I have not had a decent pair of off-road race ‘flats’ for around 3 years; the last good pair being La Sportiva which suited my narrow feet. Finding a semi-intelligent, courteous, and efficient distributor ( of any training or racing shoes ) willing to SELL the shoes at wholesale for review has been as elusive a challenge as finding a worthwhile replacement for the La Sportiva.

Courtesy of the awesome crew at TRAILRUNNERS in Switzerland we can now assess the alluring Inov-8 Roclite 285 and investigate the impressive science behind these thoroughbreds.

Inov-8 themselves are an interesting crew, not necessarily cast from the same mould that has spawned the plethora of me-too outdoorsy shoes that dominate the market. The company has focused much of its research and development on applied biomechanics and shaping footwear that more naturally assists and encourages the feet and their supporting structures to do the work of running; to improve trail feel and strengthen muscles and joints. There are no hip-hop over-blown cushioning systems here but rather solid science.

To the shoe itself; the Roclite 285. A very sexy looking product in red and a pick up and on foot weight which is
minuscule; it cries out to go fast. While I could not help them burn up the trails exactly they did perform as advertised repeatedly and after adapting to their unique structure they did ( non empirically it can be said) make a
marked difference to fatigue levels. I had only a little soreness in my arch during the first week of adaptation to
the shoes.

The 285s are intended as an elite trail and adventure racing shoe providing high levels of race comfort and grip
performance. After extended training use I can say it is primarily useful for 5k to 50km trail races and 6 to 8 hour
adventure racing. If you are out overnight or for multi-days adventure racing, there are better options in the Inov-8
range only because you will need to greater support.

Biomechanically, for the hard core obsessive I suggest you get to grips with the excellent online library of technical notes at the Inov-8 web site for the minutae. In a nutshell, the Inov 8 team have opted to apply the working efficiencies of the body directly to the shoes design and structural elements. The ankle, sub talar, mid tarsal and aetatarsophalangeal joints are of most salience, design-wise, not forgetting the rubber band-like propulsive potential of the plantar fascia ligament.

Let’s start with the mid sole ( known MUDROC™ - who thinks of these names?) which I found profoundly fascinating ( as
clearly I have no life ); it’s got a remarkably low profile that follows the function of the mid tarsal joint, enabling the plane of the fore foot to adjust to each inversion and eversion without compromising ( and requiring structural compensation with shoe elements ) the position or activity of the rear foot.

Moving onto what the Inov 8 crew call Meta-Flex ™ which has been constructed to assist the metatarsophalangeal joints; the real grip and traction forward elements of the feet or crowbars in Inov 8 - speak. In effect, this design element enables the five metatarsophalangeal joints to move independenltly of one another; this recognition of and encouragement for your toes to move freely is all part of the Inov 8 goal to have the muscles in your feet strengthened to improve agility and feel fof the trail and reduce injury. This acknowledgement of the crucial role played by the five metatarsophalangeal joints is expressed in its most radical or extreme form commercially by the gob-smackingly strange but effective FiveFingers products from Vibram.

The 285s meta-flex groove is anatomically aligned in front of the metatarsal heads to provide a natural fore foot flex and its accompanying 5 finger meta-shank aligns with each individual metatarsal for greater flexibility when contouring while retaining underfoot impact protection. A softer compound is used on performance products like the 285 while a firmer compound is used on the endurance products like the 320.

The upper webbing support in the shoe is also anatomically positioned to cradle the fore foot behind the metatarsal
heads and provide a secure foot hold.

As an integrated whole, the Meta Flex system certainly translated into great feel for the trail be it grass or gravel and there is no doubt my feet have become more ’self sufficient’ and stronger as a result. I have definitely used less post training Epsom Salts for sore feet; it may be due to the Fascia Band™ feature which seeks to imitate the biomechanical function of the plantar fascia ligament to increase push off and reduce fatigue.

The outsole offered terrific grip and feel for the trail; I could tell the compound used for construction was derived
from climbing footwear it is very sticky. Like anything in the performance arena; all this grip and feel comes at a price in terms of wear rate but they are race flats and should be best kept for racing and maybe even interval work on grass and tartan.

As a race flat the amount of cushioning support was minimal; the manufacturer uses a simple heel-based glyph system
to notify you of the comparative level of support; the 285s are rated a 2 on this scale. The uppers were colourful and minimalist and breathed perfectly well. The lacing system frustrated me for quite a while and I was sorely tempted to do my usual trick and replace them with bungees but I persisted and found the system as elementally sound as the other features of the shoes; the bungees remain in my draw. The only criticism I have of the shoes and it’s a small point - thy are very light on with respect to reflective safety highlights; I am suing the 285s a lot on grass tracks for intervals and then running back home to do some tarmac hills; to be better highlighted would be a safety plus. I say this knowing full well these are meant to be racing flats; as I say, a small point.

The Roclite 285s from Inov-8 should take a lot of podium places for the elite trail racer; they really are that good. Extremely well thought out to encourage the foot to function as it would if you ran barefoot, it offers that ideal balance of traction, support and feel you need to do personal bests off-road. There is no doubt the Inov 8 obsession with biomechanics without sacrificing practicality makes it a brand worth learning more about.

Talk to TRAILRUNNERS about price and stockists.

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