Salomon Speed Cross 3 Review

This is kind of a long term review on my Salomon Speedcross 3 trail shoes. I'm not a huge fan of the one week in and "these/this are/is the best ______ in the world" reviews. You've gotta give it some time, right? In that spirit, here we go with my first product review.

First of all they're awesome.... Albeit with a few caveats. The last shoes I was in were Saucony Xodus 4s and I loved them, they were my first pair of real running shoes. Compared to the eight year old Adidas Response 10s I was running in they were magical. After about six months of running in the Xodus' I decided to try something else.

After reading many stellar reviews of the Speedcross 3 I felt like this would be a slam dunk of a choice for my next shoe but I wanted to wait to try them on. Off to Running Warehouse I went.

The sales team there is really helpful and super knowledgable about their entire product line. I feel pretty good just telling them what I'm looking for and letting them make suggestions - that's how I ended up with the Xodus'. After telling the sales guy what I was looking for, and saying that I was interested in the Speedcross 3, he picked a couple other pairs of shoes for me to try on as well. So, I now have three pairs of shoes in front of me -- LaSportiva Bushidos, Brooks Cascadia 9s, and the Speedcross 3s -- Running Warehouse is like a candy store! After trying all of them on and jogging on the treadmill, I was still pretty stoked on the Speedcross3s. The largest size Bushidos were too small and the Cascadias felt too big and almost clunky. The choice was clear and I left with a brand new, obnoxiously red and yellow, Salomon Speedcross 3s. 

See? Obnoxious, right?

It took me a couple runs to get used to them but my initial thoughts were really positive. Here's a quick rundown of the pros and cons according to my feet.

Pros:

• These shoes have an impressive amount of grip, especially on the rocky and technical trails that I run on. I joked to another runner that they felt like "jet powered rock climbing shoes".
• The lacing system is pretty awesome. Quick easy adjustments and there's a pocket on the tongue for the excess.
• The way the Speedcross holds my heel in place is super comfortable. I'm prone to blistering on my heel so this is a huge plus.   
• They look bad ass! Who doesn't like a good looking shoe, right?

Cons:

• Not a whole lot of cushioning under my forefoot. Anything longer than a 10 mile run and my dogs are barkin'. At 6' 5" tall and 215 lbs I'm a big guy so maybe i just need a little more cushioning under me. 
• A rock plate (or a thicker one) would be nice. A couple times I've been jabbed by rocks poking into the sole. 
• The toe box fit is a little cramped, especially running downhill. I aim for a mid-foot strike when going down hills but inevitably I'll misplace a foot and my toes are jammed in to the front of the shoe. 
• Like I said before, the lacing system is awesome but it squeaks. Ok, not a big deal but it's kind of annoying on longer climbs. 

After a few months - and one Crystal Springs Trail Run Half Marathon - of running in the Speedcross' I have mixed feelings. I love them for technical climbing trails, but I'd rather be in my Xodus 4s for downhills. On the flats they cruise right along, no problem. Another thing about the Speedcross vs. the Xodus is the difference in heel/toe drop. The Xodus is 4mm and the Speedcross is about 12mm. A huge deal for me? I'm not totally sure - but sometimes the heel feels huge. It seems like a lower drop (or zero drop as the Altra shoes are known for) would be more natural - however on rocky trails that big heel has saved me a couple times.  

Anyway, thanks for reading my review of the Salomon Speedcross 3. It may not be the perfect shoe for me, but I like them, and I alternate between them and the Xodus.