They looked like they were on fire!
Updated Salomon favourite tested by runABC's Alan Newman
Finally, it's raining and runABC news writer Alan Newman can give Salomon SPEEDCROSS 6 a proper test in the conditions it was designed for! After the joint hottest and sixth driest summer in Britain since records began in 1836, the heavens have opened in our area and the trails have become less like dusty motorways.
Alan's first impression of the 6th iteration since 2006 of the much-admired SPEEDCROSS range was – wow, they're bright! Opening the box produced a ray of light as the White, Black, Empire Yellow and Fiery Red beauties shimmered through their protective tissue. They looked like they were on fire!
The full range of colours are now available and more practical shades include Black, Leek Green, and a muted grey described as 'Quiet Shade' in Salomon speak – although your tester much preferred the brighter hues.
So how do they fit? The Quicklace system is easy to loosen and the Ripstop flexible upper has the right amount of 'give' to enable easy foot entry. The fit is true to size and although Salomon describes the width as 'standard', it is broad enough to accommodate most foot shapes.
One feature this tester searched in vain for was a robust heel loop to pull on – there isn't one, and the loop on the tongue is only really there to facilitate parking the lace lock system in its neat little garage. This didn't affect the fit at all and the plush tongue, collar, and achilles tendon padding, coupled with the Ortholite insole and Sensifit construction, work in harmony to provide comfort with confidence – even straight out of the box.
That said, this shoe is all about the grip. The sole has over 30 delta-wing-shaped lugs – described by Salomon as Mud Contagrip – that really does what it's supposed to do. Our tester ran an off-road parkrun on dry, hard trails with no slips on the loose stuff and also no intrusion from the larger stones. And on a wet run on grass and through the woods it was the same story – grippy and protective.
The EnergyCell+ midsole and shaped insole provide excellent cushioning – enough for protection on long runs – and the shoe's weight at 298g is reasonable for the quality of construction and materials.
The colourful side markings and toe and heel bumper provide some protection from debris and mud but there's no waterproofness in the basic model – for that, you would need to upgrade to the SPEEDCROSS 6 GORE-TEX for an extra £20 and an additional 30g.
The SPEEDCROSS 6 will be used by our tester for cross country training and those trail and XC races where spikes give no advantage, or would be ruined by the terrain. And they are in the bag for a walking holiday in Austria, as they'll do a great job on the mountain trails and while fitting in a few training runs in the valleys, too.
Visit Salomon's website for full details
Image courtesy Spike Communications for Salomon