Montrail Fairhaven
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Montrail Fairhaven
$110, 11.0 oz, www.montrail.com
The Dirt. Testers reported a smooth transition from road to trail in this moderate-stability trainer. The Fairhaven introduces Montrail’s new graduated-density posting technology (FluidPost), designed to offer variant levels of stability along the medial side by decreasing posting density toward the lateral side of the shoe. Low-profile, diamond-patterned lugs provided superb grip on all surfaces and did not feel clunky on the road. These are the most versatile shoes we tested; they are lightweight, fast and flexible without compromising cushion or support.
Fit. Fits narrow- to high-volume feet—you won’t need to break them in and won’t want to them take off. The FluidPost provides adequate stability and torsion control for neutral to moderate overpronators. Designers combined the three most comfortable attributes of the most popular road shoes, stretch panels—similar to the biomorphic fit technology from the Asics Kayano, aggressive posting as with Brooks’ Adrenaline GTS and an outside heel crash pad similar to Saucony’s Omni—to make this the most comfortable trail shoe we tested.
Best For. Road and trail runs of any length—everything from paved paths and roads to technical and rocky singletrack.