Inov8 Trailfly Speed v2: Quick Evaluation (2026)

Inov8 Trailfly Speed v2: Quick Evaluation
By Matthew Klein

 

Inov8 has maintained a unique place as a company that makes a decent variety of shoes with exceptional durability, incredibly grip and the ability to handle tough terrain. The company was born out of the need to design natural shoes that could handle fell running, a British sport that involves racing over difficult terrain without marked paths. Although there is more recent competition from Altra and Topo, Inov8 remains one of the few that have held their natural roots even with the continued rise of stack heights. The Trailfly shoes are meant as long-distance trainers/racers meant to combine Inov8's fantastic grip with light weights that are able to move quickly over terrain. The Trailfly Speed v2 is the faster racing version, now featuring an even better outsole grip, an upgraded midsole and a reinforced upper, all while keeping a natural feel.

Inov8 Trailfly Speed v2

Price: $170 at Inov8
Weight: 10.5 oz, 299 g (men's size 9 / women's 10.5)
Stack Height:  11 mm heel / 7 mm forefoot (17/13 mm stack, 6 mm footbed)
Drop: 4 mm
Shoe Purpose: Lower Stack Height Trail Shoe

Pros: Great outsole grip, anatomic toe box, natural feel, feels far lighter than listed weight
Cons: Expensive for a lower stack height shoe, narrow midfoot sole 

SIMILAR SHOES: New Balance Minimus Trail
PAST MODEL: Inov8 Trailfly Speed

PHOTO 4

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

The midsole in the Inov8 Trailfly Speed v2 is full-length POWERFLO PRO, which is an EVA-based material. The midsole feel is slightly firmer with a little bounce, thanks to the extensive Graphene outsole and the slightly softer insole. Combined with the lower stack height, this makes the Trailfly Speed v2 feel fast, flexible, nimble and snappy. There is a 4mm heel drop which is noticeable in a good way and offset some of the Achilles tendon strain I experience with extremely low drop shoes. This is not a trail super shoe and there is no plate, so hard rocks are sometimes noticeable. However, the Grapehene outsole does a decent job of protection. This does add some stiffness to the sole, making for a flexible forefoot (thanks to the flex groove) but a more moderately flexible overall ride. Although this shoe weighs in at 305g or 10.7 oz in my men's size 10, the lower volume and flexibility make this shoe feel much lighter. It felt easy to do strides and quick movements in this shoe, although for me personally, this isn't enough shoe for longer distances. 3-5 miles shorter and quicker runs felt great and those wanting less shoe will likely be able to take this further. Most will find this a shorter distance shoe. However, the grip is fantastic. On smooth dirt, mild mud, rocks and even road the lugs bit into the surfaces. There are enough lugs that they spread out easily over cement while still providing great grip on wet pavement. On extremely technical terrain they were great due to the nimble feel but sharp rocks got to me due to the lack of a rock plate. 

Stability-wise, the Speed v2 is a mostly neutral shoe. The midfoot sole is incredibly narrow, although is offset by an aggressive medial sidewall in the heel. This balanced things out for me and offset the narrow midfoot, but over moderate distances I still started to fatigue. The forefoot is wide, allowing for fantastic toe splay, although is still neutral due to being more flexible. As this is meant to be a more natural shoe, the Speed v2 is neutral throughout the length of the shoe but not unstable. 

The Inov8 Trailfly Speed v2 fits me true to size in my normal men's size 10. It almost fits long but the aggressive toe guard helps make it feel more true to size. The toe box and forefoot are wide and anatomic with plenty of room for toe splay. This transitions into a slightly snug midfoot and heel. The tongue has padding in the middle, thins out at either side and is strongly gusseted and secure. The heel has a moderate amount of padding and a flexible heel counter. Despite the presence of a counter, the amount of padding kept my heel feeling great and did not bother me. The fit is secure in in the midfoot and heel, but I experienced a little sliding in the forefoot unless I kept my toes spread. Those with narrower feet may not do well, while those sensitive to narrow/normal-width toe boxes will do great.

Doctors of Running Checklist

Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Yes
How Flexible is the Shoe: Moderately Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: Yes (mostly)
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: Not suggested
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: High

FINAL THOUGHTS

Matt
Fit: A- (Anatomic toe box with secure fit. Mild slippage in forefoot with side to side motions but secure elsewhere with overlays that protect upper)
Performance: B+ (Feels lighter than listed weight. Best for those who want less shoe with a flexible ride for moving quicker over technical or wet terrain. Still heavier than expected for so little shoe)
Stability: B [Neutral] (Narrow midfoot offset by high medial sidewall. Neutral overall)
Value: B- (High durability but expensive for fewer shoes. Outsole traction and durability with lower stack height may be worth it for some peopoe)
Personal: B (I have loved this shoe for all day wear and shorter runs. Not enough for me personally to race or do longer efforts but will be perfect for others that want that)
Overall Design: B 

For those who want a low-riding, nimble and tough shoe, the Inov8 Trailfly Speed v2 is one to consider. The price is quite high for this little shoe, especially with the continued use of EVA in the midsole. Given that the Speed v2 is designed for less stable terrain, the firmer midsole does make sense. It is still a little odd to me to pay more for less, but the insane durability (I have 30 miles on my pair with zero wear or abrasion to the outsole despite extensive gravel use). At the moment, this is a unique shoe on the market and may be worth it for those will to invest in something that may last a bit longer. 

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Inov8 Trailfly Speed v2

Price: $170 at Inov8

Shop Men | Shop Women

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Editor's Note: As always, the views presented on this website belong to myself or the selected few who contribute to these posts. This website should not and does not serve as a replacement for seeking medical care. If you are currently injured or concerned about an injury, please see your local running physical therapist. If you are in the Sherwood, Santa Barbara, Danbury and Stevens Point areas, we are currently taking clients for running evaluations.

***Disclaimer: These shoes were provided free of charge in exchange for a review.  We thank the people at Inov8 for sending us a pair.  This in no way affected the honesty of this review. We systematically put each type of shoe through certain runs prior to review. For trainers and performance trainers, we take them on daily runs, workouts, recovery runs and a long run prior to review (often accumulating anywhere from 20-50 miles in the process). For racing flats we ensure that we have completed intervals, a tempo or steady state run as well as a warm-up and cool down in each pair prior to review. This systematic process is to ensure that we have experience with each shoe in a large variety of conditions to provide expansive and thorough reviews for the public and for companies. Our views are based on our extensive history in the footwear industry and years testing and developing footwear. If you are a footwear rep looking for footwear reviews or consultations on development, we are currently looking to partner with companies to assist, discuss and promote footwear models. Partnership will not affect the honesty of our reviews.

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