Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed 2: Quick Evaluation

Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed 2: Quick Evaluation
By David Salas

 

Adidas is one of the main companies that pushes the boundaries when it comes to performance footwear. In recent years we are seeing more and more companies place their advanced footwear technology in their trail models. The Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed 2 is designed to be a trail racing shoe for moderate distances (sub-ultra). The shoe runs very nimble and responsive. Being a racing shoe, it is geared for speed and may come with some inherent instabilities.  

 

On Cloudsoma

Price: $164.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 8.4 oz, 238g (men's size 9), oz, g (women's size 8)
Stack Height:  34 mm heel / 26 mm forefoot
Drop: 8 mm
Shoe Purpose: Trail Racing Shoe, Sub-Ultra

Pros: Very fast and responsive, great traction
Cons: Narrow midfoot causes some medial instability through pronation, low volume

PAST MODEL:  Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

The Adidas Agravic Speed 2 is a trail racing shoe that is ready to go fast. Everything about the shoe is streamlined for sub-ultra performance. At 8.4 ounces, the weight is very competitive amongst trail racing shoes. The midsole is a dual density midsole that uses Lightstrike Pro as the bottom layer and Lightstrike as the top layer. There is no stiffening agent or plate in this model. The 34mm stack height is moderate by today's standard, but should provide enough cushioning for most of your trail efforts. The upper is a lightweight synthetic mesh that keeps weight down without sacrificing security. 

The Adidas Agravic Speed 2 excels in some areas, but is limiting in others. The midsole is very responsive and one of the faster options on the market. The 3-4 mm Continental lugs maintain great traction underfoot. The weight and responsiveness make this great for going fast. The Agravic Speed 2 operates off of a rocker platform. The heel bevel is large and is provides a smooth transition at initial contact. The forefoot rocker is early stage and gradually rounds forward. The general feeling of the ride is nimble and fast underfoot. The midfoot platform is very narrow though. I did find myself having some medial instability when my foot was pronating during steeper downhills. It felt like my foot would roll slightly off of the platform. The heel and midfoot felt great though. Though the upper lockdown is good, the volume is low. The fit throughout is snug, but thankfully not enough to cause any issues. It is just something to note. Everything is streamlined for racing in this shoe. 

Doctors of Running Checklist

Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Mild-to-Moderate 
How Flexible is the Shoe: Mild-to-Moderate 
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: Potentially
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Good

FINAL THOUGHTS

David
Fit: B (Low volume, some pressure at the front with downhills)
Performance: A- (medial midfoot instability limits duration of use, but very responsive and nimble)
Stability: C+ (Very neutral, narrow midfoot medially requires neutral mechanics)
Value: A- (Not a bad price for something that uses a good racing foam and you race primarily on trail)
Personal: B (Lower volume makes the fit a touch tight, the narrow midfoot makes it tough for longer outings)
Overall Design: B 

The Adidas Agravic Speed 2 is a trail racing shoe that wants to attack the trail. I don't think I could handle this for more than 25km, but it is a great option for sub-ultra distances. The runner will have to be able to handle some medial instability through the midfoot and a more snug fit. Those wanting a no nonsense trail racing shoe for sub-ultras have a pretty good option here. 

SHOP | SUPPORT DOR

Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed 2

Price: $164.95 at Running Warehouse

Shop Men | Shop Women

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Editor's Note: As always, the views presented on this website belong to myself or the selected few who contribute to these posts. This website should not and does not serve as a replacement for seeking medical care. If you are currently injured or concerned about an injury, please see your local running physical therapist. If you are in the Sherwood, Santa Barbara, Danbury and Stevens Point areas, we are currently taking clients for running evaluations.

***Disclaimer: These shoes were provided free of charge in exchange for a review.  We thank the people at Adidas for sending us a pair.  This in no way affected the honesty of this review. We systematically put each type of shoe through certain runs prior to review. For trainers and performance trainers, we take them on daily runs, workouts, recovery runs and a long run prior to review (often accumulating anywhere from 20-50 miles in the process). For racing flats we ensure that we have completed intervals, a tempo or steady state run as well as a warm-up and cool down in each pair prior to review. This systematic process is to ensure that we have experience with each shoe in a large variety of conditions to provide expansive and thorough reviews for the public and for companies. Our views are based on our extensive history in the footwear industry and years testing and developing footwear. If you are a footwear rep looking for footwear reviews or consultations on development, we are currently looking to partner with companies to assist, discuss and promote footwear models. Partnership will not affect the honesty of our reviews.

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