Oroc 340 Shoe Review

Took the Oroc 340's on a nice little trial. I usually take new shoes to a favorite spot (above) of mine to put shoes to the test. I wait for a nice wet day and take them to the above location. All sorts of terrain lay within this thick wooded area. I had some pre-concerns about the 340 due to the metal studs. I figured once you hit a large rock or something it would pose a problem with traction/grip.

Upper
The mesh upper offers athletes excellent breathability and range of motion. I noticed whenever I accelerated I had enough range of motion to really get good toe off power on the deep muddy sections. Another advantage to the mesh upper I have found is that it makes the shoe very easy to clean and keeps your feet nice and dry when running. The toe flap/rand protects the toe area and also extends to the medial and lateral sides of the heel. This came in handy on sections where the ground is so soft that when you step into it small rocks wedge out and pierce your foot. The Oroc 340 protects you really well in situations like these and you almost never feel rocks scratch or pierce the medial or lateral sides of your foot. I like the fact that the bottom of the upper/top of the midsole area feature a sturdy rand for more reason than just rock protection, it also keeps water out of your shoe. Many shoes feature small toe flap/rand areas or rands that cover the front of the foot only. As you know having mesh immediately to the inside and outside of a rand does nothing to keep water out of your shoes so the 340 is definitely unique in that sense, especially in the Winter and during long training sessions.

Outsole
The rubber lugs on the 340 give you great traction on the mud and also due to their width they provide excellent grip on wet rock. The metal studs definitely come in handy when you hit a steep incline on a muddy trail. Another area the studs performed well on for me were on descents. I'm a little denser than the average runner I would say so when it comes to downhill's with sharp turns traction is everything. Tree stumps and wet logs laying on trails are a tall runners nightmare. The Oroc 340's lugs alone offer great traction, but when you jump onto coming downhill at a fast clip you need more than just rubber lugs. The 340's metal studs help you dig into logs and wood so that you can really use your strength to push off or approach a stumpy area with confidence.


Another reason I love testing my shoes out here, nice clear water creek to clean off your shoes after you get nasty on the trail!