Review – Scott Supertrac RC 2
Terrain: mountain and off trail, also rides well on smoother trails and small sections of road
Heel to toe drop: 5mm
Stack height: 22.5-17.5mm
Lug depth: 5mm (my estimate)
Weight: 245g (size 8.5US women)
Kilometres on shoe at time of review: 480km mainly on mountains in the VIC, NSW and ACT alps but also some mellow trails. Worn for the Australian Alpine Ascent 25km race (to first place finish). Retired at 480km as the cushioning had collapsed on one side of the heel on one shoe.
Super light for a mountain shoe – 246g
Very fluro on unboxing. BYO sunglasses.
Introduction
Most people have never heard of Scott as a trail running brand because Scott is relatively unknown in Australia. However, they produce some of the best mountain and trail gear you can get your feet on and their Race Concept (RC) line in the black and yellow colourway looks fierce and fast. Their trail shoes are split into the Supertrac line and Kinablu line. The Supertrac line of shoes is for skyrunning and mountains, with deeper lugs, protective features and a precision fit for use on steep, rocky and mountainous terrain. The Kinablu line is for trail running, a lighter more breathable build with minimal lugs, designed more specifically for forward propulsion on less steep and smoother trails. Scott produce a RC version of the Supertrac and Kinablu. The RC shoes are similar to what Salomon do with their S/Lab line. The RC line is instantly recognisable because of its black and fluro yellow colourway.
I am reviewing the Scott Supertrac RC 2 which is Scott’s top of the range mountain racing shoe. It also comes in the non-RC version, but it is an almost completely different shoe with much more cushion, protection and weight. I also have tried the Scott Kinablu Ultra RC which is Scott’s premium long distance trail shoe. I ended up passing on the Kinablu Ultra RC because I found the midfoot fit quite loose, and the length of the shoe short.
Fit and upper
I found the fit immediately comfortable. It is almost slipper like in comfort. Shoes of this weight often have a hard heel collar that can reduce comfort, but Scott have used ample padding along the heel collar, which also eliminates any rubbing on the outer heel bone when running off camber. The heel hold and midfoot hold are excellent and the toe box is wide enough for proper toesplay. When I say the toebox is wide, I mean wide for a precision mountain running shoe. If you need a particularly wide toebox, this shoe is not for you. However, it has a wider toe box than the VJ XTRM (which gives me bad rub on my two little toes from the narrow toe box, and I say is on par with the toebox on the Salomon Sense Pro 4 and Salomon S/Lab Ultra 3. There is no lateral movement or heel slide at all. The heel counter sits relatively low and there is no rubbing on my lateral ankle bone (I am short which means I get rubbing on some shoes here including the VJ XTRM on off camber terrain).
The upper is made from ColdBlack which is a tough wearing material. The material survived all kinds of off trail running, through thick bush, and cleans easily. ColdBlack is meant to be cool in the sun, but I can tell you, this is not a cool shoe. I really had hot feel running in the Australian alps across summer. In autumn I noticed the heat less. There is no doubting this shoe performs best in cool conditions, and I would avoid it if your feet run hot. Although the shoe drains water after river crossings such that there is no sloshing in the shoe, the material does retain some water and so remains heavier after taking on water. This is common for mountain shoes where the upper is made from tough wearing material. None of these materials dry quickly (VJ XTRM Kevlar upper performs similarly in wet conditions, takes a while to dry and definitely not going to dry as you are running).
The tongue is thin and comfortable. I had no movement of the tongue on any runs. The laces are flat and quite durable, though they did fluff up a little after serious off trail adventures, though any shoelace would do this after a couple of kilometres of traversing blackberry bushes. I have used Moxie gaiters for off trail and the shoe would be suitable for most gaiter types.
Very protective toe bumper and aggressive toothy lug to provide extra grip on steep uphills. More shoes should use this additional lug.
Radial lug pattern. Excellent grip. Lug depth about 5mm.
Excellent on offtrail and rocky surfaces.
Ride is smooth on hard pack trails.
Grip
The radial traction outsole has lugs positioned in a circular arrangement fanning out from the forefoot. I found the traction pattern to provide outstanding grip on technical terrain, off camber, on rocks, and any running which requires some kind of lateral movement because of the terrain. On very flat terrain the radial pattern feels a bit like it is preventing optimal power for each stride as it feels a little bit like it creates a small breaking effect. Grip in all conditions is excellent, and the lugs shed mud well. The only slippage I felt was on mossy and wet flat surfaces like wet wood and wet rock slabs, but most shoes struggle in these conditions.
While talking about grip, Scott have used a high grip insole to help the foot stay put on technical terrain. The insole is so grippy it can be difficult to put your foot in without bunching the insole or to take your foot out. However, once you get used to the insole, you don’t notice it, and while I think I would be fine with a normal insole, I didn’t have any slipping at all inside the shoe, and the insole contributed to this (though the great midfoot hold would probably take care of this without the need for a grippy insole).
Cushioning and ride
The cushioning Scott uses is called AeroFoam+ which Scott claims provides a cushioned but stable ride. The cushioning is adequately soft but on the firm side, which combined with the lower stack height gives quite good ground feel. I didn’t feel the ‘dynamic rebound’ in the cushioning, but being a firmer cushion it does not interfere with the ‘push off’ from the ground when running. Scott also say that there is an eRide rocker in the midsole. Compared to real deal rocker shoes offered by Hoka, I can confidently say that the Supetrac RC 2 does not have a noticeable rocker effect. In contrast, it promotes a natural style of running. The shoe is not in need of a rocker because it is a relatively low stack height and has a relatively rigid sole with a front flex that helps with efficient climbing. If anything, the eRide rocker is felt as a rigid insert kind of like a rock plate (the shoe has no rock plate but offers protection that will be adequate for most runners), that promotes transition from midfoot to forefoot. The durability of the cushioning was an issue for me. I had to retired the shoe after about 500km because the cushioning has collapsed on one side of the heel area towards the midfoot. I put the shoes through some really testing terrain and very gnarly descents, but even taking that into account, a $240 shoe should have more durability in the midsole. It was a pity I had to retire the shoes because the upper and outsole would have lasted another 500+km.
Compatible with most gaitors.
Shoes survived 3hrs of bush bashing, legs did not. I recommend you wear long tights in such situations.
Summary
Pros
· Light weight for a mountain shoe that is comfortable for all day adventures
· Protection from sharp rocks, but still retains ground feel
· Excellent all mountain racing shoe – very comfortable for 5hrs and 30+km in mountains
· Grip
· Versatile to use in other contexts outside of mountains including mellower trails, fire trail and door to trail
· Upper fits like a glove and great midfoot lockdown
Cons
· Feet can feel hot in warm conditions as upper lacks breathability
· Drainage is average, upper material retains some water weight (but on par or better than drainage offered by VJ XTRM for example)
· Cushioning –I personally love the cushioning but if you run in Hokas or more maximal shoes you may find the cushioning minimal
Should you buy this shoe? If you run on technical trails and live in a cooler climate, then yes, I highly recommend the Supertrac RC 2 because of its comfort, versatility and durability. This shoe is made for technical running and mountains. However, you can use this shoe for door to trail as the lugs are not as noticeable as other mountain shoes on road. You can use this shoe for Obstacle Course Racing because the lugs are aggressive but it is versatile enough for Australian courses that usually have hard firetrail sections, soft mud sections and technical single trail in the same course. While the drainage is not the best, it is on par with the VJ XTRM while being significantly lighter and more versatile to use on different types of terrain than the XTRM. I had issues with what I consider premature wear of the midsole cushioning, and so have not purchased another pair but will consider buying another pair next mountain running season, especially if I can get a pair on sale.
