed is the latest addition to the range of new Inov-8 running shoes that are focussed on providing a more anatomical shape to the last and cushioning levels that allow for foot function. The TrailFly ‘Speed’ is designed to be used on hard-packed trails and unlike the regular TrailFly, has been stripped back to provide a good level of ground feel and flexibility that allows your feet and lower legs to propel you over the ground at a quicker speed than shoes that have less flex and more under ..read more

Time for a carbon plated race day shoe suitable for the marathon distance in our New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v4 Review.  The SC Elite v4 is a totally different shoe to the SC Elite v3. The SC Elite v4 is neutral and has a very soft and bouncy feel to the cushioning. The midsole is now made from PEBA which is a soft but very responsive foam and the carbon fibre plate has also been redesigned to work better with the new foam. The Energy Arc Carbon Plate is designed to compress and then reshape like a spring. This works in tandem with the planta fascia on the base of your foot. This is lik ..read more

In our Topo Athletic Magnifly 5 review we explore the neutral road running shoe designed to be light and responsive, but durable and cushioned enough for your everyday miles/long runs, whilst being zippy enough for some quicker sessions. Zero Drop – Midfoot Landing Topo Athletic make shoes in a range from 0mm to 5mm drop. The Magnifly 5 is built on a zero drop or 0mm from heel to forefoot last. The stack height is identical, which essentially means that the midsole is ‘flat’ or same distance from the ground in both toe and heel. A lot of casual everyday shoes and running shoes have a raised he ..read more

The Golden Gate ATR is a shoe designed for road to trail, hence ‘ATR or all terrain’ and we’ve now completed our Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 review. Cushioned and durable enough to be comfortable on tarmac yet responsive and grippy enough for use on hard packed tracks and trails and everything up to but, not including deep mud. I enjoyed running in the previous version. It was a work horse type of a shoe that offered a high level of cushioning without being too soft. It was also very durable and had well over a thousand miles of running on them before they were reduced to knocking about/gardening ..read more

The Scott Kinabalu has been a good road to trail option since its inception and today we’ve finished up our Scott Kinabalu 3 review. The version 3 is very different to the previous two versions. Less versatile in the types of terrain it is suited to, but perhaps better suited to the terrain that it was designed to be used on. The Scott Kinabalu 3 is designed as a road-to-hard-packed-trail running shoe. A straighter big toe line allows a much more positive push-off than the more pointed toe box of the previous version. The toe box also has more volume to give your toes more wiggle room. The hee ..read more

Fresh off the boat from Finland and moving quickly, we’ve got the VJ Sport Lightspeed review. VJ is a Finish orienteering brand that has made performance footwear since 1981. Their running shoes are well known for being grippy, with a good level of ground feel that allows the runner to remain nimble over tricky terrain. This helps tremendously when running through undergrowth, which is common terrain in orienteering events, plus broken ground fells or a cross country course. The shoes flex in all directions to allow the foot to react to the ground and the outsole maintains contact with the gro ..read more

Today we have our La Sportiva Prodigio review, from a brand that makes everything for runners, walkers, climbers or anyone else that wants to get into the hills. The La Sportiva Prodigio is the latest trail running shoe in their range and is designed for all the way to ultramarathon distance on hard packed trails. It’s not a grippy muddy fells running shoe, they are comfortable and durable enough to be worn all day on harder trail surfaces, whilst versatile enough to be used as an everyday training shoe on mixed terrain. That La Sportiva ‘Solid’ Feel La Sportiva running shoes have a very secur ..read more

Back on the road this week, we have our Karhu Fusion 4 review. The Karhu Fusion 4 is a neutral running shoe designed for everyday training that is versatile enough for more than just your easiest running. Rather than a performance shoe that you can do the miles in, which is becoming popular with many brands, like the New Balance Rebel v4 or the Hoka Mach X, the Karhu Fusion 4 is more of a training shoe that is still responsive and light, so it feels good at quicker running speeds. That means the Karhu Fusion 4 is a great shoe for those who only keep one running shoe at a time. It doesn’t feel ..read more

This week we’ve got a running specialist exclusive 0mm drop road shoe, in our Altra Provision 8 review. The Altra Provision is a mid-cushioned everyday training shoe for runners who need some pronation support. When your foot touches the floor, your arch compresses to absorb the shock. It should re-shape and you then push off from the end of your big toe. If your arch doesn’t re-shape quick enough, you will push off from the inside of your foot and your knee will roll inwards. Known as overpronation. As running is a repetitive action, the same happens over and over, leading to aches and pains ..read more

This week we’re going to asses why the New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4 seems to have hit a sweet spot (certainly based on popularity since launch!) in our Rebel v4 review. The New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4 is a fast and responsive shoe designed to be versatile enough to be used as an everyday training shoe. There are a lot of differences between the New Balance Rebel v3 and Rebel v4. As with all changes, these will be good for some runners and not for others. FantomFit Upper & Heel The fit has gone from a snug fitting racing shoe to a more relaxed everyday trainer feel. There is slightly mor ..read more