UKH

I have been getting more and more into trail running recently just using my normal road shoes (can be sketchy sometimes). I was looking at getting some La Sportiva Bushido's, i was wondering what peoples thoughts on this shoe were, I'm running mainly on woodland trails at the moment but I'm looking at getting into more fell running type trails. Also would i be able to use these as an approach type shoe as well as my last pair of approach shoes have turned to dust.

Thanks in Advance

In reply to woodybenwood:
ive got some la sportivia anakondas and find them to be fine for fell running, not tried the bushidos specifically but the general quality of the la sportivias is good. There are a lot of running shoes out there, some will come down to fit, others down to personal preference. I have found Inov-8 shoes to be generally very good at what they do but they vary a lot in fit so be sure to try them on first. Mudclaw is very popular and works well on soft to firm ground all year round, roclite are more trail orientated but also grip quite well on fell terrain, for all out mountain use the x-talon is excellent but has less padding/protection - all depends on what you are after.
There will be someone along in a bit with a different view and other suggestions no doubt, but I think Id be happy with the Bushido.
edit - however I wouldnt expect them to be great in sloppy mud, for that Id suggest getting a second pair something like the Mudclaw, or if you dont want to spend much on a second pair then More Mile Cheviot are really good too and quite cheap.

In reply to Pesda potato:

I've had both Anacondas and Bushidos, the Bushidos are tip top for technical, rocky trails, as they've got a little bit of plastic armour directly under arch and a little plastic toe cap. Great grip on wet rock and buffed tree root trails, but they aren't quite as good on wet grass and mud as the Anacondas, or indeed the Inov8 Mudclaws that I've got to replace them, as their cleats aren't quite so aggressive. But they did work well as a nice light approach shoe, too.

In reply to woodybenwood:

Also worth looking at the La Sportiva Helios - really lightweight and by far the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. More padding than some of the more technical fell shoes (Mudclaws, X Talons etc.), so easier on the feet. Great for all kinds of trail and easy fell stuff (as well as approach use), although not ideal for contouring on grass as the ridges on the sole run L to R.

In reply to woodybenwood:

I had a pair of Bushidos but killed them due to many, many miles. Great on rocky trails but less good on the muddy stuff. I opted for a lighter shoe (Salomon Ultras) with a bit more "feel" to them. Whilst the stiffness in the sole protects your feet, I personally didn't like it as much as I thought. Great shoe though!

In reply to woodybenwood:

I have just got a pair of Bushidos, not had chance to try them yet but the look promising, there are a VERY snug fit though, got a pair of Anakondas for £65 at the sames time which feel really good as fell shoe, not had a chance to use either yet so cant comment further....

I am really not a fan of Inov8, i have tried several different times now and never been impressed with the quality, my latest Roclites fell to pieces, the heels wore through on the inside and the mid sole collapsed at around 150 miles, i wont be going back there, each to their own and all that though.

In reply to woodybenwood:

You need to try them on. Bushidos are a very narrow/technical fit. I wear Anakondas for fell running, which are also relatively narrow in the toe box, but Bushidos don't fit me.

In reply to Tom Briggs:

Thanks, I would obviously always try them on before buying, I have very narrow feet and La Sportiva's have always fitted my feet.

In reply to patrick_b:

Thanks I'll give them a look

In reply to Pete Houghton:

How good on sort of rocky more technical terrain are the Anacondas as i would be looking at using them as an approach shoe also?

In reply to woodybenwood:

Given the choice I'd rather wear the Bushidos if there's anything steeper to climb or a little scrambling before getting rock shoes on, as they have a noticeably stiffer sole and you can wedge them into things a little tighter, however neither of them have anything clever like "Climbing Zones" or sticky rubber anywhere, so they are both pretty terrible compared to actual approach shoes, but if you just suck it up and use your hands more then they work fine.

The Anakondas are quite a bit lighter than the Bushidos, so I've tended to use the Anakondas as approach/descent shoes for skiing and overnight trips to huts or bivvies, and the Bushidos to get to single day rock routes.

Also to consider, the Anakondas have a carabiner loop on the heel, the Bushidos don't, so you need to clip a biner through some lace loops if you want to hang them on a harness.

Ultimately, both are great shoes, but the Anakondas will definitely work better on grass, mud, bog, etc and are slightly lighter and ultra-minimal, whereas the Bushidos work better on rock and scree and roots and things, and can be ranked among the beefiest and best-protected lightweight shoe in their class (if I remember correctly various bits of blurb and reviews from when I was first researching them).

In reply to woodybenwood:


i too am a slender footed gentleman. I visited Outside and tried on pretty much all of their trail running selection. I found the innov8 and la sportivas too wide so went for a pair of salomon speedcross 3. not great for road running (but to be fair, they're not designed for this and i only run on roads to get to trails). i find them very comfortable with good grip. had them 2 - 3 months and no issues so far. i'd recommend them.

In reply to rob sykes:


Salomon are definitely better for narrow feet. Even the precision fit inov8s are too wide for me which is a shame as I think the sole on Mudclaws is hard to beat.

I'm following this thread with interest, wanting a trail shoe for rocky trails around sydney. I'm destroying my fairly light (but not truly minimal) road shoes!

Unlike earlier posters I've got wide feet. I'm looking for a light and fairly sensitive shoe, with good grip on rocky and rubbly trails, a small amount of cushioning, and a small amount of protection round the sides.

La sportiva Bushidos and Anakondas mentioned above both sound ideal but are likely going to be too narrow for my spade feet. I read some reviews suggesting Sportiva Helios wear very quickly. For me this also rules out innov8 as they've disintegrated on me in the past and this problem seems worse now based on reviews. Any other suggestions? Any of the Salomons fit the bill?

In reply to Siderunner:
I've found salomons poor on rock (fellraiser. Speedcross, sense pro)
I've not had a problem with inov8s disintegrating, the tread wears out before the uppers for me which is what you'd expect from a grippy shoe (mudroc, xtalon, roclite, road xtreme)

I wonder if people over wash their shoes? At most mine get a rise in cold water then left outside to dry

In reply to Pesda potato:

Wash mine with clean water after every muddy run. Mine have suffered mechanical failure, the Mrs has a pair of the newer Roclites and used them three times and the stitching has failed on the toe.

I would think Salomon Sense would be a good shout for rocky trails around Sydney, they are wider in the toe box than Speedcross and have a rock plate too, not much tread but thats not really an issue on rocky dry trails.

Thanks for the recommendation Richlan, I'll take a look at the Sense, sounds just the ticket. You're exactly right about tread, I don't need the sort of studs that are so good on mud etc, better a fairly flat sole for dry rock and gravel. It's just the stiffer sole and stronger upper I'm looking for compared to road shoes.

Pesda, I never washed my innov8s that disintegrated as I used them largely as a rock-climbing approach shoe and I generally only climb when it's dry. I'm not talking hard scrambling, just heathery plods, a bit of rock-hopping in Wales and the Peak, and walking to and from cafes and pubs on weekends away. They went through the uppers on both feet within 6 months of using roughly one weekend a fortnight. The lining was also disintegrating by that point too, although not terminal the lining problem alone would have had them in the bin within a year. I've been hill-walking all my life (blame my dad), so place my feet very carefully when walking too. I realise they have have improved the toughness of their uppers by now, but the number of online comments on the issue suggest otherwise.

In reply to Siderunner:


I ran an Ultra (well ran 40 then limped 20 miles as my ITB flared up) and never had an issue with my feet, pretty low drop but if you have been in Inov8 you should be fine with that.

In reply to woodybenwood:

if its dry trails then yes the sense pro should be fine or the sense mantra which are a bit beefier I think. Again, not sure how the fabric uppers would hold out in the long term. I got the sense pros for fast trail races but havent used them as fell shoes, Id normally wear inov-8 Mudroc (discontinued) or Anakondas as they have tougher uppers.

Before you said you dont need deep lugs I was going to suggest Walsh Ultra Extreme (the ultra are wider than the standard) but thats probably more tread than you need.

In reply to Pesda potato:


This is true but the S-lab ones are better if frighteningly expensive.

In reply to woodybenwood:

sorry i missed out a word - wet rocks, fellraiser was scary as was speedcross, great on soft ground, mud snow grass etc, sense pro is a bit better on wet ground but quite decent on dry rock.

In reply to rob sykes:


I assume these are the non-Goretex variety (as listed on the Outside website)? If so, how waterproof are they? I am getting into a bit of running, and want something that will do offroad (I don't enjoy pavement pounding). But I'm also eyeing them up as an alternative to walking boots on easy terrain, so some reasonable water resistance would be useful.

In reply to Becky E:

any decent trail running shoe will be very un waterproof as they should drain water out as quickly as possible, anything that is slightly waterproof will just hold water in and take ages to dry. Either go full waterproof boot or not at all.

In reply to Becky E:
As above, for running you want as least waterproofness as possible, Goretex trainers are only useful for dog walking.....

In reply to Becky E:

Hi Becky

Yep, these are the non-Gore variety so not waterproof at all really. I'd concur with the replies of Pesda Potato and Richlan below. As an aside, I was very thankful of their non-waterproof qualities on a run up Kinder last week, slogging up William Clough in 24 degrees. I purposefully stepped in the stream whenever I could to cool my feet. I was most put out on reaching the downfall to find it more of a trickle.

Cheers

Rob

In reply to rob sykes:

Belated thanks for your replies, which were really helpful.