Boston is probably better in heel fit but Razor isn’t problematic by any means. Best Topo shoes for me are the MT-2 and new Fli-Lyte 2. Ultra Fly is decent (and better than Magnifly in my view) but still think Topo does the lighter more nimble shoes better at this point.

thanks, david. any issues with heel fit on boston or razor? i’ve seen some reservations on that, and i prefer not to lace-lock.

i’m also thinking about topo (no experience at all yet), mainly mt-2 and ultrafly. have you run in ultrafly?

Hi Bruce…glad those worked out for you. The three shoes you list are some of my favorite road shoes! I use both the Boston 6 and Elite 9 on trails regularly too. I’d say they are pretty similar with the Boston being the least cushioned/protective. The new last on the Elite 9 is great (same as streak 6 I believe) as is the outsole coverage and forefoot zoom. I like all of them and basically would recommend them all…just look and pick them up when the old colors get cheaper :). RE: Forza 2, I feel they are pretty well structured in the uppers and don’t think you’d have problems with security in fit…they are more secure than the Forza 1. I haven’t heard of any neutral runners with problems with them and, while I usually always run neutral shoes, I really enjoy the Forza (and Nike Structure 20 too)…I’d recommend them pretty highly for easy/long road runs…they actually even handle some speed pretty well for how much shoe is there. -David

bruce

Thanks for the reply, David. I was wondering about the Salming T2 because you’d given it a very good review and I found it around 60% off. Also because I wasn’t sure of how the upper of the Wildhorse 3 would hold up after hundreds of km, and the T2 looks pretty bomb-proof.

But kilometres (some of them pretty rough) have passed and the upper of the Wildhorse looks almost like the first day. And the outsole is super durable too. What a great shoe. I haven’t tried the Kiger to see if a forefoot zoom air unit would be an improvement in the Wildhorse, but I like the flexibility and protection of the current setup. It’s a shoe I can put on when my feet are sore, go run for a couple of hours, and my feet will actually feel better afterwards.

The reviews I’ve seen so far consider the new upper an improvement. We´ll see. Regards.

And thanks for that comparison between the Salming and the Kiger. I’m not completely sold on the Kiger, and the Salming T3 seems like it could be a good, nimbler companion to the Wildhorse.

Thanks for the comment Brad. Like I mentioned to Nelson above, I’m not getting notifications from WordPress like I used to so missed this comment. Hope the delayed response is still helpful. Regarding the UD belts, they’re fantastic (and I wouldn’t recommend them in my year end post if I felt they were only so so). They don’t bounce really at all (especially the Mono…basically disappears on the run). This has always been a problem with most waist packs but UD has fixed this on these IMO. The Stereo is awesome on longer runs/races in the heat where you can have 2 bottles but not have a hot vest on your core. I don’t find any difficulty sliding the bottles in either.

Hope that helps. -David

Nelson,

Sorry for the delayed response. I’m not getting notifications from WordPress for some reason and missed this comment. Quick answers to your questions.

I haven’t tried the Wildhorse 4 yet and I’m concerned as well. The WH3 upper wasn’t lacking in hardly any way in my view so not sure why the drastic overhaul. I’ll definitely be trying them out soon and I do actually prefer the Wilhorse 3 over the Kiger 3…mainly because of the full outsole and rock plate. To make it perfect I’d like them to add a forefoot zoom to the WH but that’s getting more in the ideal…they are still fantastic and still my go to race shoe for 50 miles and up.

In regards to Salming Trail 1 and 2 vs. WH…Salming fits a bit narrower, the upper is heavier/ more protective and ride is firmer/faster feeling. Really the T1 or T2 is closer to the Kiger in most respects.

-David

I am curious about the mono and stereo belts. I tried an older version UD belt a few years ago (with the hard bottles) and it seemed to shake around on my waste too much. Do the mono and stereo ride pretty well on the trail with full water bottles installed? Also, how difficult is it to slide the soft bottles in and out of the belts while running if they are say 1/2 empty? Thanks!!

I’ve seen more pictures and there is a toe overlay in the Wildhorse 4. I’m still not convinced about the midfoot madness, but it’s not all bad.

Btw, what’s your take on the Kiger? I’d imagine you’d pick it over the Wildhorse.

How would you compare the Salming Trail T2 to the Wildhorse in fit, durability, and terrain/use? Thanks!

I really like your picks this year. There isn’t a single shoe I wouldn’t like to try and, by the look and reviews I’ve seen, probably would enjoy a lot.

Thanks, David! I’m going to give that a shot. Appreciate the insight.