AllOutdoor Review – Saloman Speedcross 5 Trail Running Shoes
Patrik Orcutt 07.28.23
Salomon was founded in 1947 in the city of Annecy in the heart of the French Alps. François Salomon launched the company by producing ski edges in a small workshop, with only his wife and son, Georges, to help. Georges Salomon is credited with taking the company and evolving it toward the global outdoor sports brand it is today with such great products as the Saloman Speedcross 5 trail running shoe which we will review here.
Today, Salomon produces products for various sports markets, including trail running, hiking, climbing, adventure racing, skiing, and snowboarding in over 40 countries on five continents. They used to manufacture inline skates, transferring technologies from their ski boot range, but have not released any in recent years. Salomon is part of Amer Sports, headquartered in Helsinki (Finland). The US operations of Salomon are located in Ogden, Utah.
Today, we will be looking at one of my favorite shoe lines ever, the Speedcross series and more specifically, the Speedcross 5. While these are not Salomans newest iteration of the shoe with the 6 already being out, have not had a chance to get my hands on them yet. For reference, this is my 5th pair of Speedcrosses I have personally owned so I guess you could say I love these things but I also know all about their downsides too.
The Saloman Speedcross 5s were purchased by myself and Saloman has not been allowed to preview this review prior to publishing. I have been wearing this particular pair of Speedcross shoes for about a year now and have taken them on multiple short and long-day hikes as well as worn them while traveling. At this point I would say this pair of shoes has about 100-150 miles of ware on them.
Specs – Saloman Speedcross 5
- Weight – 24.4 oz (Size 9.5)
- Lug Size – 5mm Contagrip
- Lace type – Quicklace
- Drop – 10mm
- MSRP– $129.99
Traction – Saloman Speedcross 5
For the better part of a decade now, there has really been no competition in the trail running shoe market when it comes to traction. These shoes offer the best, and the most traction you will find on planet Earth. They are an ideal shoe for winter and spring, running in the mountains, in the desert when conditions are often snowy, muddy, rainy, and downright slippery. The only thing that they do have a hard time with is gripping on ice and wet tree roots and rock that is slick from moisture or water. But honestly, what will keep traction on those kinds of services that is not a metal spike?
They have deeper, larger, and stickier lugs than their competitors. When I first put on these shoes, or any new pair of Speedcrosss for that matter, I’m always surprised by just how sticky these lugs feel. The first couple of miles or outings with them are like you have a little bit of glue on the bottom of your shoes, and that can be a good or a bad thing. The slight downside to the traction of these shoes is just how soft it is.
The rubber is very soft, meaning that it will deteriorate over time. Some of my previous pairs of Speedcrosses have had their lugs completely fade away after wearing them for around 18 months. I’m happy to say that the compound that Saloman is using for the Speedcross 5’s seems to be holding up better long-term while I still wouldn’t take these running on asphalt I think the durability is much better than on previous iterations.
Stability – Saloman Speedcross 5
One of the most notable changes with the new speed cross 5, is that they have widened into the toebox significantly. I found that this greatly improved the overall stability of the shoes, especially when traversing down loose gravel trails or rocks. The sense for upper combined with a quick way system will easily allow you to take your shoes on and off quickly whenever needed.
Any size 9.5 these shoes fit snugly around my feet in a way that most other shoes simply don’t. The quick-way system ensures that there’s no swap in the foot and that it stays firmly locked into the shoe. This is definitely a major reason for the great stability of these shoes. On the flipside with these shoes having large rugs and a 10 mm drop your foot is going to be a lot higher in these shoes than in traditional running shoes.
This does mean that when running downhill you will need to be cognizant of your foot placement, so as to not increase your chances of rolling an ankle. I personally have been jogging down mountains in pairs of speed crosses for years, and I have yet to have my ankle roll. To some of this, an up, wider toebox is good for stability, while a 10 mm heel-toe drop, is bad.
Comfort – Saloman Speedcross 5
Back in college, I used to wear Nikes whenever I would go running. I found it pretty common that after a good week of solid running my feet and legs would hurt or ache. I always thought this was just the price I had to pay for competing in cross country. Once I picked up my first pair of Solomon speed crosses I realized that I didn’t have to have pain in my feet and legs after running. While I have not tried out tons of brands of running shoes, I do find that Solomons are consistently the most comfortable of the ones I own.
The Speedcross 5’s are remarkably comfortable and require no break-in. You can pick these up at your sporting goods store take them out of the box slip them on your feet and run up a mountain with zero issues. The foam padding on the bottom of the shoe aids in comfort while a new addition to the 5’s is the high heel pad that cradles the Achilles tendon area on the back of your foot. I’ve also never had any issues with breathability on the shoes. I have seen online that some people complain about how much their feet sweat in speed crosses but again, not a problem I’ve ever had. I’ve also never worn any of the Gore-Tex variances of this shoe so that would be something to possibly look into for a future review or follow-up.
Weight – Saloman Speedcross 5
Personally, I think the weight of these shoes is exceptional when coming in at 24.4 ounces for the pair. And. I have done some reading, and a lot of people online seem to think that they are really heavy but I personally really disagree with that statement. I do understand that a lighter shoe is always going to be a better shoe for endurance, but when the whole point of your shoe is for maximum traction and resistance from the elements, I think these are pretty livable. To me, these things are like tanks on my feet compared to most other running shoes and I mean that in the best way possible.
Likes
- Extremely grippy traction on all terrain
- Wider than previous versions
- Comfortable right out of the box
Dislikes
- Wear out fast
Competitive Options – Saloman Speedcross 5
- S/Lab Ultra 3 Trail Running Shoe – Men’s
- Speedgoat 5 Trail Running Shoe – Men’s
- La Sportiva Karacal Trail-Running Shoes – Men’s
Wrap Up – Saloman Speedcross 5
To me most of the trail running shoes on the market look kind of ugly and are not my style. There’s nothing wrong with anyone who likes to have neon green and fluorescent blue shades on their shoes, but that’s just not for me. I think these are some seriously handsome-looking shoes in comparison to their contemporaries. I do like the looks of the older models more than the newer ones, but I digress.
If you’re looking for a trail running shoe that is going to give you maximum traction there’s really no substitute for the Speedcross series and the Speedcross 5’s. And they’re extremely grippy and have great traction overall and now come with a wider toebox for more stability not to mention they’re super comfortable right out of the box and have zero break-in period. My only real not against them is that they are a high-performance shoe, and therefore the durability isn’t the best on the lugs. I would say conservatively.
Most people will probably get a good nine months of hard use out of these if they avoid running with them on the pavement. With that being said, the Speedcross 5’s, do have the best durability I’ve seen yet when it comes to their lugs and I hope to see Solomon continue that trend in the 6’s and probably 7’s.
