Shoe Review: Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra 4 SG

One of the simplest joys in running is having the opportunity to wear a new (clean!) pair of shoes.  It's even better when you have no idea what they'll be like, and you find out they fit like a glove - which is what happened when I put on the pair of S-Lab Sense Ultra 4 SG shoes that Salomon sent me to test out (yes, they sent them free, and no, they haven't any input into this review).  I hadn't been planning to hit the trails when I put them on, but quickly changed my mind and added a little hill repeat session to my evening itinerary.

First impression - aren't they pretty!  And wow, the snug fit is impressive.

Unfortunately, it had been a pretty dry week, so I wasn't sure how much soft ground I would be able to find on my chosen route.  Still, I headed out to Broadway to find a little section of the Cotswold Way (and the Evesham Ultra route) that would give me a selection of terrain and gradient to play on.

A nice little boggy section helped test the Sense Ultra's water retention.

On the way to the hill, I managed to find some boggy mud to traipse through.  One of those little irritants that can ruin a good race is a shoe that holds onto water too well.  Even after submerging in sloppy mud a few times, the Sense Ultra let the water go quite easily - no quibbles there, then!

That weekend, I took them out for a more daunting hilly run of around 3 hours - not long in ultra terms, but long enough to get a feel for the shoe over mud, grass, rocky path, a bit of road, and various dirt and gravel tracks.  Over the next couple of weeks, I also managed to get them onto old quarry waste piles, wet and dry sandy beaches and some coastal trails, to give me a good idea of how they behaved on the wide variety of terrain that makes up most trail ultras in the UK.

The short review:  a very good shoe, with a slightly narrow toe box, snug fit, and reasonable grip.

The long review?  Carry on reading!  As usual, if the picture is pretty, it's probably Nic's.  If it's functional, it's mostly likely mine.

The Shoe

The Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra 4 SG is a low-rise (4mm drop), light, sturdy shoe designed for long distances over soft/wet ground.  My Size 9.5 (UK; US10, EU44) weighs in at ~270g (+/- a bit of mud), which is definitely on the lighter end of what I'd want to wear for 8+ hours.  

Plenty of lugs, a really light mesh upper, and enough molding to give some lateral support and rock protection.

I know a lot of people have stopped talking about heel drop, and a load more don't really care about the distance from their foot to the ground - if you're one of those people, you should probably just skip the rest of this paragraph.  I trip a lot, and roll my ankles a lot, but I've found that I do less of both if my shoe isn't offering me much of a barrier to the ground.  Unfortunately, I've also got a long history of foot and calf issues, which is best managed over long distances by a reasonably elevated heel relative to the toe.  So, when I saw the 13mm heel (compared to 20mm on the Speedcross), I was really looking forward to taking them for a spin.  The toe still has plenty of cushioning (9mm compared to 6mm in the Fellraiser, and 9mm on the Speedcross), which comes in handy when you plan to be out in them all day.

The Fit

In a word:  glovelike.  The Endofit (TM) upper, which basically acts like a sock, is fabulous.  I'd be tempted to go sockless if I didn't want the extra protection from grit and grime that a sock gives.

The Endofit (TM) upper encases the foot by attaching at the insole. Soooo comfy!

On my right foot, I did find that top of the lacing system crossed just at a particularly uncomfortable spot on the top of my foot, which would cause real problems on a long run.  It's not an uncommon problem for me, due to the difference in length between my right and left foot, and it took a few runs to sort out.  Basically, if I pull the Quicklace (TM) tight in an off-centre position, then I can nail the fit.

See how the right foot has the tab pulled off-centre.  Little adjustments like that can make or break a run.

On steep descents, I will admit that I was happy to have recently lost my big toenails.  The snug fit was great, but it was even better to feel the front of my toe hitting the shoe without my toenail getting jammed.  For many of you, toenails aren't a worry anymore. For the rest, let this be a good reminder to try before you buy to make sure you are happy with the sizing.  If you want a bit more room to play with, I'd suggest the Fellraiser.

The Grip

The shoe is designed for grip, and it does an OK job.  I had some nice long, muddy hills on one test run, and was with a friend who wore Speedcross.  I faired alright, slipping a bit on some muddy ascents, but the soles did hold onto the mud a bit, so by the top I couldn't compete with him on grip.

Trapezoidal lugs offer a fair amount of grip on soft ground, but on muddy ascents, the Speedcross held better.

After a few checks of the soles and some different types of mud (we have plenty of variety around here), I'd say that the shoe releases mud well across the ball of the foot, where the shoe flexes most, but not quite as well as I needed it to under the toes, where you need the most grip running up a muddy hill.

The cutouts and lug shape don't seem to allow sticky mud to release optimally from my hill session.

 For more "normal" soft ground running, the shoe gripped very well.  Downhill, flat, wet beach, dry beach, all presented me with no difficulties.  Like with most (all?!) shoes, wet limestone is pretty slippery, but where the rock offers some rough texture, the shoe grips well enough.  On the loose quarry waste hills that make up a bit of the Cleevewold 14 trail race, I had absolutely no problems with control going down or with digging my toes in and climbing (slowly) up.

Soft ground, all right - and it all stayed on the beach.  The outsole released wet sand very nicely.

   

On muddy coastal trail, the grip was excellent and the mud-release faultless.

 Comfort

I've not taken the Sense Ultras out for more than 3 hours at a time yet, but my feet have come back from all of the test runs happy.  I would say that, if you don't normally wear shoes with a lot of flexibility and not a lot of structure, that you should be very careful to gradually up your distance in these.  After 3 hours of varied surfaces and lots of hills, my feet were a little tired.  Equally, if you're coming from a higher-heeled shoe, take your time getting used to the lower sole.

On hard ground, unsurprisingly, the shoe feels a bit under-cushioned (remember, this is the SG variety we're talking about!).  So, where there's a lot of road, sun-baked track, or hard rocky trails, you probably don't want to go with this soft-ground specialist.  On the springy moors, grassy fields, beach, and muddy trails, I found the shoe quite a pleasant ride.  Sharp rocks will let you know they're underfoot, but didn't leave any bumps or bruises on my feet.

 Things I Like

 Top of my list - the Endofit (TM) upper.  It's fabulous.  I love it.  I also really like the low ride and the quick release of water when you go splashing around.  The molded upper toebox is really light, and yes, it does protect nicely when you trip over branches or kick rocks on the trails (I tested it a lot...).

Things I'd Like to See Improved

It's minor, but it really bugs me that the lace pocket is pretty useless - it's under the top laces when they're tightened.  It offers nothing in its current form, so either lose it or put the opening at the top so it can actually do the job it's meant to do.  I'd also like to see a chevron lug instead of the trapezoid blocks, at least at the front.  It offers better grip, especially on contours, and seems to release the mud better.  I would like to see the cost come down, since it's currently listed at 40% more than the very popular Speedcross:   it's hard to decide to change shoe models with that big a price differential, but I'm hopeful that time and sales volume will help that to change.  And finally, as with all Salomons I've worn, I seem to get a squeak in the lacing of the left shoe - it would be nice for that to disappear.

Summary

It's a good shoe, a very good shoe.  After a few runs, I was dubious about wearing it for an ultra, because the snug fit doesn't give you much space to expand.  But, now that I've had a chance to put some miles in, I can't see any reason to worry.  I'd certainly be happy to go up to 40 miles in them in most conditions, and probably quite a while longer if it's properly wet/soft.

Shoe Review: Salomon Fellraiser

Two runners walk into a shop...

I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere.  I'll have to think about it.  Normally, though, what happens when I'm one of those runners is that I see something on clearance that I'd like to try out, and end up buying some new kit.  Just before Christmas, I encountered a pair of Salomon Fellraisers on one of these "let's see what they have in here" visits, and somehow found my wallet opening.

To be fair, I've been been looking for a pair ever since I heard about them.  But, my general rule is never pay full price for something unknown just to satisfy my curiosity.  With a reasonable discount available, I bought a pair and waited until it was really nasty out to go and give them a proper test.

My usual test route is fairly local, up, down, and along Bredon Hill.  On the big day, I needed a decent length run, but didn't fancy cycling in the cold and wet.  So, I donned my road shoes, stuffed the Fellraisers in my pack, and jogged off to Elmley Castle, where the mud would be ranging from slippery and sticky to downright sloppy.

Wet, rainy, and muddy - perfect for a shoe trial.

The Shoe

In a nutshell, I view the Fellraiser as a mid-cushion, fairly flat, neutral, all-round off-roader.  It has the standard Salomon elastic lacing system.  The upper is a bit more substantial than the canvas Speedcross 3, and seems to release water very easily.  The tread is close-knit chevrons - much more so than I expected of a fell shoe, with considerably more lugs than you would find on a Speedcross 3.  Weighing in at just under 300g for my UK size 10, with a 6mm drop and reasonable level of cushioning, I would say the nearest comparison to anything else in my collection is the new Inov-8 Roclite 295.

Picture of the Fellraiser from Salomon's website - mine aren't this pretty anymore.

What the tread looks like out of the box...

The Fit

I've tried on Salomons of various types before, and always found the sizing to be out of step with everyone else.  True to form, I ended up with a size 10, compared to 9.5 in all of my other shoes (across 5 brands). EU size is 44 2/3, which tells me they really don't give a rats tail about conventional sizing, and just do their own thing.  That's fair enough, but I'd say you definitely want to try before you buy!

Once I'd found the right size, the fit is excellent.  I'm not a fan of the lacing system, but once I got it sorted out, the tension across the toe box and top of the foot was excellent.  I prefer laces I can re-arrange to help get a little extra tightness in the heel box, and I did struggle to keep the heel in place as well as I'd have liked.  I didn't have any rubbing or friction issues, but on the uphills, I felt like there was more movement than I get with some other shoes.  I may end up relacing with normal laces at some point, but we'll see what the Spring brings before I start to carve things up.

 

Grip

Aside from holding my foot, the next most important job of my shoe is to hold the ground. My usual route up from Elmley Castle is the one I chose for the Evesham Ultra.  At the bottom, it's incredibly muddy at this time of year.  Ranging from shoe-deep to shin-deep, with very little solid ground to connect to, the hill is the perfect place to check grip.  As usual, I slipped and skidded my way up through the filth.  Compared to my 2012 Crosslite XC test, I was practically skating on ice.  If anything solid appeared, I could grip onto it, but I wasn't digging into the mud as well as in my Crosslite XC or even my Roclites.  I stopped to have a look, and found that my tread-depth was minimal, with mud and leaves welded to the shoe.  Once I had 100m or so of grass to cross, the mud did release and I was back to having good grip again.

Mud stayed put longer than I'd have liked.

The wet and rooty trail across the top of the hill was no problem at all.  I felt well connected to the ground throughout, with enough cushion to comfortably handle any lumps and bumps.  Running down the hill on a combination of grass, rocky trail, and mud didn't present any problems.  Perhaps the mud doesn't stick as much when I'm actually running, as opposed to slogging like I did on the way up.  I'd say that, in a line-up against the Roclite and Crosslite XC, the Fellraiser matches grip on rocks and grass, but ranks 3rd of the 3 in proper mud.

Comfort

I love it. Absolutely love it. If I can get the heel fit a bit tighter, then I would have nothing to complain about in terms of comfort.  The cushion is comfy, but not excessive. I had a few road sections on my route, and the Fellraiser coped nicely.  Compared to my attempts to wear the Speedcross 3, which I felt left me completely disconnected from the ground, the Fellraiser was nicely responsive.

Summary

As one expects of Salomon, the Fellraiser is an excellent shoe.  It is comfortable, versatile, fairly light, and has good grip.  It is also, compared to some of their other shoes, quite reasonably priced.  I don't always wear shoes to the end of their natural life - sometimes they just don't tick enough boxes.  These will get worn until they fall apart.

Addendum, Feb 2015:  This pair worked well through the winter and was my shoe of choice for the Eco-Trail de Paris, where it performed well on both the trails and the final 10K-ish of road/paved path.  A second pair made it all the way through the 2015 Rocky Raccoon 100.  The heel box was a little loose when walking (a bigger deal in the longer race), which resulted in a tiny blister on each foot.  I'd love it if they were a bit lighter, but they are comfortable, and that's the key!

Shoe Review: La Sportiva Crosslite XC

As the upper in my previous right trail shoe decreased its attachment to the lower portion of the shoe, I started to look out for a new model and brand.  Nic has been quite happy in her choice of La Sportiva Crosslites for several hundred miles, but when I tried a pair, the fit wasn't really what I was looking for.  I've been wearing Inov-8s since 2008, which makes it tough for anything new to get past the "first impression" test. I liked the upper and the rock plate, but something wasn't quite "right".  So, when I had the opportunity to try on a pair of Crosslite XC at the Snowdonia Marathon mini-expo, I took the chance and was pleasantly surprised.  The next thing I knew, I had a pair of shoes tucked under the wardrobe waiting for the untimely demise of my Roclites.

After my trip to the Wrekin last month, the time had finally come to try something new.  Carrying my new shoes in my backpack, I ran for my favourite proving ground - Bredon Hill.  My preferred approach up the hill begins with a steady track around a ploughed field, carries on through a firm pasture, slogs through a load of boggy muck, up a wetland that was like a shallow stream after all the rain, up a limestone track, and along a path that alternates between grass, slippery roots, mud, and rock.  Then it's a nice circuit of the hill and back down.  In a little over 7 miles, this route offers a fantastic mix of terrains and textures to test out a new pair of shoes.

The Crosslite XC is a light shoe (less than 280g in size 9) with a breathable upper, aggressive outsole, and lace gaiter.  Thankfully, the bright yellow mellows quickly once you hit the mud.

La Sportiva Crosslite XC - "Before"

The first thing you notice when you put on the Crosslite XC is that you can't get to the bottom of your laces.  Adjusting the tension requires an old-fashioned tug on the ends and some hope that you'll get it right.  It took a few tries, especially with cold fingers (I'd had a nice, if very cold, road run to reach my testing ground).  After a couple of stops, I got the laces right and was able to tuck them into the gaiter.  The gaiter comes up high enough to provide a good anti-muck layer above the most vulnerable grit access point, but not quite far enough to allow you to completely hide the knots.  Being able to tuck away the loops in the laces should help to keep the shoes from being untied by running through long grass, but the knots still get caked with mud as you find with any other shoe that needs to be tied.

The rubberized toe box and reinforced upper proved suitably robust against the various rocks, sticks, and roots I encountered on my way.  My feet kept reasonably dry when running through small amounts of mud, and the shoes seemed to drain quickly when I went through anything particularly deep.  I never felt like the shoe was holding an unnecessary amount of the water I was running through.

Widely-spaced lugs, angled to support ascending and descending.

The Crosslite XC is billed as an aggressive fell and trail shoe, designed for wet and slippery conditions.  The outsole bears out the description.  The lugs are angled in all directions to support forward motion - the outer lugs on the forefoot are angled to resist sliding away from the centre line, the main forefoot lugs are angled to grip and pull through as you go up hill and to push mud away as you go down hill, and at the back you can see the lugs turned around, so they offer extra grip as your heel digs into the shifting earth/scree on a messy descent.  The "FriXion" rubber compound is a soft rubber, ideal for wet rock.  The grip on wet limestone descents was unexpectedly good, comparing quite favourably to the popular Inov-8 Mudclaw. The harder sole on the standard Crosslite is not quite as sticky across wet rock, but wears well on the road sections of a route - I'm not sure how long the XC will cope with the inevitable road running between trails, but the extra stability on wet limestone is worth it on my local trails.  I felt incredibly well connected to the ground on my descent through wet leaves, rock, roots, and grass, with good grip throughout.

The rock plate and rigid sole provided excellent protection from the occasional sharp rock, but the difference  from the incredible flexibility I normally have in my shoes may take some getting used to.  I can think of several races over the past year when I would have loved the extra protection, so I'll be breaking myself in as quickly as possible.

They wash up well in running water, and don't keep it with you  once you carry on.

Towards the end of my run, I tested the built-in gaiters with a knee-deep mis-step.  Very little filth got into the shoe, which made a nice change from my previous pair.  I did manage to sweep some grit into the shoes as I washed off the mud in a stream, but nothing more than could be expected with the vigour of my swishing about.  Happily, the shoes also released the water as I ran, so there was no squelching after just a field or two.

As I sat to change back into road shoes for the 10K run home from the test, I encountered an unexpected bonus.  Although I hadn't really noticed the fit once I got the lace tension right, the Crosslite XC heel box fits me perfectly, with no slipping.  My feet typically tear out the heel box cushioning in all of my shoes, but these gripped in just the right places - to the extent that I struggled to get the slimy things off my very wet feet!

In summary, the Crosslite XC is an excellent fell shoe, great for wet and slippery conditions, with a great fit.  It handles rough terrain as well as its better-known rivals, and feels like it will last a bit longer.  It seems like La Sportiva are phasing it out (I can't find it on their website any more), so it's worth stocking up before they disappear entirely.  That said, based on my experience so far, I'd happily consider any new light-weight replacement the manufacturers come out with.

Mid-life update: 

It's nearing the end of February, and I've put nearly 200 miles on these shoes, so I thought it useful to update the review. Mostly, I have been running in mud - up muddy hills, down muddy hills, through wet and muddy fields.  The longest I've spent in the shoes is around 6.5 hours.  They really do drain well. I've managed 1 dry run in that time, and the shoes held up well.  My feet didn't get too hot, but I must say that after 20 miles, I was feeling a bit battered by the combination of already-tired feet, minimal cushioning and the fairly rigid sole.  I'm quite happy to run on a minimally cushioned shoe, but I would have liked a bit more freedom for my feet for a run of that distance given the amazing lack of soft ground on that day.  

As with nearly every shoe I've worn this winter, I am seeing some heavy wear around the toe box.  But, unlike my Inov-8s, I haven't had any holes developing in the Crosslite XC.  The fabric is pretty robust.  The test will be whether it separates from the sole after another hundred miles.  So far, the signs are that the shoe will last well.

I still think this is a top-notch shoe, but I can't see wearing it for any of the 8-12 hour events I've got coming up in the spring.  But, since that's not what the shoe is designed for, I won't complain about that!