Gear Review: 

Inov-8 Roclite 245 Trail Runner

Invov-8’s shoe line was born from Europe’s fell running. Running off road and off trail in rugged terrain consisting of deep grass, mud, and rocks. For many years this shoe line was known only by a small number of trail runners and racers. Inov-8 had a unique niche with low-profile lightweight yet very rugged and aggressive race-ready shoes. An example of this is found in a review of mine on the Inov-8 Flyrock.

Today, Inov-8s are seen mostly indoors at gyms and cross-fit locations with their F series training/cross-fit shoes. Unfortunately the company has shifted its direction away from building solid trail shoes. At the same time, almost all other manufactures have flooded the market with low profile trail shoes.

The Inov-8 Roclite 245 is easily the worst piece of footwear I have ever worn. This from a once hardcore Inov-8 fan. This shoe has absolutely nothing in common with the previous Roclite shoe series. Design or materials. This is really a slipper, not a shoe. The shoe upper is entirely of light mesh with the overlays being aesthetic only, offering no stability. The sole consists of a single piece of rubber with no midsole. A sloppy tongue, bad lacing, and a poorly made toe rand made this shoe of no use to me. You may find that the winner of the 2014 Pikes Peak Ascent ran to victory in this shoe…but it’s a fact that seems to have no real weight.

This is a terrible terrible shoe at any price point. Inov-8 should be ashamed.