I was sent a pair of the inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280 women’s shoes to test in return for an honest review. The new footwear from the leading running apparel brand comes with a new marketing promotion: “Nitrogen-infused midsole foam.”
Features include:
- Nitrogen-infused foam for a “lighter, bouncier ride”
- Midsole Flyspeed: Extra cushioning over long distances with more stability and control
- G Grip (graphene) sole
- Heel to toe drop: 8mm (22mm to 14mm)
- Lug depth: 4mm
- 280g average weight (according to inov-8)
- Price: £165
- Buy: inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280.
More detail: inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280 shoe
When you think of nitrogen gas, it’s unlikely that you imagine it being used in a pair of running shoes. More commonly, it’s a gas associated with industry. For example, nitrogen gas is used as a way to preserve the freshness of packaged foods, in the making of light bulbs, to inflate race car and aircraft tyres and as a replacement, or in combination with, carbon dioxide to pressurise some beer kegs.
Now inov-8 is using the inert gas as a way, so they claim, to give runners more bounce.
The company, which was the first to use graphene in running footwear, has created the Trailfly Ultra G 280 shoe with nitrogen-infused midsole foam.
Wayne Edy, founder of inov-8, which is based in the UK’s Lake District, says: “The nitrogen foam we’ve created gives an amazingly lighter, softer ride for those runners looking for that. Given what our testers said about it, we decided to call the foam Flyspeed.
“It debuts on our new Trailfly Ultra G 280 shoes. It has great levels cushioning, while at the same time delivering incredible bounce and a feeling of being connected to the trail.”
inov-8 reveal that testing shows the Flyspeed foam gives back 65% to 68% of the energy put in. A standard foam midsole gives back 45% to 48%.
The new shoes also has rubber enhanced by graphene, which is said to be 200 times stronger than steel. The brand claims the graphene soles offer “the world’s toughest grip” and a “clever underfoot flexing technology that allows runners to feel more connected to the trail”.
Top Spanish trail runner Abel Carretero has been testing the shoes and says: “The comfort is extremely good for long distances and the bounce is so great you feel like you’re flying. It feels a bit like cheating!”
My thoughts: inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280 shoe
The Trailfly Ultra G 280s are nicely lightweight, although my women’s UK8.5 is 293g per shoe and not 280g. The smaller female shoes will weigh less but the suggestion of 280g being the average across all male and female shoes seems a bit a exaggerated.
They shoes fit well if you have a mid width foot and they are immediately comfortable. They feel roomy at the heel cup area but not overly so. I think this is more of a relaxed fitting inov-8 shoe than other inov-8 models.
The shoe is fairly neutral in terms of feel on the ground but it has deeper cushioned soles compared to other inov-8 trail shoes, such as Roclites. I also like the 8mm heel-to-toe drop, which usually suits my running gait quite well.
To me, the sole, cushioning and grip say hard-packed trails and a bit of tarmac, rather than being aimed at muddy, steep and wet hill and mountain paths. The sole is fairly stiff and the lugs are not deep at 4mm. I have tested them on a mix of forest trails, roads and some paths with wet stones, rocks and tree roots.
Certainly, I feel like they are easy to run in and very easy to like. The weight is part of this because they are lovely and light.
The cushioning is not too soft, nor too hard and it’s an area that inov-8 have got right if you plan to be doing lots of running on hard-packed trails.
However, it’s hard to say if the shoes give me more bounce or cushioning thanks to the inclusion of the nitrogen. I am not entirely sure what the benefit is of using nitrogen because it is just like air, isn’t it?
I think the theory is that the nitrogen injection will give more bounce and last for longer and while some runners might notice this I am not entirely sure. All I can say is there was no extra effort required to run in the inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280 shoes and I enjoy the experience. The bounce is good and running in them is comfortable.
The grip is good in the dry, although not great on wet ground, rocks and tree roots. The lugs are not deep or aggressive enough to give confidence on lots of mud or steep slopes.
Conclusion: I would choose to wear these shoes if I am running on a mix of trails and tarmac, but not when it was going to be very muddy and wet. If you are doing a straightforward trail race and looking for a lightweight and nicely cushioned running shoe, this could be a good choice. Prices have been creeping up for running shoes and £165 is fairly standard these days, and perhaps it could even be described as cheaper compared to many other shoes and brands.