tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-451222917425507533.post5164616904779124415..comments2024-03-28T00:25:54.357-06:00Comments on RIDING THE WIND: Wednesday November 28, 2007Antonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11148317903654491236noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-451222917425507533.post-51839884612239990372007-11-29T14:02:00.000-07:002007-11-29T14:02:00.000-07:00Hi Lindsay,Thanks for your interest. The main rea...Hi Lindsay,<BR/>Thanks for your interest. The main reason I don't wear a "true" flat like my NB 152s all the time is because the trails I run chew up the outsole in no time flat. I'm talking, in three or four days I've completely destroyed the outsole on a pair of road flats. The main way that road flats cut a lot of weight is by using blown rubber (air is injected into the rubber) instead of more durable carbon rubber and by barely covering any of the bottom of the shoe with actual outsole material. The traction and durability is most definitely NOT the same as a trail flat.<BR/><BR/>I wear/wore (it's now discontinued) the Sportiva Slingshot because it was the lightest, lowest profile trail shoe available to me a year and a half ago and because they approached me after Leadville '06 about sponsorship. Free shoes are nice.<BR/><BR/>I run in the Inov-8 250s because they are the closest thing to a racing flat that exists in the trail shoe market; and they really are racing flats. They are honestly light and low profile and are basically a "true" road flat with a more durable carbon rubber outsole. Inov-8 is coming out with an even lighter shoe (the 230) that I'm very very excited about--when I saw it at the OR show in August I thought it was definitely the best shoe for trailrunning (out of all trail or road shoes) that I've ever seen.<BR/><BR/>Finally, yes I do basically just run shoes into the ground. The Slingshots use just sheet EVA for their midsole, so that compressed VERY quickly (could feel lots of rocks...not so nice), but I also completely grind off the outsole on my shoes on the outer forefoot...that's just the way my footstrike is. When a big chunk of the midsole is exposed, I get a new pair. The last time I changed for a new pair of Inov-8s was because the outsole had completely separated/been worn away from the midsole on my right foot---time for a new shoe.<BR/><BR/>Hope that helps.Antonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11148317903654491236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-451222917425507533.post-72605592752323860372007-11-28T22:05:00.000-07:002007-11-28T22:05:00.000-07:00Just a quick question or two for clarification. I ...Just a quick question or two for clarification. I understand the need for more shoe than the H street but why not wear more of a true flat like your New Balance rather than the sportiva of especially the inov-8(neither of which is as light as a road flat and both have about the same traction)? I would also assume that you just run shoes into the ground since you are not big on extra cushioning and once your foot is conditioned there is no need to swap shoes every 500 miles, etc?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01275081501903440266noreply@blogger.com