Andy,

I would agree with your assessment on the Kiger; not a good mountain running shoe at all. For mountain running I think they would need to be firmer, lower stack height (by 3-4mm or so), preferably a rock plate and a full rubber outsole with better lugs. I don’t take this shoe on anything technical which I save for inov-8s (mainly Trailroc 245, X-talon 212, and Mudclaw 265 for when I need good sticky rubber for scrambling and peak bagging). Hopefully we will see something from Nike that is more robust for technical terrain as the Kiger and Wildhorse are good first offerings from them. I’m getting in the Kiger 2 today and hopefully the Wildhorse 2 soon. It looks like they addresses some of the upper issues with the Kiger and reportedly the midsole is firmer which should add some protection. The outsole, unfortunately is unchanged, but it is what it is. Take care and enjoy the Alps…I’m hoping to get over there, particularly for UTMB one of these years.

-David

Lightning Racer,

Thanks for your thought out reply. The roundedness of the heel was not particularly my issue more than the fact that the heel width was too wide (I noticed this mostly when off trail, which, to be fair, the shoe was not designed for). A round heel that is wide is probably better than a flat one that is wide, but a narrower heel is better than either of those options in my opinion (as long as the stack height of the heel is not too high that it becomes tippy) and the reality of the rounded heel is that, especially if one doesn’t heel strike much, you don’t ever really make ground contact with it, yet rubber and extra foam had to be used which just increase the weight and don’t add much functional value.

I didn’t have a major problem with the overall grip of the outsole, but the heel tread just has a lot of rubber with not a lot of edges on it, so again more weight without much function. I didn’t feel I needed more heel grip in this shoe per se, but I just felt the design of the outsole, particularly in the heel, was not what I would design in a trail shoe if I had a blank slate…I tend to like a similar pattern over the whole outsole, so for example on the Kiger, I would just put the same lugs they have in the forefoot in the heel…no reason to change them specifically for the heel IMO.

Regarding the squeaking, I also think it is unlikely the zoom air unit popped as they do sit (recessed) above the midsole like you mentioned. I think it is likely just your foot moving against the very rubbery bottom of the footbed (since you removed the liner). Just a guess though. Thanks for the comment and I will add that I do think the Kiger upper is more durable than the Wildhorse…haven’t run the WIldhorse myself, but it is the only one I’ve heard/seen pictures of the mesh coming apart on yet (not to say the Kiger won’t at some point, but they look flawless after 70 miles or so of rough running). All the best,

David

I have no issues with the heel grip either, but it could be due to different running styles. Makes some at least some sense to have the best grip directly under the heel rather than to the sides, but the actual experience is more important than theory…

I sized up 1/2 a size in the Wildhorse, which gave me the proper length. With my wide feet, I found the volume too small, but the width sufficient, so I tried them on in the store with the insoles removed and decided that was fine – Saves more than 0.5 oz. too. :) That’s how I’ve run in them since, and it’s perfect.

The light outer mesh layer on my Wildhorse is shredding in places at the forefoot flex points and the medial side of the shoe, but the inner liner and supporting straps are in good shape, so it’s just cosmetic at this point. I wonder if the Terra Kiger’s upper is more durable.

I noticed squeaking after getting the shoes wet, such as after a creek crossing – sometimes in the left, sometime the right or both. I think it might be the Zoom Air unit moving relative to the midsole along with the water. Or maybe the Zoom units have popped and are sucking water in and out, though I believe the units are higher up on the midsole, and I don’t believe I punctured them. It’d be nice to have a version without the Zoom units to avoid the squeaking (if that is the cause).

I concur, I find both the Kiger and Wildhorse breathability is pretty consistent across the whole shoe, but alas but particular breathable overall.

Thanks to the liner is quite a warm shoe compared to the other shoes in my shoe rotation (such as the inov-8 F-Lite) so to keep my feet cool enough I find it best to run without socks with them. Running without socks also puts less pressure on the lack of height at the topbox. Thankfully the liner that makes less breathable also makes them very comfortable to wear sockless and is right up there with the Vivobarefoot shoes I’ve owned in terms of sock free comfort.

There are limits though, I did a hill run on trail that had been recently rained upon and this kick up lost of dirt onto my calves and down on my achilles. By the end of the run my Achilles on both feet had blisters as the damp dirty/sand had made it’s way into the heel collar and created a sandpaper effect. This isn’t a specific problem with the Kiger and Wildhorse, just with going sockless on wet and dirty trails.

Glad to read I wasn’t the only one noticing the low toebox height. Disappointing since the rest of the shoe really nails it for me.

Thanks..both of you :)

I find the Wildhorse and Kiger have quite height a similar above the toes. The Wildhorse has marginally more room, but the toe box is more rigid so there really isn’t much in it. Both have low volume in the forefoot compared to almost all my other shoes.

It is probably equally breathable in the forefoot, although I agree the photos don’t show it well. It is probably average on the scale of breathability, mainly because of the fact that it has a full interior liner. The payoff in comfort from the liner is worth it to me though.

Thanks for the comment Levi. Nice comparison of the two shoes and I’m jealous of some of the races you mention. Ice Trail, Ronda del Cimms, UTMB, Kima Trophy, etc. are races that are very inspiring that I’d love to do someday. All the best.

Matt, That is interesting that you ended up going with the Helios instead of the Kiger. I found the Helios, much too narrow in the forefoot for me and from a width perspective plenty wide for my average width foot, but sounds like it might have a volume issue more for you. You could try the Kiger with a lower volume insole or the Wildhorse, which has a higher volume fit with a similar platform. Thanks for the comment!