The RW Takeaway: While its price tag is high, Inov-8’s most cushioned trail shoe uses a new resilient midsole foam that withstands more than 700 miles of running—about double what you can expect from the average $145 Speedgoat.
- New graphene-infused midsole foam remains protective and feels responsive over long distances.
- TPU bead-based insole improves comfort and energy return.
- Best suited for wet or dry hard-packed dirt, rather than deep mud and loose gravel.
Price: $190
Type: Trail
Weight: 10.6 oz (M), 9.6 oz (W)
Drop: 6mm
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OG Taylor Swift fans will recall the early 2000s when her sound was exclusively country. Her more recent poppy tracks like “Look What You Made Me Do” share few similarities with her debut album’s folksy “Teardrops on My Guitar.” What’s this got to do with shoes? Inov-8, a brand known for its more minimalist shoes, dropped a cushier option called Max, making us wonder if it was pulling a Swift. Was the company shifting in a more maximalist direction?
The taller stack height, drop, and more cushioned TrailFly might look like it, but not really. With the use of some new tech, Inov-8 has managed to keep its signature flexibility and ground feel while adding more cushioning and protection underfoot. This better serves long-distance runners without alienating the core fan base that prizes natural foot movement.
Midsole Uses Carbon... But Not as a Plate
Compared to max-cushioned shoes with 40-mm heel stacks, the TrailFly is technically not in the same class. Still, at 30mm, it’s definitely a chunky shoe for Inov-8. So, to maintain flexibility and ground feel on a taller stack height, the brand’s designers turned to graphene. When isolated from graphite, graphene’s chemical structure looks like a honeycomb of pure carbon atoms. It’s one of the thinnest materials on Earth, yet is 200 times stronger than steel.
Since 2018, Inov-8 has been infusing graphene into liquid rubber to make outsoles that are sticky but also durable. With the material incorporated into its cushioning, called G-Fly, the TrailFly’s midsole better resists compression and wear over big mileage.
Inov-8 added a deep flex groove in the middle of the sole, which helps the shoe bend easily, while a rockered shape preserves the quick, nimble ride you’d expect from the brand. Your foot sits a little deeper inside the midsole as well—almost like a sports car’s bucket seat—so you don’t feel unsteady on technical trails and twisty singletrack.
Durable and Minimalist Upper
A thin gusseted tongue and sparse collar padding keeps the upper unobtrusive, and the lacing snugs up the midfoot securely. We felt locked-in, but also noted the roomier toe box that let our feet swell over longer distances. Large, welded overlays generously protect around the heel and toes, and wrap up higher from the midsole foam for when you’re tromping through deep mud.
UTMB fans can snag the TrailFly in both men’s and women’s versions of the new Mont Blanc limited edition.
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Inov-8 TrailFly Ultra G 300 Max Review | Trail Running Shoes 2021 - Runner's World
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