The Trailtalon is inov-8's answer to ground that keeps changing. Six-millimetre graphene cleats bite into mud and wet woodland but still behave on rock, a META-PLATE rock plate takes the sting out of stones, and a POWERFLOW PRO midsole with a BOOMERANG footbed gives it more bounce than a pure fell shoe.
It suits you if your local trails are soft, rooty or seasonal and you want one shoe that copes with all of them. inov-8 calls it the evolution of the Roclite range, and that is roughly where it sits: grippier than the Trailfly V2, far more cushioned than a mud spike.
It is not fast and it is not for the road. At 310 g it is one of the heavier shoes in inov-8's trail range, and deep cleats on tarmac feel exactly as bad as they sound.