La Sportiva Bushido II Trail Running Shoe - Men's reviews and deals for sale

Really Wanted to Like this Shoe.

Seems very well made. Runs small. Comfortable to walk around the house in, but I aborted my first run in this shoe. The mid-foot carbon plate, which I believe is probably design as a rock guard, seemed to prevent my foot from moving naturally. Felt it in my knees immediately. Returned this shoe immediately.

Precise and stable trail machine

The Bushido is a master of steep and technical trails. I bought a 43.0 which is my standard size to keep the precise fit, but you can definitely upsize a half if you like the fit a bit roomier. It's a race fit and built for precision on trails so there' s not a lot of space in the shoe if you buy your standard size. The upside is it's crazy stable and the traction is supreme… read more due to being low to the ground with a narrow profile. If you want a light and fast shoe for steep and techy terrain it's hard to beat the Bushido. I've tried more cushioned shoes which are great on smooth trails but not the same when you take them on rockier trails with tight footwork.

Solid Update to a Great Trail Runner

I've been in Bushidos for a couple years now; the new Bushido IIs are my fifth pair. 3 pairs of the black/yellow originals, one pair of the updated gray/yellow/green ones, and now the black/yellow/red 2nd gen shoes. The new iteration retains most of the qualities that made these a great shoe for me, and try to improve Overall fit is low-volume and narrow. For me it's true to size:… read more fits my narrow foot as predicted, and I wear a 46 just like my other La Sportiva shoes and boots. If you're coming from, say, Wildcats, these will seem very narrow and low-volume. It's hard for me to imagine someone with a normal D width foot even getting into these, but for me the fit is great. I will say that the forefoot has width for toe room, but the height feels rather low, which some people may find uncomfortably compresses the top of the foot. In my case, it's a bit of an issue for one foot but not the other. Could have to do with my orthotics not seating properly in the shoes. Something to watch out for. The heel fit was supposedly redesigned, and I find it quite narrow, even narrower than the original, which was already pretty narrow. In fact, the heels are narrow enough that the orthotics I had made for the old Bushidos do not seat properly in these heels, which is an ongoing problem for me. This is especially a problem with the left foot; I'm hopeful that some trimming of the orthotic will resolve this problem. It's a shame, because overall the heel fit is what I like with the socks I wear for hiking - minimal slippage or drift side-to-side. Nice. One interesting factor is that the new version feels "harder", less springy than previous versions. Part of that may be because I don't use the LaSpEVA footbeds that came with the shoes, favoring my own orthotics. But overall the new shoes feel supportive but less springy than previous versions. Also, the new shoes feel distinctly lighter; I have no idea why that would be, but I've switched between these shoes and earlier versions, and the feeling is pronounced. As for construction, there seems to be a bit more rubber/synthetic overlay along the sides and around the toes, a chevron of some protective slippery stuff over the end of the tongue, and a more pronounced heel support overlay. Nothing dramatic. One small annoyance: the supplied shoe laces are shorter than I've received with earlier versions. Overall, subtle changes to a pretty fine trail runner, overall an improvement. As often as I wear these I already need another pair.

Much narrower fit than Wildcat

I ordered a pair to see if I’d like them better than the Wildcats I’ve been wearing the last 3-4 years. It turns out the fit of the Bushido II is way narrower than the Wildcat. I was told by the seller that they were the same in this regard. The same size Bushido was so narrow I could barely push my foot in wearing my Darn Tough socks, where with the Wildcats, I have plenty… read more of room. Very tight on the sides. Seemed like a little less toe room too. I’d hoped to go a little lighter and perhaps dry a little more quickly with the Bushido’s.

Almost there but still awesome

The bushido I was the gold standard for technical trail running shoes for me (5 stars without question). I must have gone through 6 pair over the last 4 years. I worked them hard and they tended to wear out and break down in multiple ways at once and it was consistent. At the end of the day the II's are little-changed and if anything most of the improvements are a positive. They… read more are still everything I look for in a shoe for technical and steep terrain: - The lugs are super sticky and don't flex. With the rock plates this means you can step on a pointy rock at full stride and not feel it. And the traction is amazing! - They hug the feet really well (disclaimer: they are narrow, and your feet either love it or hate it - it's perfect for mine) and remain snug but not too tight for long periods without much lacing effort. This means your feet stay where they are. The II's are probably even better in this respect. - They are well vented. - They don't do super well with long gradual downhills where you can open up your stride, but they weren't really designed for that. My only gripe with the II's is durability, but I hope that this is a first-iteration issue and gets fixed in future production runs. I found the sole breaking down in unexpected ways that suggests new production procedures (bonding of rubber layers) still needs to be dialed in, and the new laces were not overwhelming in durability. But to be clear: they are awesome and I still haven't found anything that performs like these. I'm getting another pair for sure and am only giving them 4 stars because I know they could be even better.

So close ...

For years I've run, hiked, backpacked, and scrambled in the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor. I found them supportive, versatile, and comfortable with one exception. I've lost a few toenails, not due to sizing too small but because of irritation from the rubber overplate which folds over the toebox. As a replacement I've tried the Wildcat (high on volume and low on technical fit) and… read more Akyra (weirdly narrow and pointy toe box), as well as various offerings from Salomon, Oboz, and Merrell (by far my least favorite). None worked as well as the Ultra Raptor. Enter the Bushido II - it has a lot to offer. First the pluses: (1) a breathable, pliable, quicker-to dry upper, (2) no annoying fold-over rubber bumper to irritate the piggies, (3) a cushioned, comfortable ride, (4) an aggressive sticky rubber tread pattern, and (5) a look even my wife likes! So what's not so great? The midsole is considerably softer, more flexible, and less supportive than that incorporated in the Ultra Raptor. This results in more trail "sensitivity", but that's not always a positive if you need the support. In addition, the tongue shares a problem with the Ultra Raptors in that it will not stay centered but rather migrates to the outside of each shoe (a worse problem on the Bushido than the Raptor). This can result in ankle irritation from the shoelace. At least the Utlra Raptor has shoe lace slots on the tongue to hold it somewhat in place (see photo). Come on Sportiva, this problem is easy to resolve. For me, the five-star shoe would be the Bushido II upper on the Ultra Raptor platform with a stable tongue (La Sportiva - are you listening?). Until then I'll probably go back to the Ultra Raptor and ensure I'm wearing socks with no toe seam. The tongue-centering ankle thrashing problem with the Bushidos is a deal killer for me. Sizing: I'm a men's US12 in Asics, Brooks, Nike, and such running shoes. A Bushido (and Ultra Raptor) 46 gives me the right fit.

Think about ordering a size up

Probably a dope hiking shoe but La Sportiva's size conversion chart is inaccurate. I tried to get a 9.5 US which is a 42.5 according to them. I trusted the chart and ended up a size too small. Definitely worth noting before you order.

Bummed

This shoe runs narrow... like uber narrow. I went a full size up to try and combat this but it didnt work. I wanted to love and use these shoes but couldn't. The toe box is way to small for my feet. The construction and feel of these is amazing and I wanted to use them on some light bouldering/ extreme trail running but I guess that will be reserved for whatever shoe I find next.… read more :( please design some with a wide toebox like the Reebok crossfit nanos then I'll come back!

Good shoe but not my favorite for running

Good shoe but not my favorite. Ok for hiking but not great for running (for me). My favorite thing about them is, like all La Sportiva’s they have amazing traction and grip. I have pretty low volume feet but they don’t seem to hold my foot as well as the mutant or Akasha, which seems weird since the bushido’s are supposed to be lower volume, maybe it’s a more specific fit… read more thing. For reference Salomon S-Lab shoes seem to fit me the best (sense rides are a little too wide for me). The old version of the bushido fit me a little better and felt more supportive/stable. They run small but are consistent with the other LS trail shoes I’ve tried. I’m a 10.5 in most brands (Salomon, Nike, brooks, Hoka) and wear a 45 in La Sportiva which is supposed to be 11.5 I think (it’s only a half size difference or less in euro sizes though, Salomon says 10.5 is 44 2/3). I recently had the chance to try on the La Sportiva Kaptiva and kind of wish I had gotten those instead. They fit my feet really well, very secure lockdown, like almost like high end Salomons.

I'm a runner now!

I bought these trail runners for my husband and this is what he has to say, "Wowzers! I was a little nervous about starting to get into trail running, especially about which shoe to buy. But after a lot of research, and trying several pairs on, I decided to go with these La Sportiva Borshida II. And I am glad I did! I've noticed that these are still trying to break-in a little… read more bit, and that might be because I don't run everyday. It seems like these might run a tad bit small. But slide a thin sock on, and you're as good as new. Very happy with my purchase!"