This was post was going to be a review post about how amazing a trail shoe the Scott Kinabalu is. How it’s light and responsive and is great for long days on the trail. That was the post I had planned in my head until I took a look at them after yesterdays run and noticed a rather nice hole appearing in the side. Not quite what you expect for a months worth of use is it and worse it’s the 2nd pair to do that this year.
Which is all rather disappointing considering I do actually really like them to run in and have had zero blisters or hot spots from the very first run. Maybe they’re just not up to muddy British trails? Before the Kinabalu’s I had 2 pairs of Scott Grip 2’s which lasted me all of last year with no issue. I only switched to the Kinabalu’s as I was planning on longer races and they seemed better suited. I also quite like wearing Scott’s as they’re a little unusual, something a bit different to the Salomon crowd. Shouldn’t matter what we wear or look like when running but sometimes it’s the little things that give you that confidence you need to take on a challenge isn’t it?
However this does leave me with an issue; I have a race on Saturday and currently no shoes to wear. I’ll of course be returning the Kinabalu’s to the shop and looking to get a refund but that doesn’t put shoes on my feet. I don’t really want another pair of Kinabalu’s but I know they fit and work, is it worth buying something new and risking them causing me problems? Answers on a postcard please.
Longer term I need to choose something new to wear, I’m very much a man of habit so once I find something that works I tend to stick with it. So while it’s always fun choosing new gear I’d prefer having more than a few days to make the decision. How am I going to read all the many internet reviews of each pair of shoes in that time?
If you have recommendations for trail shoes that are lightweight and will stand up to UK weather do send them over. For now I’ve just ordered a pair of Scott Fellraiser’s after asking on Twitter for recommendations, they seem to fit the mould of being lightweight and low to the ground which I’ve enjoyed with the Kinabalu’s to fingers crossed they fit ok and I can get a couple of runs in before Saturday.