Salomon SpeedCross 2 review

Is this the ultimate trail shoe for winter use? Maybe not the ultimate winter shoe due to a lack of water proofness but it sure is the best light weight go fast grip like crazy shoe out there.

Originally Salomon made this shoe as a winter shoe due to the tread they chose for it. Myself and thousands of others found that it works great as a race day shoe for tough trail races. At just 10.2 ounces for a mens size 9 and a low to the ground midsole and snug fit this shoe begs to go fast. It is kinda like my Aussie, Bart, It wants to run fast.

Here are some of the details

• Like I said light. 10.2 ounces (mens 9)
• Mens sizing only (sorry ladies) but the good news it comes in sizes 5 - 14 (thats wmns 6.5 - 15.5)
• Fits snug and narrow but normal in length
• This is due to the upper being double lasted. Trust me it is worth it if your foot fits in it
• Very nice toe cap to protect the toes from roots, stones and other trail crap
• Salomons lace pocket on the tongue and their great Quicklace kevlar laces
• Funky upper material that kinda repels dirt and crap and is very slightly H2O resistant
• SensiFit upper wraps the foot for a secure and precise fit
• Dual density midsole for slight pronation control.
• I find this very good for most people off road as the soft surface causes the foot to roll past neutral and to splay laterally to try and gain traction and power. Having the second density post will help the foot stay in a better position
• Very nice Ortholite insole
• Possibly the best part, the outsole
• They call it Winter Contragrip. I call it sweet. Think mountain bike tires circa 1992. Big tread, lots of space between treads and very soft rubber. This leads to mud just flying off and not mucking up your traction. It will grip just about anything due to the use of soft rubber.
• And it is all black which women have gone crazy over since we started carrying them last spring and men, well we don't really care.

Of course there must be some negatives.

• Like I already said mens only sizing. They were ready to do a womens for 2009 but dropped it.
• Fits very narrow so it won't work for a lot of people
• That super grippy outsole won't last on the road, but that isn't what it was built for.

Overall: You may have guessed that I like this shoe. You may be able to guess that I have a narrow foot so it fits me well. If you are looking for a great trail shoe that will do double duty as a winter shoe with tons of traction give this one a try.

Live FIT.