inov 340

[Jayne]

Has anyone got any of the inov 340 shoes - marketed as an orienteering racer/trainer. I was thinking of getting some and was wondering if anyone had tried them and had views.

[martyn]

I've just bought some, but haven't been allowed to try them out yet cos they're a "Christmas present"

[brooner]

The 280s are great (review coming soon...) so based on that the 340s are meant to be more comfortable & hardier I'd recommend them.

If you've worn & found Inov8's a good fit before, then I'm sure you'll find em good, probably the comfiest orienteering shoes available.

[pyrat]

Ive been using a pair of 340s the last few months. So far I have found them great for training in, and excellent for running on icy / snowy roads here in Trondheim. They feel
comfortable to run in and have a little cushioning.

They are so comfortable I have been wearing them in the pub, making a mess of their floors.

I've done a couple of sprint races in them and they are OK. I probably wouldnt race forest orienteering in them as they have quite a trainery feel to them and dont offer as much 'confidence' as something like a pair of VJs.

For training they are excellent, racing? not so much.

[Kitch]

If you've worn & found Inov8's a good fit before, then I'm sure you'll find em good, .

Don't bank on it. I find different models vary for me - some feel like slippers, others feel totally wrong
The shiny new 340s in my cupboard are somewhere in between. When I first tried them they felt cramped across the fore foot, though strangely when I swapped the Inov-8 insole for my orthotics they felt much better - I'd have expected the opposite ..?

Other reservation, which Kate spotted immediately, is that the heavy high up rand stops before the instep - not sure I like that idea - too much risk of bruising without decent protection in that area.

[Kitch]

by the way

if you are size 5 or 6.5 Run-4-It are knocking them out for a mere 60 quid
http://www.run4it.com/shop/shoes/inov-8/oroc-340/

[Adventure Racer]

I'm still slightly biased (though I paid real money for my 340s), but like almost all Inov-8 shoes I've worn I really like them. I put my usual Inov-8 comfort claim into practice and wore them at the CSC final having only bought them an hour earlier, and had no blisters or discomfort at all, unlike my experience with any other orienteering shoes I've owned (and my poor performance can hardly be blamed on my shoes!) My only slight disappointment is that they do seem to absorb quite a bit of water - rather more than other Inov-8 shoes I own - hence can start feeling a bit heavy towards the end of a run.

I'd really like to try the 280s instead, apart from that I've destroyed a couple of pairs of non-orienteering specific Inov-8s taking them into the forest and feel I need the added durability, and more importantly that for some reason the 280s have a high heel tab which I could feel digging into my achilles when I tried them, making them a complete no go given my history of achilles injuries.

[Big Jon]

Adventure Racer
"unlike my experience with any other orienteering shoes I've owned"

I've always worn O shoes from new at events - how are you supposed to "break them in"? My feeling is that this is a hang over from the old days of walking boots that were badly made, badly fitting and completely inflexible. O shoes, like all other shoes should fit from the start and not give blisters unless they are completely the wrong shape for your feet - in which don't buy them!

[Adventure Racer]

Other shoes I've owned have felt fine when trying them on, but have rubbed in use - how can I tell before buying that I'll have a problem? One particular issue for me being that most (if not all until recently) have a hard inflexible (like old walking boots?) material on the inside of the heel, an area which particularly gives me problems.

Personally I've generally worn new kit on short training runs before taking it out on a long race - even training shoes and orienteering shoes give a bit with use (though I've become convinced that it's generally my feet adapting to the latter, given renewed problems after a lay-off).

[graeme]

Since my feet are incredibly wide, I have big trouble with getting a good fit. So I look here...

"Our performance lasts offer a tight low volume fit suitable for racing short distances, our endurance lasts offer a higher volume more comfortable fit ideally suited for training or long distance use. " http://www.inov-8.com/Fit-and-Function.asp?L=26

I have a pair of roclite 295 which are really nice, but a bit on the heavy side: positive spin being "ideally suited for training or long distance use.".

But I would sometimes like to "race short distances". Trying Inov8s "performance lasts" was a bit of an ugly sister/glass slipper experience. Are there any lightweight, wide-fit o-shoes? I'm currently using Jalas Jukola which still have that solid traditional O-shoe feel.

[AndyO]

I haven't tried the 340, but I do like wearing the trusty 290 when the floor is clean or on dune areas. When it's rough I still find traditional O shoes are more secure, and my current #1 is still the Jalas Black, although reflecting on AR's post, I have noticed that they also absorb a lot of water...

[Kitch]

So, that shiny new pair of 340s in my cupboard are no longer shiny and new -
I took them for a run over Arthur's Seat on Monday night to experience this comfort plus grip.
I decided it would be a good test as I was running over rock, water ice, compacted snow ice and solid frozen turf.

Inov-8 340s were rubbish
they did not give me a good grip, I could not run at speed with confidence and I was tippy toeing on any hard surface.

granted they gave some grip, but really no more than a solid rubber (no dob) stud,
and they were slightly more comfortable than jalas on hard ground,though no more so on soft ground.

Why is this ?
well, I hadn't examined the sole closely before the run, but I did after. The dobs are deeply recessed into the rubber stud and protrude abot half a milimeter.
So when they hit hard ground they basically disapper into the rubber.
Jalas dobs protruse a 2 or 3 mm and don't disapper

So,
If you want maximum grip then its going to have to be the traditional o'shoes like Jalas, Olway, VJ - with "real" dob grip

If you want a slightly more comfortable (though only on hard ground) compromise shoe, that gives you a bit of grip but not enough for real confidence then you might be interested in orocs.

[EddieH]

I don't relate to that from Kitch. The dobs are supposed to come into play when you hit a hard surface, and to date that is what I find. In fact if the event at RAF Lossie is icy this Saturday I intend to use them despite all the tarmac.

They are without doubt the most comfortable shoes (of any type) that I have ever worn.

The only drawback I find is that they do get heavy when wet.

[Gross]

Kitch,

If you want to run up Arthur's Bum on a snowy, frosty morning then buy a pair of Icebugs.... perfect