Salomon Improved Grip Men’s Speedcross 4 Trail Running Shoe
Last updated: December 9, 2022
This men's trail running shoe is like a hiking boot that was transformed into a comfortable running shoe. The quality of the construction makes this a fantastic option for trail runners. In our testing, these shoes performed great on rocks and in mud.
We looked at the top Men's Trail Running Shoes and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Men's Trail Running Shoe you should buy.
Product Details
Key Takeaway: This men's trail running shoe is perfect for the toughest terrains you will encounter on the trail.
In our analysis of 40 expert reviews, the Salomon Improved Grip Men's Speedcross 4 Trail Running Shoe
placed 9th when we looked at the top 13 products in the category. For the full ranking,
see below.
From The Manufacturer
The 4th edition of our iconic and aggressively lugged trail runner for tearing through technical, soft ground with speed. Salomon was born in 1947 in the heart of the French Alps and the birthplace of modern alpinism. Driven by a passion for skiing and design innovation, Francois Salomon and his son George designed and perfected much of the first modern ski equipment. During the following 60 years, Salomon’s commitment to innovative design and passion for mountain sports created a vast range of revolutionary new concepts in boots, skis and apparel and brought innovative solutions to footwear, apparel and equipment for hiking, adventure racing, mountaineering and trail running. Through performance-driven design, Salomon enhances mountain sports by converting new ideas into action and expanding the limits of possibility.
Stephanie Mansour Certified Personal Trainer, Health and Wellness ExpertStephanie Mansour, host of “Step It Up with Steph” on public broadcasting, has been coaching women for over a decade on how to lose weight and make it last. She has a Bachelor of Arts in communications with an emphasis on women’s studies and psychology from the University of Michigan. She holds certifications in life coaching, personal training, yoga and Pilates.
Expert Reviews
What reviewers liked
Shoe's design makes it easy to slip on and off. Includes lace design that makes tightening the shoe simple. Water resistanr material.
The lacing system works to wrap snugly around your foot giving you a great secure feeling, the addition of the quick laces is great.
The shoe is also lightweight! Coming in around 10.5 ounces (depending on size), it’s one of the lighter trail runners that can handle such burly trails and abuse. That’s coupled with a 30 mm stack height, which is a huge amount of cushion for your feet.
Strong construction has held up exceptionally well. The laces, mesh uppers and outsole are all in great shape.
Is a well-built and versatile shoe. From its quick-lace system on up, the finished product in the hand is a refined specimen of perfect stitching, weld-ons, bumpers, and protective rubbery fabric on the front. Its rip-stop grid upper integrates seamlessly to the toothy sole.
The uppers of the standard Salomon Speedcross 4 are now water resistant. This is a great feature. I prefer not to wear a running shoe with a Gore-Tex liner because they usually make my feet sweat but a water-resistant upper is welcomed by me.
The outsole of the Salomon Speedcross 4 is upgraded to a more dense and durable version of the Premium Wet Traction Contagrip.
One notable characteristic of the Salomon Speedcross series is the grippy outsole. It is made possible by the Contagrip rubber material with aggressive lugs that offer superb traction on muddy, wet and even snowy surfaces. This material is also durable and protective enough against sharp rocks and other trail elements.
Runners especially love the durability of this shoe and the fact that no matter how wet this shoe gets the upper feels very dialed in and secure.
What reviewers didn't like
Questionable durability around the toe box. Sizes tend to run a bit small
The lugs are still prone to wearing out prematurely if used on hard terrain.
The only grievance I with the Speedcross 4 is the fact that they do not come in wide sizes, and that’s me just being unselfish! They are strictly designed for those of us blessed with narrow feet.
As with prior Speedcross models, the shoe does not ventilate particularly well, nor does it drain very quickly. It’s happiest in higher elevations and not in the summer heat.
The fit is somewhat narrow, so try these on first if you have wider feet.
The lacing system isn’t foolproof. I find the laces loosen through the toggle after about six miles of hill running. It’s not a lot of loosening but enough to make me stop to re-toggle the lacing system before, for example, running downhill.
For as good as the mesh is at keeping stuff out, it does tend to retain a bit of water after a few soakings in streams.
The high stack height and prominent lugs may cause some issues on uneven and rugged terrains.
Runners with higher volume feet and wider forefeet may have difficulty finding a good fit in the Speedcross 4.
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