Dynafish Xiaonian and Evo SL Trail Monsters
Hi shoe geeks!
I currently moved back to the countryside and was no longer in need off all my road running shoes. I still wanted to benefit from all the awesomeness under foot since I haven’t found anything quite similar within the trail world. My favourite was the NB more trail v3 (so heavy though), aero glide 3 was nice and I’m currently awaiting the norda 055.
For a past 100k ultra I swapped outsoles of my favoueite road running shoe back then. I decided to give it a go once more and boy - it did not disappoint!
I swapped outsoles on both my Evo SL and the Xiaonian and they are imo the best (light) trail shoes I could get rn. If anyone has the chance to find some kind of shoemaker or orthopedics specialist, go and consult them! such shops might be more common around mountain sports areas (s/o to Orthopädie Schuhtechnik Schwarz in Bayern!)
A few things to consider though:
Choice of outsole: find the right pattern and lug depth. My evo sl got a vibram fast trail and can handle more gnarly stuff, the Dynafish has a shallower vibram megagrip pattern for smoother trails. I would always opt for vibram though!
Fit: with most road shoes you can get away with a fit that’s below optimal. I would address such issues, if you consider using it for trails. I swapped insoles for Curex high profile ones, that suit my arch perfectly and take away excess room, making the shoe mould to my foot. I also swapped laces for these sawtooth ones that you can get on Amazon for a few bucks so the fit remains the same throughout the run.
Feel: obviously, the outsole makes the shoe a bit heavier and dampens the ride a bit, still they feel awesome and are more energetic than any trail shoe I tried (plateless, but even with a plate I’m not sure there’s better out there). I’m hoping for the norda 055 to change that.
Terrain: with high stack shoes, you still have to be careful of extremely technical trails and especially long off camber sections. your ankles will notice the slope on such high stack of foam. anything else is perfectly fine, if you are „sure footed“. I haven’t rolled an ankle once in both shoes and have accumulated roughly 700km.
durability: that’s maybe the best part. my evo sl have now 900km on them and there’s no sign of wear within the midsole or outsole (except the first lug at the very front). I feel like the proper outsole conserves some midsole bounce over a longer period of time
In conclusion, I recommend to anyone to try an outsole swap in case you’re on the trails regularly. be aware of fit, feel and the combination of lug pattern, depth and the terrain your running on. with a great shop at hand, I can’t see myself buying a trail shoe soon again (again, except the norda), but will buy great and discounted road shoes that will get a new outsole. I might change my mind once the brands fully conquer the „gravel market“ and bring a superblast 3 with a light trail outsole and same weight (lol)