UKH

Morning all

After a rather slippy circuit of Kinder yesterday with intermittent icy conditions underfoot I'm considering upgrading my footwear so I'm better equipped for winter running.

I'm currently using Speedcross 4 so two options are buying crampons (eg Kahtoola NanoSpikes) or buying studded running shoes (Salomon Spikecross?).  My issue with the latter is that if the run involves much tarmac on the way out/in, it can be uncomfortable?

Any advice and/or feedback would be appreciated!

In reply to rob sykes:

Most folk (me included ) tend to use Kahtoola's, they are fine for what you describe

In reply to rob sykes:Well I've used a pair of spikecross for the last couple of winters and I'm actually pretty impressed with them.  The spikes seem to be long enough to be effective, not too long as to be obtrusive and have lasted pretty well.  They add a little weight and you need to like/tolerate running in speedcross though (too much drop and a floppy forefoot).

  I think they make a shoe now with an integral gaiter and that would fix the cold foot thing.

Not much experience with crampons -

 

In reply to rob sykes:

I haven't used the Kahtoola nanospikes but have some YakTrax Run which have the front part like the Kahtoola and the rear like traditional YakTrax (eg spring coils) which I find tend to work better anyway. There's a few more thoughts here.

https://mountaintrailrunning.com/product-reviews-en/yaktrax-run-winter-trac...

I've got a pair of Salomon Snowcross (same tread/spikes as the spikecross, but with an upper more like an XC ski boot) which have the spikes in the tread which work really well on varied terrains so long as its mostly frozen. Wore them on Saturday on mixture of gravel, sheet ice, frozen slush, crust and powder (yes its been a very varied start to the season). Additonal benefits are the built-in gaiter although after three years they've lost their elasticity.

They're not uncomfortable on tarmac, the worry is just that the carbide spikes will wear down more quickly. However if I was in UK conditions I'd probably not bother with them and the spikes you can take off/put on (despite being a bit of faff) would be a better bet.

In reply to rob sykes:

If you have any DIY tendencies you could always try what we used to do before microspikes came along: screw some short self-tapping screws into the blocks in tread (6-8 per shoe is enough) . Enough bite for ice, fine on tarmac or hard ground (if a bit noisy), replaceable when worn down and dirt cheap.

 

In reply to wbo:

Glad I'm not the only person with some hate for these infernal and seemingly ubiquitous shoes. Speedcross are horrid.

To the OP: Microspikes, several brands available of course - I've got a Climbing Technology pair and they work superbly.

In reply to ianstevens:

Hi Ian (and all others)

Thanks for your replies - much appreciated.

Ian - are you referring to these Climbing Technology crampons:
https://www.climbingtechnology.com/en/outdoor-en/ice-axes-and-crampons/cram...

How would you rate them for simplicity and speed to fix and remove?

Thanks

Rob 

In reply to rob sykes:

Those are the ones - I find them quick/easy to remove, but should note that I've been out with people who have Kahoola spikes and they can get them on/off in a similar time.

In reply to rob sykes:

I've got some Inov8 Arctic Claw that, like the Spikecross already discussed, have spiked studs. They're really grippy, comfy and seem pretty durable. They're not uncomfortable on tarmac or dry rock but they're noisy and feel a bit squirmy and they're downright slippy if you nip in to a shop or pub with a tiled floor and forget you're wearing them!

I also have Kahtoolas but haven't used them for running as the Arctic Claws seem to do the job pretty well. 

In reply to rob sykes:

Yaktrax pro are very effective light cheap and you can leave them on for longer than microspikes e.g road, rocks 

In reply to The Potato:

I use the yaktrak pro too. My running is all canicross so nothing spikey is allowed just incase a paw gets stood on (still not good with yaktraks, but better than it would be with spikes!). Thankfully, this has never happened to us!!

I have even used them a bit in early season hill walking. When it's snowy enough to want a little more grip, but not enough for crampons to be useful, the yaktraks seem to be nicely helpful

In reply to rob sykes:

I've both Microspikes and the yaktrak pros.  The yaktraks are definitely my preference for most trails, esp if hard icy trails.  The Microspikes tend only to get used now for more full on hill days.

Cheers,

Stu

In reply to rob sykes:

A full on fell shoe like a Mudclaw or maybe X-Talon will give you a lot of confidence in the hills. I've run the Carneddau in full winter conditions and never bothered fitting the Yaktrax I was carrying. Fell shoes will cope with a bit of tarmac but not ideal. I've never really got on with Salomon (a bit overbuilt, high and narrow for me) but just had a look at the Speedcross which does actually look fairly meaty underfoot. Ignore me

In reply to rob sykes:

Just use spiked orienteering shoes. I've run on verglass covered rocks with no problem. If it is deep snow, use the boot version.

In reply to steveriley:

a tad off topic but I bought a pair of Salomon fellraisers to use on the Carneddau in mud / snow, for which they were good, very comfortable too, but they were appalling on wet rock so I sold them.

In reply to rob sykes:

I use regular fell shoes (Salomon Fellraiser, Inov8 X Claw) and put on Kahtoola microspikes in icy conditions. I find Kahtoola microspikes excellent for running and have never had a problem, apart from in soft snow when they can ball up. A much more versatile combination for UK winter conditions than Spikecross.

In reply to The Potato:

Fellraisers were indeed woeful on wet rock. Their replacement, the Speedtrak were much better but Salomon have stopped making them now. I am somewhat upset by this as I really liked them!

In reply to rob sykes:

Microspikes here too ... and waterproof socks for warmth.

In reply to cathsullivan:

and all others.

thanks for your suggestions. think it's toss up between kahtoola nanospikes and yaktrax run.  either way, my purchase shall herald the mildest winter on record and they shall lie, still boxed and unused.

as an aside, for those (few) speedcross rans. i'd always considered inov8 too wide for my thin feet but i contacted them and they advised that the roclite305 are a "3" on their width scale and "D" on the industry scale - same as the speedcross. anyone have any comments on these?

 

In reply to rob sykes:

You need to check Inov-8 widths carefully. A lot of them are actually *narrow*. Not had 305s but Roclite 295s were ok on my wide feet. I had a pair of X-Talon 212s that I wore through to dust. Replaced with another pair and pretty much gave up on after 2-300 miles from too many lost toe nails. X-Claw are WIDE. Their previous 'Performance Fit' seems to equate to a 1 on their new 1-5 scale.

In reply to DaveHK:

seems they are still available 

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Salomon-Speedtrak-Trail-Running-Shoes_118859.htm

In reply to Rob Sykes:

What made you decide on the Yaktrax run vs pro? Ive not tried the run so cant comment but went specifically for the pro as it still leaves the tread exposed

 

Good point, however I figured that the forefoot spikes on the run version would offer greater traction than the coils on the pro?  some of the comments above favour the run, others the pro.  i'll be looking into this in more detail once my bank balance has recovered from christmas! 

 

In reply to rob sykes:

I have the Roclite 315s which are a '3'. I don't think I have particularly wide feet, but having tried a lot of different Inov8 shoes I can only get in these and a Mudclaw 300 (width '2') if the latter is half a size bigger than I'd normally wear (i.e. I am a 10.5 in most shoes, including the Roclite 315, but an 11 in the Mudclaws). The X Talon 230, for example, feels incredibly narrow under the arch to me.

I find with Salomons it's not necessarily the width, just the lack of volume over the forefoot/too tight in the toe box, which means they never fit me.

In reply to rob sykes:

I just got some spikes and screwed them in the tread of my regular running shoes that were on the way out. It works fine here in Trondheim, and if it works in Trondheim it'll work anywhere. You haven't experienced icy trails and roads until you've run in Trondheim in winter. Also, they're fine on tarmac, just noisy.

i.e. these, you can probably find something similar in the UK: https://www.loplabbet.no/bestgrip-blisterpack-skrupigger-og-nokkel

 

In reply to The Potato:

Tredz are absolutely notorious for taking you're money for something then finding out they don't have it in stock after all. I wont buy from them again for that reason. I found a few pairs elsewhere and stocked up!

 

In reply to DaveHK:

Seems a bit harsh, I've only had them contact me once saying it was out of stock but they'd get it in 2 days later, I've probably purchased from them 10-15 times

In reply to The Potato:

There have been loads of threads about them on Singletrackworld and I've been burned a few times. I certainly wouldn't order something I know to be discontinued from them.

In reply to rob sykes:

Just to throw something else into the mix, I find microspikes to be pretty much useless. In the situations you tend to see people wearing them I don't feel the need and when I feel the need of something else on my feet microspikes don't cut it and a half decent crampon like a Kahtoola KTS is what I want. For reference this is for running on Munros rather than icy trails.