I can remember when I first came across the Trailroc 235s on one of those ‘top ten best off-road shoes’ lists in some corner of the internet. I was drawn to the way they looked, the design, colouring and minimalism of them – it was the first time I had seen a minimal 0-drop trail shoe and I had never heard of this company ‘Inov-8’ before. The only thing that put me off buying them there and then was the price – retail at around £95? I had sworn to never spend over £50 on a pair of running shoes. Little did I know what was to come and that they would rock my world.
These shoes can take some punishment, the tread may not be as agressive as their X-Talon cousins but that amount of tread makes up for it. Overall a great looking, comfortable, light and grippy shoe
A few months later I ran an incredibly muddy race in Worcestershire in some minimal shoes advertised as trail shoes but were essentially flat from being worn down in training – I ran a strong race and felt like I could/should have won but was completely unable to turn corners or run on slopes without ending up flat on my face. I ended up in third place and a comment from first place got to me: “I could tell you were a strong runner at the start but as soon as I saw you slip I looked at your shoes and knew I could take you.”
Key Features
- Trailroc 255 (Shoc-Zone 2) – 6mm heel-to-toe differential
- Trailroc 245 (Shoc-Zone 1) – 3mm differential
- Trailroc 235 (Shoc-Zone 0) – 0mm differential
- Weight - 235-255g
- Injected EVA Injection - For comfort and a soft feel under your feet.
- Outer Material: Synthetic
- Natural Fit - A greater anatomical fit allows greater room in the front of the foot for comfort and movement.
- Shoc-zoneTM - Zero height difference between heel and forefoot means you can’t get closer to the ground with a running shoe. Offering the minimal protection a neutral runner needs.
First Look
On first impression they are a great looking pair of shoes, with a large variety of colours and they weigh basically nothing (well, 235 grams but it feels like nothing!).
The Trailroc is a very snug shoe, staying tight on the foot without becoming uncomfortable. They won’t let too much mud get in and for a minimal shoe like this they have a very nice amount of cushioning around the ankle.
With a more rounded toe box (anatomical fit) rather than the pointy-toe shape (racing fit) that many shoes feature which can offer too much space at the end of the shoe, the Trailrocs hit that nice point of being able to run and not have to think about your shoes.
Let me tell you; these shoes can take some punishment, I have put their older version through their paces regularly over the last seven or eight months and putting them on still feels fresh.
Running in these shoes over rocky trails is no problem for the feet – the rock guard at the toes and the design of the sole keep my feet pain-free compared to other minimal designs.
The X-Talons and Mudclaws are the staple Obstacle Race shoe from Inov-8 with the best grip. Admittedly the Trailrocs don’t have the most aggressive tread compared to these, but the sheer amount of tread on the sole makes up for that and I have felt stable in some pretty horrendous conditions. For summer racing these are perfect with the need for a fast shoe over soft ground.
Overall an exciting, attractive and versatile shoe that is perfect for the harder trails or lighter mud.