The adidas Terrex Agravic Speed is the little brother of the super shoe, adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra.

The shoes look similar when seen side-by-side but there are very obvious differences: less cushioning, not plate, less rocker and in my opinion, I love the black colorway with Terrex in bold white, a hint of orange provides some colour excitement.

Much of the big brother shoe is present, seamless overlays, Lightstrike and Lightsrike Pro cushioning and a Continental outsole.

The cushioning is notably different with 30mm at the rear and 22mm at the front with the same drop of 8mm.

The adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra is a super shoe that runs fast on slick trails and is a beast for those looking for speed and the fitness to maximise the super shoe potential.

This Terrex Agravic Speed is a shoe for all and in all honesty, is a much better choice for most people looking for a trail shoe, whereas, by contrast, the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra is only for a select few.

Despite the lower stack height, the shoe still suffers terrible stability issues on technical trail. I was really hoping that this would be less of an issue, and in all fairness, in comparison to the big brother, it is more stable, however, it is nowhere near stable enough. It’s only just a trail shoe, select the trails you run on carefully is my advice. There is a rocker, but it is nowhere near as pronounced as the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra and the need to forefoot strike is less.

Light with a neutral fit, the upper is almost see through and very breathable. The toe box is wide and allows good toe splay. The heel area is minimal and while comfortable for me, it’s an area to be wary of. Sizing is again frustrating, you need to try them on! A gusseted tongue gives a lovely foot hold and reassurance.

The cushioning is well balanced, soft without being squidgy and the responsiveness and propulsion is excellent. With softer foam at the bottom; Lightstrike Pro. Firmer Lightstrike on the top, this combination does add more stability but the footprint is too narrow in the middle and rear – ankle breaking warning given! When Runnning, the rocker does kick in and helps increase cadence and propulsion, but unlike the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra, you feel more in control and able to reign the shoe in and run at a more comfortable pace. This is probably due to the considerably less stack height and the lack of any plate. Walking too is better, not ideal, but better.

Continental outsole is good, again though, the lugs (3 and 4mm) are minimal and reduce the potential for it to be a real trail shoe. However, the grip is better than the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra.

This shoe is arguably an update from my favourite adidas shoe, the Speed Ultra. However, with his level of stack height, there are no similarities really. It really is a subdued version of the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra and as such, it would make a good training shoe if using the bigger brother for racing. It feels like a road shoe.

There is a great deal of positives with this shoe and as I have said previously, for most people, this is a considerably better shoe choice than the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra.

However, there are lots of negatives.

• adidas really need to sort there sizing out. There is no consistency.
• They also need to understand that when a shoe is called Terrex, that means it’s a trail shoe and not an updated road shoe… The shoes need to be fit for purpose.
• The ankle collar, for some, will be an issue.
• The tongue needs more padding.
• The footprint is woefully too narrow in the middle and the rear. Again, they are a stability nightmare, nowhere near as bad as the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra, but it’s not great.
• The outsole, again, is not aggressive enough. It’s like adidas want to make a road shoe that can just about go off-road, remain fast, but forget any technical and challenging terrain. I consider a 4mm lug a minimum, and this shoe would benefit from 5/ 6mm. But having said that, adidas would need to address the stability issues too.

Ultimately, the Terrex Agravic Speed is a good looking shoe that is ideal for faster trail running on slick or groomed trails. I have used this far more than its bigger brother as they are much more of an ‘all-rounder!’

The potential of the shoe is limited. It’s woefully unstable on technical trail, the outsole is not aggressive enough for anything other than slick trail and there are foothold issues.

So, this is a road to trail shoe, or a trail to road shoe. It’s the type of shoe that is ideal for someone who has loads of road experience and is venturing onto trail for the first time. But don’t get me wrong, there is a nice bounce, feel and propulsion to these shoes.

But, there are a great deal of shoes out there now that are a better option than the Terrex Agravic Speed. The Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra can come highly recommended as it is a super shoe that for the right person, they will reap the rewards that this shoe can offer. Here, the Terrex Agravic Speed is just another shoe with nothing unique or special to bring to the trail market. My advice would be take a look at the VJ MAXx2, this brings something special.

Follow on:

Instagram – @iancorlessphotography

Twitter – @talkultra

facebook.com/iancorlessphotography

Web – www.iancorless.com

Web – www.iancorlessphotography.com

Image sales –www.iancorless.photoshelter.com