ASICS is a Japanese sports company and a leading running shoe brand for runners and professional athletes. One of their shoes is the ASICS Fujispeed 2 trainer – a full carbon, lightweight trail shoe.
It features a full-length carbon plate, the midsole is made from their fantastic FF Blast plus foam, it has a lightweight upper, ASICS grip out sole, a fully gusseted tongue, smart lace loop and asymmetrical lacing system.
These shoes are light for a trail shoe (I weigh them at 259 grams for a UK 9) so it is quite remarkable.
As I also use the ASICS Magic Speed 3 for a road shoe, I have noticed that these two shoes have some huge similarities. The upper fabric is highly breathable and dries extremely quickly. The combination of the FF Blast plus the midsole and full-length carbon plate really do give the shoes a good pop on a mix of different ground types while still being soft enough to give a comfortable ride even over longer distances.
Just to see how the ride compared I took the Fujispeed 2 out on a road 10k and they felt exceptionally good underfoot, again very similar to the Magic Speed 3. The laces are similar to the ones found on the Nike Vaporfly and limit the chances of them slipping. With the added bonus of the smart lace loop that secures the laces along the length of the shoe reducing the chances of snagging them on branches or other undergrowth while out on the trail.
They also boast a plush heel cup. I haven’t found there to be any slippage in this area and it’s comfy on the ankle too.
I have put these shoes through the mill over the last few months, on baking hot and waterlogged days. Over pebble heath land, clay, sand, tree-root infested, rocky single tracks, as well as tarmac (both wet and dry). I have yet to find a surface that the outsole struggles with. It’s tread pattern and depth are spot on for both grip and clearing any build up that sticks to it.
After putting well over 100 miles into these shoes so far, the outsole isn’t showing any visible signs of wear at all yet, the upper (even in the bend region over the toes) is as new. I have a feeling that these shoes are built to last.
The Fujispeed 2 are listed on the ASICS website at £160 which for a performance, full carbon fibre shoe is very competitive.
Review by Steven Coles
ASICS
Fujispeed 2
Bright Orange/Antique Red
£160
