Inov-8 Mudtalon Speed V2 vs V1: which mud-ready trail shoe deserves your money?

Introduction

Winter trail running in the UK means one thing: mud, and lots of it. So this is the perfect time to look at the Inov-8 Mudtalon Speed V2, the latest version of a trail shoe firmly oriented towards wet, muddy, technical terrain. Inov-8 describes it as a shoe made for mud, and the aggressive outsole with 8 mm lugs makes that clear the moment you turn it over.

To find out if the new version is worth your money, we pitted the V2 head-to-head against the original Mudtalon Speed V1, running roughly four and a half miles in each shoe on the same rain-soaked route along the Cornish Coast Path. It’s a route full of wet, slippery rocks and deep muddy bogs, so both shoes got a serious workout.

Test methodology: two pairs, one route

The test was simple and fair. The outbound leg from Zennor towards St Ives we ran in the V1 to refresh our memory of how the original performs, especially in terms of grip and traction. At the turnaround point, from the race vest came the V2 along with a spare pair of socks, and the return leg covered exactly the same 4.5 miles on exactly the same route.

This setup allowed a direct back-to-back comparison of the new sticky grip rubber outsole with the old one, as well as an assessment of the feel of the updated upper. The weather also played along: heavy recent rainfall made the trail extremely wet and demanding — exactly the conditions these shoes are built for.

Mudtalon Speed V2: what’s new

The V2 is available from Inov-8 for £130 and comes in two width options. The precision fit will suit people with narrower feet, while a standard width fit is dedicated to runners with a wider forefoot and anyone who likes some extra room up front. Thanks to Inov-8’s anatomical foot shape design, even the precision version has a reasonably wide toe box.

The upper is made of a lightweight, highly breathable mesh that feels durable enough for harsh trail use, reinforced with structural overlays and a solid toe bumper protecting the front. The gusseted tongue is thin, but zonal padding along its center helps protect the top of the foot when the laces are pulled tight — a small fix for the comfort issues of older Inov-8 models. New drainage holes on either side of the toe box help water escape quickly, and the heel and ankle collar area now feels softer than before.

Underfoot, the midsole appears to be the same Powerflow Pro setup as in the previous version: an 11 mm heel stack, 7 mm at the forefoot and a 4 mm drop. Paired with Inov-8’s Boomerang footbeds, which add a thin layer of softness and rebound close to the foot, it is a stripped-down shoe designed for underfoot feel and contact with the terrain rather than deep cushioning. The main novelty is the outsole: a new, improved sticky grip rubber compound which — according to Inov-8 — provides a 36% increase in wet slip resistance.

Mudtalon Speed V1: the benchmark

The original Mudtalon Speed set a high bar. On the outbound leg it delivered loads of traction on soft ground — the chunky 8 mm lugs handled deep mud brilliantly. Grip on most types of rock also felt pretty good, and there was never a sense of the shoe letting go on technical sections.

There were only minor complaints. On one particularly greasy bridge the traction felt less certain and it was safer to stop and walk. Around the ankle and heel the V1 felt noticeably stiffer — enough to cause slight irritation on longer runs. As a benchmark for wet, muddy trails, however, the V1 remains a genuinely capable shoe.

On the trail: how the V2 performed

Right out of the box, the V2 hugged the midfoot a bit tighter — probably just because it was new. The first real difference showed up at the ankle collar and heel cup, which felt softer and more comfortable than in the V1. That extra forgiveness was welcome and seems to be a genuine upgrade for anyone who found the original a little stiff in these areas.

On the muddy, rocky return leg the shoe felt perfectly connected, well-fitted and very stable. It does not offer deep cushioning, but the Boomerang footbeds keep it comfortable, and over 4.5 miles only a few sharp rock edges pushed through the midsole. In terms of distance, such a stripped-down shoe should suit efforts up to around a half marathon, maybe 20 miles in extremis, depending on the terrain.

Outsole and grip: the main topic of the comparison

Inov-8 claims that the new sticky grip compound improves wet slip resistance by 36%, but honestly — the difference was hard to feel. The rubber in the V1 was already very grippy, and the V2 performed very similarly on the same terrain. If anything, it may be minimally more adhesive, but the level of grip felt practically identical.

This is not a criticism of the shoe itself. The deep 8 mm lugs delivered outstanding traction in mud, and the new drainage grooves in the overlays visibly helped water escape at the front on a route that in places resembled a flowing river. The outsole does exactly what it was designed for — it just may not be a dramatic leap forward compared to the original.

Shopping advice: upgrade or stay with the V1?

If you already own the V1, the honest answer is: the upgrade probably isn’t worth it. The performance difference is not huge, and the improvements are mostly comfort refinements: a softer heel cup and ankle collar, better drainage, and zonal tongue padding.

If you are new to this line and want maximum grip and traction on super technical, demanding, muddy winter trails, the V2 is an easy recommendation. It does its job excellently, and after months spent in deeply cushioned shoes, the connected feel of the terrain is genuinely refreshing. At £130, the shoe sits in a competitive price bracket, so before making a decision, it is worth comparing it with other mud-oriented trail shoes.

Summary

The Inov-8 Mudtalon Speed V2 is a confident update rather than a revolution. The softer heel and ankle collar, improved drainage, and zonal tongue padding make it more comfortable than the V1, while the aggressive 8 mm outsole still excels in the wettest and muddiest conditions. The declared improvement in grip is hard to notice in practice, so V1 owners can keep their shoes with a clear conscience. For everyone else looking for a mud-ready trail shoe this winter, the V2 is definitely worth a closer look.