“Grip where you expected to slip.” That’s what Swedish shoe manufacturer Icebug, known for its trail running shoes with spikes, is all about.
But it’s not only about special trail requirements, but also about snow and ice – which is much more likely to occur here, especially in my latitudes ;)

Sponsored Post: Icebug provided me with the products for this review at my request. This had no influence on the content of my post. The article is written indipendently and reflects exclusively my personal experiences.

Review

Icebug Oribi5 BUGrip

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First Impressions

Of course, what you get is first and foremost a “normal” trail running shoe, which has many of the typical features. These include a circumferential protection against sharp stones and water, which will certainly also work well in snow.

Besides a neat lacing, a heel strap also helps to put on the shoes. Just like the tongue, it is additionally covered with a reflective material.

In profile you can already see that the trail shoe seems to be equipped with a grippy sole. The BUGrip sole is Icebugs flagship – which has to do not only with the spikes but also with the rubber mixture.

No less than 16 carbide spikes are stuck in the outsole. These are more than what’s necessary, so 3-4 of them could be lost without changing the grip. In addition, the spikes are not rigidly installed, but “dynamic”.

For example, shoes with BUGrip could also be run on asphalt because the spikes then partially disappear into the rubber and allow full contact of the outsole with the ground.

With 701 grams (for both shoes in my size), the Icebug Oribi5 is not exactly light, but it ranks quite well in the light-heavyweight class” among their competitors.

Running Experience

Let’s start with the basics: the shoe size turns out as expected. The feeling when slipping in and the first steps were great. However, one should not take the steps on the parquet floor at home ;)

In general one should think carefully where and when to walk the Oribi5, because with his spikes he is a real specialist. Thanks to the dynamic spikes, it can also be run over asphalt, but with a correspondingly sound. Anyway, I voluntarily avoided the grass strip at every opportunity ;)

As much as I have waited for ice and snow: unfortunately the shoe was not used in the intended conditions. Although there were also highlights: Logs that fell over the trail. Often there were new trails around them, because skipping is not always possible (or wanted). But with the spikes of the Icebug shoe you can also get over the slipperiest trunk.

Conclusion

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