In this Speedland RX:SKY review, Inky Steve confesses his addiction to shoes and names the new collab between Speedland and Saysky his potential shoe of the year.
Disclaimer: While Inky paid full price for the shoes, this article contains affiliate links.
I’m Inky Steve and I am an addict. There, I said it.
My addiction started as far back as I can remember and it’s steadily gotten worse. This addiction isn’t your usual kind of thing. I have a penchant for shoes, and in the last six years it’s been running shoes, especially trail running shoes.
So, as someone addicted to trail running shoes, you can imagine what happened when I caught a glimpse of a new silhouette from one of my favourite trail running brands. It didn’t stop there. This new silhouette was a collaboration with another really interesting running apparel brand, and it GLOWS in the f**kin dark.
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The words “take my money” rang throughout my brain, and as soon as that preorder popped into my emails, the trigger was pulled.
I know you’re all desperate to know what this shoe is, if you don’t already. It’s the Speedland x Saysky RX.
The Speedland RX:SKY
This collaboration is a really interesting one, in some of the best ways. Firstly, it uses one of Speedland’s latest silhouettes, the RX model, which, if I’m correct, is Speedland’s more racing-oriented shoe. It’s lighter weight and has slightly smaller lugs which glows-in-the-dark
It obviously features the BOA dial, a staple of Speedland shoes, and this works extremely well with the strap feature. It’s the first time I’ve used the strap and BOA together on a running shoe, and it’s actually really effective. You can really dial in the fit, although I do personally prefer just having the BOA system. Sizing, as always, was spot on and true to size.
Like other shoes in the Speedland range, the RX has their signature carbon plate-compatible insole. This means you can add a carbon plate or remove it depending on what works best for the course, or even the section, you’re running. The negative for me was that the included carbon plate was just too stiff. I could really feel it when I was running, and for me the shoe works better without it.
The midsole on the RX felt awesome straight out of the box. Combined with the lightweight feel, you can effortlessly pick up the pace, but it also worked well at some of my ultra paces. It had exactly the right amount of bounce and stability while remaining comfortable.
But some of the best features of this shoe come in the styling department. I’m much more interested in the looks than the performance of a shoe, and this really is an eye-turner.
Firstly, if you haven’t seen it, it’s YELLOW. But it’s more than that. Some of the yellow panels glow in the freaking dark.
Who does that??
I’ll tell you who: Saysky.
Although I do wonder whose idea it really was to make this shoe glow in the dark. Was it one of Kevin’s Fuck Around Fridays? If you know, you know.
This Actually Feels Like a Collaboration
I feel like Saysky had a massive input into the RX rather than just slapping their branding on someone else’s shoe. Saysky’s fingerprints are all over it, from the colour palette to the floral patterns.
The shoe comes with an awesome apparel capsule too, and the clothing feeds into the shoe and vice versa. There’s a brilliant, almost Hawaiian-style print on some of the shoe’s panels and inside the insoles, which perfectly matches the running shirt. The branding from both contributors works perfectly together too.
I think Saysky has a great design department, and I’ve yet to see them collaborate on a bad product. If you haven’t seen their Puma collaboration from last year, check it out. It was awesome.
My favourite part of the RX, though, is that it’s two smaller brands in the running world working perfectly together, and it really feels like a true collaboration. I could be biased because I really like both brands and what they stand for within the sport, but I hope it brings new eyes to both of them.
It’s also the perfect opportunity to finally get a pair of Speedlands on these shores in the UK. They’re shipped from Europe, so there are no hidden costs and no doing what I usually have to do: sending them to my mate’s house in the States and then getting him to post them to me.
If you want a mega trail racing shoe, you won’t go too far wrong getting these on your feet, and you’ll definitely stand out from the crowd.
The Speedland x Saysky RX will probably be in my top shoes of the year.
