The development and progress of the adidas brand in the trail running world has for many years been spearheaded by Luis Alberto Hernando, and what an ambassador he is!
Now, ‘TERREX’ is changing at an alarming rate and in the past 12 to 18-months there has been significant growth and development in shoes, apparel and athletes. Without doubt, adidas are now pushing hard in the trail and mountain world.
The TERREX AGRAVIC FLOW is a shoe that encompasses the road history of the brand and welcomes the development of the trail brand. The shoe clearly transitions from road to trail and back again all packaged in a really good-looking shoe.
My pair are solar red/ core black and grey two. There is no hiding in these shoes, they are colorful!
For clarity, Adidas use three descriptive names for their shoes: SPEED, AGRAVIC and TWO.
- SPEED offers a narrower fit and is arguably a more performance orientated shoe.
- AGRAVIC offers a standard fit and is arguably more of an ‘everyday’ shoe.
- TWO offers a wider fit and more cushioning for longer trail days.
The TERREX AGRAVIC FLOW falls into the everyday category and adidas confirm, ‘Pavement to trail and back, your feet stay cool and the transitions are seamless with a smooth roll-off and fresh energy in every stride. Foot-hugging support and sure-footed grip let you move across rocky, rooted terrain, wet or dry.’ I often do not like the way a brand tries to sell a shoe in a sentence or two, but I have to say, adidas sum up the Agravic Flow well in this description.
THE SHOE
Billed as a regular fit shoe, I have to say, to me, it feels a little wider in the toe box than many other regular fit shoes. So, keep that in mind when looking at them and trying them on. I also personally feel that they size a little larger. I always use a UK9.5 but have found a Uk9 to be far more preferable with the Agravic Flow.
With 15mm cushioning at the front and 22mm at the rear, the shoe is a cushioned ride without compromising feel for the ground and the 7mm drop fits perfectly for an everyday shoe ensuring that a day on the trail will be relaxed and comfortable.
The outsole is by Continental and the German brand really do know how to make a grippy outsole. With 3mm lugs, the Agravic Flow is never going to cut it when the trail gets sloppy and/ or muddy. However, on hard pack trail the grip is superb. On rock, wet or dry, grip also excellent and importantly it gives a real feeling of confidence which allows you to run without hindrance. The transition to road is seamless and comfortable, no doubt contributed too with the BOOST cushioning.
Cushioning comes from BOOST technology and you really feel the comfort as soon as you put the shoes on. There is also EVA in the frame to reduce weight and this in turn, provides some stability. If you have not used a BOOST shoe before, give them a go, the energy return and comfort levels are excellent.
The upper is one the stars of the Agravic Flow, it is mesh with abrasion resistant welding. It is seamless and uses a sock-like construction. If you have read my shoe reviews before, you will know I love sock-like construction and the same applies here for the Agravic Flow. You slide your foot in and immediately it feels snug. You could, if you should wish too, use the shoe without socks?
The laces sit on top of the upper and are sewn in offering 5 eyelets on either side, the middle eyelet set back allowing on option to loosen or add more tightness to the upper when fastening. There is no option lock-lace as there is only one eyelet.
The toe box, as mentioned previously, feels wider than standard and at the front there is an overlay to add a little protection and the outsole curls up to add some reinforcement. But toe protection is minimal. At the rear of the shoe, the heel box is plush and comfortable, and it held my foot well both when going up and down trails.
There is no tongue as the shoe is a sock-like, so, comfort levels are high. You see the number ‘310’ this refers to the weight in grams of a UK8.5 shoe.
Built on a neutral last, the EVA on the medial side wraps up to offer some arch support. It’s subtle, but noticeable. I wouldn’t call the Agravic Flow a support/ pronation control shoe. Equally, I could not call it neutral. It sits somewhere between but being a runner who uses neutral shoes, I find the Agravic Flow very comfortable.
IN USE
The Agravic Flow is a great everyday shoe when the trails are hard packed, and you want comfort, support and reassurance. They are not for muddy days! The transition from road to trail is superb and seamless, you can feel adidas’ road heritage in the shoe.
The BOOST technology is really noticeable and gives a real bounce, especially on rock, gravel, tree roots and so on. This is not at the compromise for feel for the ground though. So, when the trail becomes more technical, I was never worried about foot placement and confidence. The toe box is wider though, so, when running on very technical trail, I would prefer a firmer hold at the front. You can’t have it all and the Agravic Flow does a great job of allowing toe splay. So, it’s a great shoe for longer trail days when comfort is needed. The outsole is excellent in the wet and dry on non-muddy trail.
The sock-like upper is just plush and comfortable. There is nothing to criticize here, I wish all shoes could be this comfortable. Quite simply, you could remove the laces and they would make a great pair of slippers – yes, they are that comfy.
The laces work well, it would be nice to have that extra eyelet to allow lock-lacing, but that is a minor niggle. For me, the shoe does have a wider feel than standard, and I therefore found that I could compensate by adjusting the laces to hold my foot securely.
I do feel that the shoe sizes larger by a half size, so, if purchasing online, keep that in mind. Ultimately, you need to try the shoe on.
CONCLUSION
The Agravic Flow is a great shoe that manages to mix road running and trail running seamlessly. It’s a shoe that you can pretty much put on every day and enjoy its ability to feel like a road shoe and then when on the trail, enjoy the cushioning and grip of the best out and-out-trail shoes. There is little not to like in this package from adidas.
If you are looking for one shoe that covers many options, the Agravic Flow is a great place to start. If you want a road shoe, look elsewhere. If you want a trail shoe with comfort and grip for dry/ wet trails, then this shoe ticks the boxes.
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Just came across your review. These are nice shoes, especially at the less than half price I got them for back in November during holiday sale. I’ve put in over 1,000 miles in mine already, and they should go for quite a bit further. My only complaint is that the shoe feels a bit heavy.
One thing you didn’t notice is that there is an H-shaped plastic torsion plate directly atop the outsole that you can feel if you poke around the outsole with your fingers. This provides some torsional stiffness and adds some spring back in the forefoot. At around 950 miles, the forward spines started to crack though, leading to cracks in midsole and outsole – but so far it is unnoticed while running.
I sized up 1/2 a size because I ordered it, and didn’t want to risk a return. I have a wider forefoot and bunions, and this ended up feeling fine, though my true size probably would have been better.
The upper has held up like new (save a stick poke), which is amazing for me, since I typically wear holes through uppers quickly due to my bunions.
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