Science and shoes for fell runners.

Buck your ideas up!

Hooray - I wasn't sure if a gif file would work on my blog - but here it is - there'll be a lot more of these appearing from now on you bet! This particular gif represents a Geodesic dome which is essence is a very strong design typically used by architects in glass buildings such as large greenhouses. These designs were popularised by R Buckminster Fuller, an American architect and author. One of the few things I recall clearly from when I was a lad at university studying chemistry, was the concept of carbon molecules shaped like geodesic domes - they didn't exist but it was suggested that if they did they would be very strong molecules. They were called 'Buckyballs' in honour of R Buckminster Fuller this spawned plenty of research about other related theoretical molecules which were all called 'Fullerenes', tiny little very strong tubes have now been made which are called 'Nanotubes" and layers of similar but flat networks of carbon are called 'Graphene.'

Sticks like glue

Now why I'm telling you all this is that Graphene was actually made for the first time at Manchester University by a couple of Russians who won the Nobel prize for this in 2010. And Graphene is now being used in a shoe by the Inov8 company. As all experienced mountain runners know the key to moving fast is grip. And a shoe that has a really grippy sole is brilliant - imagine galloping over the very slaty hills at Blaenau Ffestiniog on a wet day. Trouble is that grippy soles made from sticky rubber wear down very quickly so a compromise has to be made between grippyness and durability. But no more - Inov8 think they have the answer. Well let's see, I don't think there on sale yet so I haven't tried them - maybe Inov8 would like me to be a guinea pig - well I am one of the heaviest fell runners around and I do take a rather large shoe size.

Here's another of Inov8's latest models - the X-Talon 210. It's a nice bright colour but unfortunately for me it's only available in 'precision fit'. The very popular original X-Talons were standard fit which didn't pinch your toes. I'm still regrowing a big toe nail from wearing a new pair of Inov8 precision fit Mudclaw shoes which I bought in June. And I won't post a picture of that!