When Salomon released its new S/Lab Ultra Glide trail running shoe earlier this month, we noticed straight away that it was devoid of a carbon plate – something that's increasingly found in elite trail shoes like The North Face Vectiv Pro and Hoka Tecton X 3. Now, a new study conducted by two Salomon employees suggests that carbon-plated running shoes may have no added benefit for trail runners, and could even hinder performance.
The study, which was published last month in Footwear Science, was carried out by Clément Jaboulay and Marlene Giandolini who work in the French running brand's Sports Innovation Lab.
