ASICS Metaspeed Sky Review
By David Salas
ASICS Metaspeed Sky TokyoPrice: $269.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 5.9 oz, 170g (Unisex men's size 9 / women's size 10.5)
Stack Height: 39.5 mm heel / 34.5 mm forefoot
Drop: 5 mm
Shoe Purpose: Super Racing Shoe
Pros: Incredibly light and bouncy, Softer feel for those that want that
Cons: Heel can be unstable
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is a super shoe aimed at racing distances 5k to marathon. The shoe is designed for "stride" runners per ASICS. Those are runners that increase their stride length when picking up the pace. They tend to have a bit of a higher heel lift, and can be a little more pitched forward. The ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo has a similar rocker geometry, but a much wider heel platform to help with stability. The new Metaspeed Sky Tokyo debuts FF Leap, an ATPU based midsole. This midsole is significantly more plush and responsive than its predecessor FF Turbo+.
SIMILAR SHOES: Puma Fast-R 3 (review coming soon)
PAST MODEL: ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo fits true to size in my men's 9.5. The shoe does have a performance fit throughout, but does have a little bit of extra volume through the forefoot to help with toe splay and swelling accommodation. The fit through the heel is slightly narrow, with the midfoot and forefoot being normal width. The upper is a very lightweight mesh similar to the previous version, but seemingly even a little more perforated and lighter. The heel does have a heel counter that feels more centered down the midline of the Achilles, and it does not wrap around medially or laterally much. The tongue is very thin, but does a decent job of preventing biting from the laces. I can still feel them digging some, but not enough to cause any trouble. The tongue is not gusseted and does take a little bit of effort to get it placed right, but once it is, I had no issues with slippage at all. The shoe upper has pretty good security throughout. I did not notice any heel slippage or foot translation in really any situations I through at it. There was some general instability with sharper turns, but that was coming more from the midsole compliancy. Overall, the shoe does have a really nice upper for a racing shoe, and is one of the better fitting uppers that I have had on one. My only real recommendation here is making the tongue experience a little bit easier, but that is being picky.
David's Typical Size: Men's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit David well: Nike Vomero 17, Saucony Ride 16, Puma Velocity Nitro 3
Shoes that have fit snug: HOKA Arahi 7
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon Aero Glide
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Stiff, carbon plated
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Average
Recommended for Haglunds: Neutral
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: Neutral, could probably pull it off
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Sky was a pleasant surprise for me. In the past, my biomechanics have not lined up with that of the Metaspeed Sky, and so the experience was not always the greatest for me. In this new model, the plate design and general geometry is similar, but the newer foam and wider heel frame make this much more runnable for me. The big updates that we see in the experience of the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo include lighter weight, a new ATPU based midsole named FF Leap, and a wider heel frame to help with stability. The FF Leap is full length, but shares space with another layer of FF Turbo+. ASICS placed FF Leap below the plate, and FF Turbo+ above the plate. The plate design of the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is a relatively flatter design than many of the spooned plates that we have seen on the market. This plate really gets loaded well by large amounts of plantar pressure through the midfoot and forefoot. However, the shoe gets new life in the heel from previous versions.
Because the plate rides relatively high up into the platform, there is quite a bit of FF Leap in the heel. This makes for a very soft and bouncy heel. It feels like a soft and bouncy trampoline under the heel that gradually gets more firm and snappy through the forefoot. In the past, I have felt like I needed to climb out of the heel to get onto the plate in the forefoot. In the newer version, the foam is so much more compliant and bouncy, that got cleaned up quite a bit. I will say the general sensation in the heel is now much more unstable, but they did a really good job with adding sole flare into the heel and creating a wider platform to help with some of that instability. The rocker platform is noticeable in the Sky Tokyo, especially in the firmer forefoot. I do think people that tend to gravitate a little more towards the midfoot or forefoot will probably enjoy the Sky more, but those that want a really soft heel will have that. The forefoot definitely feels snappy and a little more "structured" when you are transition through it on toe off when compared to the heel.
The experience of the ride is very fun. For me, the shoe has plenty of cushioning to go the full marathon and beyond. The heel might be a little unstable for me to take really long distances, but I can really appreciate the platform when I am going at faster paces. The shoe genuinely does feel good at all paces ranging from 5k to marathon and can easily be used for all distances. I will say the shoe did not feel as good at warm up and cool down paces, mostly due to the really compliant and slightly unstable heel. I tend to do better with a little more structure in the rearfoot, but those wanting that really soft heel will probably love it. I did notice I had much more compression marks and dirt on the medial heel of my Metaspeed Sky's than I did in my Metaspeed Edge, as I do tend to crash medially decently hard through the heel. Outsole traction on the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is quite good. The ASICS Grip outsole is still similar to the predecessor and has been durability tested to last for 200-300 miles to my understanding. I did not have any issues with grip. The softer platform did make turning a little tough for me when having to make sharper turns, but for the most part turns were okay otherwise for me. I really enjoy the ride of the of the ASICS Metaspseed Sky Tokyo, but for me it will probably be half marathon and down, just because of the heel instability. I can definitely see this being someone's go to shoe though for longer distances though.
See David compare the Edge Tokyo to the Sky Tokyo.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is a super shoe designed for racing. Stability and racing normally don't go hand in hand, but there are some elements that they did to help with that. The heel platform is much wider and incorporates a lot of sole flare to help with resisting motion in medial and lateral directions. The outsole traction is good and reliable. The upper lockdown is good and the security holds when tested in different directions. The FF Leap midsole however is incredibly compliant. This creates a much softer experience and inherently a bit more unstable. Because there is so much more of it in the heel, that is where you feel the instability if you are going to feel it. The forefoot gets a little more snappy and rigid as you transition into it. In general, the stability on the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is not bad for the entirety of the shoe, but the heel may come off as a bit unstable for some.
Thoughts as a DPT: Gait and How Geometry Can Help Facilitate It
By David Salas
When it comes to gait, there are many different view points on how to improve it, should you improve it, or what is ideal in the first place. The honest truth is that there are some individual differences amongst people. Everyone interacts with their joints slightly differently. Despite that, there are some common points that most people will cross.
In the foot, these are what we refer to as "rockers". Our anatomy has a strategic shaping throughout our foot to help with easing movement. In the heel, your calcaneus is rounded so that you can roll into your midfoot a little bit easier. Most people will land from a position that is on the lateral side of the heel, rolling you forward an inward into a combined direction that we call pronation. That is to help with shock absorption before your roll into your forefoot and ultimately your great toe for push off. Throughout that final process your foot resupinates and creates a rigid lever to push off of and create meaningful movement.
Shoes create an extension on our limb. That is why it is important to supplement elements that can help with facilitating movement. This is where rounded heels and rocker geometries stem from. Not every shoe necessarily has to have these, and there is a sliding scale to this. In the case with super shoes though, there is a lot of foam and a natural changing to the landscape of how we are interacting with the ground. When there is 40mm of compliant foam under you, you will naturally tense around the joints more in what we call "joint stiffness". This is to help with stabilizing our movements, as we are on soft platforms. This is why it is wise to create something to help facilitate your movement. Heel bevels can do a good job with easing the initial contact and get you rolling through the midfoot efficiently. The new FF Leap midsole in the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is very soft. The bevel works, but I think it could still be optimized to allow for a smoother contact. The wider base construction is nice for resisting medial and lateral movement, but I still find myself "crashing" into the medial heel some. By extending that bevel laterally a little more, there may be a little less jarring compression through that region for the heel strikers. The softer foam with high resilience does help mitigate some of the jarring though. This would be a small geometric tweak, but something I do feel may be worth looking into for the future. Shoes are tools, and we can manipulate them to help us with specific tasks and how we interact with the ground.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: I enjoyed my time in the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, though I do have a couple of recommendations. The first is minor. I think the tongue could benefit from being reworked to make for an easier shoe to put on. The other would be to increase the posterior lateral bevel through the heel, to make for a smoother initial contact. This would make the "crashing" feeling into the medial heel a little smoother for this model. That could be more of a "me" thing, as I think most will do okay with the bevel as it is. It is just another observation.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
David: The ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is for those that want a super shoe that can race 5k to marathon and give you a really plush heel and snappy forefoot experience. The general feeling is a plush yet explosive foam in the heel with a firmer rolling forefoot. The plate is a little bit flatter in design, and functions best when you load it well through the midfoot and forefoot. It is technically designed for "stride" runners, that increase their stride length when picking up the pace. Those who are sensitive to soft heels may opt for the counter part Edge Tokyo, but I am sure many will do really well with Sky model as well.
GRADES
David
Fit: A- (Good lockdown throughout, good forefoot volume, tongue dances around some before getting it to lay flat)
Performance: A- (Light, responsive, cushioned well. Heel geometry could probably shifted some, but a very lively and race ready feel.)
Stability: B (Forefoot stability is good, outsole traction and upper lockdown is good, FF Leap does create a more unstable heel, even with some of the sole flaring)
Value: A (If it works for your mechanics, you will have a lot of fun with this one. And it should last pretty well for a super shoe.)
Personal: B+ (The ride is very fun, but I do think my mechanics still line up better with the Edge series. Heel a little unstable for me when I get tired.)
Overall Design: A-
SHOP | SUPPORT DORASICS Metaspeed Sky TokyoPrice: $269.95 at Running Warehouse
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FURTHER READING
A new performance shoe out of Mizuno.
Ultralight super shoe.
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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