Salomon XA PRO 3D running shoes review

With the new year here it is time to dust off that Christmas fat and get back on the exercise regime once again. Can the Salomon XA PRO 3D running shoes help you? We get running to find out

4 January 2006 0:03 GMT / By Stuart Miles

With the new year here it's time to dust off that Christmas fat and get back on the exercise regime again. Can the Salomon XA PRO 3D help you? We get running to find out.

It's never too early to start getting in shape for the summer, but rather than head back into the gym and more specifically on to that running machine, why not find a path to run instead?

Salomon's latest offering for the cross-country runner within you is the SALOMON XA PRO 3D. According to the company, following the development of its Advanced Chassis technology, EVA, Salomon can now use considerably less of it in the heal to bring your feet closer to the ground.

This in turn supposedly offers a more rigid lower profile heel with better stability and agility but still maintaining high levels of shock absorbency.

In reality, we were hard pushed to tell the difference between this and last year's model we've been running with for the last year. However, what we could tell after our test runs was that on both road, path and rough terrain the XA Pro 3D are very comfortable to wear and run in.

The comfortable fit is likely to be down to a roomier toe box that will permit the inevitable swelling over a long run and we especially liked the inclusion of elastic laces and an off centre placement of those laces to guarantee a snug fit every time. Slip on, pull to tighten and away you go with no need for alteration on the run or worry that your laces aren't tight or lose enough.

Verdict

The Salomon XA PRO 3Ds may offer a closer to the ground running experience, but in all honesty we couldn't tell the difference against a pair of last year Salomon's without the technology that we've been running in.

Still at £75 this is a comfortable cross-country shoe that works very well without gimmicks found in other trainers.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Salomon
Price as reviewed: £75
The good: Elastic laces, comfortable fit
The bad: All the technology here isn’t really noticed
Quick verdict: At £75 this is a comfortable cross country shoe that works very well without gimmicks found in other trainers
Score
Winner