I sometimes think that more brands should just take their standard performance model and stick a trail outsole beneath them, take the Hoka Mach 6 for example. Would be a great trail runner. Is it stable enough for most people? No. But if you worry about stability in trail races, you probably should not look for race shoes anyways
Would love a trail version of the Superblast, literally. Take the Superblast, change the upper to something trail-like, and slab a trail outsole on them. Boom. Done. Sold.
Salomon actually did this for one of their athletes: They just tok the S/Lab Phantasm and slapped lugs underneath it. Most of the "bells & whistles" in trail runnig are really more marketed to sell the whole "offroad" experience. You don't actually need them for real racing
I wish they would do that with the alphafly, i have a beater pair that ill take even for the super technical stuff and i love it. Stability is over rated
@@edelkebap I've run trails a few times in my Superblast and NB4, they really are pretty good, with caveat that the trails weren't super technical; 1000 feet elevation gain over 10K, roots and ruts but no rocks, & mostly wide trails, no single track.
The FujiSpeed 2 was such a pleasant surprise and a pretty good bargain too. Once I got used to the shoe it felt fast and fairly stable even in more technical terrain and mud. I can’t imagine the MetaFuji being that much better.
When will Asics just bite the bullet and put trail outsoles on Superblasts? They're still the best trail shoes I've ever run in, and they're not even trail shoes... Great review, ta!
Great reviews as always Chris, what about the new Fuji Speed 3 which has just come out 👀👀👀 hopefully you can compare it with the second version to see if it's worth the purchase 😊
Anyone know where ro buy those asics/north face/brooks-style notched laces? Would be awesome if i could change out the laces of some of my other shoes with this style.
The Fuji speed is more for technical courses while this is for flat non or low technical trails. One thing to note is the fujispeed iirc has a full carbon plate where the fujitrail has a spil toe design. And the plate in the fujispeed is on top while the metafuji plate is between two different foams. There's also like 4 other trail models from asics for different purposes also.
I got this when it came out so i had a winterised shoe for running, i have no idea how i can run a faster 5k time in this than an adios pro 3 on the road but i love this shoe a lot, feels a bit squidgy but i love the feel of it and it looks amazing too
Thanks for the good review! This surely looks like a really cool trail shoe. But I get your point, too expensive for the occasional trail runner. I myself also run trails occasionaly and got a good deal off the Asics outlet website for some Trabuco 11 GTX. It was like 100 €. Ran a 20 k trail in them last week and felt awsome aswell.
the Asics Metafuji Trail is pretty much a trail version of Asics S4 (that mythical JDM Metaspeed shoes) both have also have dual foam unlike Metaspeed Edge + (the carbon plate on the Metafuji Trail follows S4 and Metaspeed Edge +/Paris kind of plate)
Oh nice to see someone else is calling asics out for this not using a metaspeed anymore but the s4 :D I have the S4, and was absolutely shocked when i got the metafujis that they are somehow shipping them for 250, even tho the s4 is like 180. No idea how how an outsole change adds up to 70 bucks extra and suddenly makes it a ultra trail shoe for the longer distances. but eh.
I'm in New Zealand and picked it up from an Aussie website. Confusingly the pricing there makes it quite cheap (relatively). Doing the currency conversion for you makes it about £130, the pricing of shoes in different regions is very inconsistent. I haven't run in it yet, but wearing it round the house it heel feels a little unstable which makes me nervous. I'll get out this weekend for trail run, and I have a 33k trail race coming up soon, plus a trail marathon early next year. Hopefully I can knock all of those out with this.
@@tombola4046 Sooo I've done 4 or 5 runs in them now, and I've basically decided that these are too much of a liability for me to use long term, I'm going to try and sell them and get some money back. The heel instability makes them soo hard to run down hill on anything steep and or remotely technical. The forefoot of the shoe is awesome when the trail is smooth but any rock, root, bump or camber will fire your foot off line, it's manageable for a short run, but not 33km (for me anyway). I took them out for trail hill repeats this morning but switched to my Adidas Terrex Speed (the non high-stack & rods shoe) after a few efforts and immediately was able to run with much more confidence up and down hill.
Why do trail shoes need a carbon plate? I’ve heard of them having rock plates for protection but most people can’t run that quick on bad terrain for a carbon plate to work surely? Love the look of these though! Beautiful design
Well crap! I was super excited for these shoes. But 3.5mm lugs are a non-starter for serious trail running. That's a damned shame because ASICS make awesome trail shoes (the Trabuco Max 3 is superb).
My issue with this shoe is that its literally the S4 TR. Its not a metaspeed. Sure the original version and maybe some prototypes were based on the metaspeed. but this is 1 to 1 the S4. The S4 is basically what the magic speed 4 was ment to be. a more versitle trainer, with low plate, that can help regular people run sub 4 marathons. Sadly never got a global release. I grabbed an s4 of ebay for 170€ incl shipping. So I am absolutely against pushing this shoe, wehter its good or not, because its not worth 250. maybe 190 because its the TR version. Id probably say do 200, and market it as a skyrunner. But its not a 250 bucks trail supershoe for ultras. Its a roadshoe from top to bottom. Geniuenly hope this will be a similar story to the fujispeed. First Fujispeed was basically the magic speed 1 TR.
I hear a lot about race foams and premium foams as an excuse for $200+ prices on shoes. I'd bet that the actual cost of these foams is at most a couple of dollars more per pair. Anyone have real data on this?
@@berthein5476 This one is basically priced same as latest MetaSpeed Paris in Japan (about 190 USD). While construction is similar to S4 it has 1cm Fujitrail has 1cm more foam and upper is quite different.
Prices creeping up towards £300. Running shoes must still be at 10%+ inflation a year. We are all total mugs. The lug depths don’t even make this a versatile show all across all trails.
I don't think a plate works on technical trails. Plates are great when you're pounding a nice even trail, but trail cadence is all over the place and I don't think a plate is helpful.
Shoe prices are getting ridiculous, I've never paid more than £50 and I've run 29 for 10k and 65 half. You can buy shoes from China like Onemix with a super critical foam and a plate for £36 with free delivery. Don't believe the hype from other brands. People running slower than 33/34 for 10k don't need fancy shoes, lose some weight, do some miles... My current shoes... Adidas SL 20.3 (£32), Reebok Floatride Energy 5 (£32) Puma Nitro Liberate (£50).... Nobody needs to spend £200... Mental... How much are these full time influencers making? Getting more support from brands than actual athletes.
Why on earth anyone would buy this when you could get the Tecton X3 for the same sort of price is just beyond me. Asics are way over the mark on pricing with this release
not gonna lie, the x3 is kind of a miss. Its good, but its a downgrade from the x2 and x2.5. if the metafuji wasnt 250 bucks and marketed as an ultra supershoe, id say it was better value. for context: the x2.5 basically was a "what if we make the x2 peba and add more stack". and it was sooooo good. the densities were perfect. the x3 is softer, and the 40mm feel more like 20 once you in. it also doesnt have a rocker anymore. it loocks like it does, but its not working. its a okay shoe, but nothing compared to the x2 or 2.5.
@berthein5476 I never run in the previous Tecton models, so I can't compare them to the latest version. Personally, I like the X3 and would certainly recommend purchasing it over this offering from Asics. I have the Fujispeed 2 and used to own a pair of Trabuco max 2's, so I'm not an Asics hater 😂 Just from a price point I think Asics are asking too much in my opinion
I am going with carbon plated trail shoes. Love the Endorphin Edge by Saucony!
I sometimes think that more brands should just take their standard performance model and stick a trail outsole beneath them, take the Hoka Mach 6 for example. Would be a great trail runner. Is it stable enough for most people? No. But if you worry about stability in trail races, you probably should not look for race shoes anyways
Yeah I agree
Would love a trail version of the Superblast, literally. Take the Superblast, change the upper to something trail-like, and slab a trail outsole on them. Boom. Done. Sold.
Salomon actually did this for one of their athletes: They just tok the S/Lab Phantasm and slapped lugs underneath it. Most of the "bells & whistles" in trail runnig are really more marketed to sell the whole "offroad" experience. You don't actually need them for real racing
I wish they would do that with the alphafly, i have a beater pair that ill take even for the super technical stuff and i love it. Stability is over rated
@@edelkebap I've run trails a few times in my Superblast and NB4, they really are pretty good, with caveat that the trails weren't super technical; 1000 feet elevation gain over 10K, roots and ruts but no rocks, & mostly wide trails, no single track.
The FujiSpeed 2 was such a pleasant surprise and a pretty good bargain too. Once I got used to the shoe it felt fast and fairly stable even in more technical terrain and mud. I can’t imagine the MetaFuji being that much better.
Good shout mine are knackered as you can see so just suits me
@@FordyRuns good time to upgrade then!
When will Asics just bite the bullet and put trail outsoles on Superblasts? They're still the best trail shoes I've ever run in, and they're not even trail shoes... Great review, ta!
Great reviews as always Chris, what about the new Fuji Speed 3 which has just come out 👀👀👀 hopefully you can compare it with the second version to see if it's worth the purchase 😊
what about the fit of the FUJI trail jacket ? does it give a little space for layering up or should I size up ?
Anyone know where ro buy those asics/north face/brooks-style notched laces? Would be awesome if i could change out the laces of some of my other shoes with this style.
How do you compare the ASICS Metafuji Trail with the ASICS Fujispeed 3? Since the Fujispeed 3 has already been released now.
Nice review by the way!
The Fuji speed is more for technical courses while this is for flat non or low technical trails.
One thing to note is the fujispeed iirc has a full carbon plate where the fujitrail has a spil toe design. And the plate in the fujispeed is on top while the metafuji plate is between two different foams.
There's also like 4 other trail models from asics for different purposes also.
BTW this review didn't contain a lot of necessary information. Not sure why you described it as such.
I got this when it came out so i had a winterised shoe for running, i have no idea how i can run a faster 5k time in this than an adios pro 3 on the road but i love this shoe a lot, feels a bit squidgy but i love the feel of it and it looks amazing too
Thanks for the good review! This surely looks like a really cool trail shoe. But I get your point, too expensive for the occasional trail runner. I myself also run trails occasionaly and got a good deal off the Asics outlet website for some Trabuco 11 GTX. It was like 100 €. Ran a 20 k trail in them last week and felt awsome aswell.
Yeah good bargains to be had out there
the Asics Metafuji Trail is pretty much a trail version of Asics S4 (that mythical JDM Metaspeed shoes) both have also have dual foam unlike Metaspeed Edge + (the carbon plate on the Metafuji Trail follows S4 and Metaspeed Edge +/Paris kind of plate)
good to know thanks
Oh nice to see someone else is calling asics out for this not using a metaspeed anymore but the s4 :D
I have the S4, and was absolutely shocked when i got the metafujis that they are somehow shipping them for 250, even tho the s4 is like 180. No idea how how an outsole change adds up to 70 bucks extra and suddenly makes it a ultra trail shoe for the longer distances. but eh.
@@berthein5476 well they change the foam composition and the carbon tech to suit trail
I'm in New Zealand and picked it up from an Aussie website. Confusingly the pricing there makes it quite cheap (relatively). Doing the currency conversion for you makes it about £130, the pricing of shoes in different regions is very inconsistent. I haven't run in it yet, but wearing it round the house it heel feels a little unstable which makes me nervous. I'll get out this weekend for trail run, and I have a 33k trail race coming up soon, plus a trail marathon early next year. Hopefully I can knock all of those out with this.
Good luck
@@JohnnyLineham how was it? Good to have an independent review
@@tombola4046 Sooo I've done 4 or 5 runs in them now, and I've basically decided that these are too much of a liability for me to use long term, I'm going to try and sell them and get some money back. The heel instability makes them soo hard to run down hill on anything steep and or remotely technical. The forefoot of the shoe is awesome when the trail is smooth but any rock, root, bump or camber will fire your foot off line, it's manageable for a short run, but not 33km (for me anyway). I took them out for trail hill repeats this morning but switched to my Adidas Terrex Speed (the non high-stack & rods shoe) after a few efforts and immediately was able to run with much more confidence up and down hill.
Good morning. Interesting information. I'm not a elite trail runner, I prefer the Asics trabuco 12. Like to Fordy. Have a great day.
Agree
I have Trabuco 11.
@@jollyroger1009 A good choice.
Trabuco is so awesome, my favorite line.
@@Amen20 agree
Why do trail shoes need a carbon plate? I’ve heard of them having rock plates for protection but most people can’t run that quick on bad terrain for a carbon plate to work surely? Love the look of these though! Beautiful design
I do like the look of them but will have to be amazing to get me to part ways with my ultrafly’s
Do you find that you are having to be more aware of roots/rocks with the higher stack?
No but I’m shit at trail running
Seems very similar in terms of stack, plate etc to the terrex agravic speed ultra. That's an amazing shoe and is a bit cheaper.
Great review! Awesome looking shoe, but saving my $$$250 for the metaspeed sky Paris.
Good choice!
Hi Fordy can you recommend some trail shoes for someone who mildly overpronates I’ve been looking everywhere
Get an innsole! The blue ones at temu/wish works just fine 👌
The fujispeed shoes have some guidance
@@FordyRuns which version would you recommend?
The start of the vid was like a feature film 😄
Your welcome 🤣
So same price as Metaspeed Sky Paris!! Know where my £220 would go 😊
A summer only trail shoe... Cant see 3.5 lugs being any good once the wet stuff turns up and the trails turn to mud
Awesome B-Roll Mr Ford! #Influencing
Thanks takes a lot to fly a drone and influence at the same time
But with the matching socks and jacket 250 is not bad !!
Well crap! I was super excited for these shoes. But 3.5mm lugs are a non-starter for serious trail running. That's a damned shame because ASICS make awesome trail shoes (the Trabuco Max 3 is superb).
I have found the grip on the FujiSpeed to be excellent and it looks pretty similar to this
Looks amazing. But that price. 😮
Yep
Dude, it doesn't replace the fujispeed. They are two different shoes for different purposes. Even asics say this.
i know im not thick it replaces MY FUJISPEED is what i said
You also said they took the foam from the race shoe and put it in this one. But this is ffturbo and the race shoe has ffturbo plus
My issue with this shoe is that its literally the S4 TR. Its not a metaspeed. Sure the original version and maybe some prototypes were based on the metaspeed. but this is 1 to 1 the S4. The S4 is basically what the magic speed 4 was ment to be. a more versitle trainer, with low plate, that can help regular people run sub 4 marathons. Sadly never got a global release.
I grabbed an s4 of ebay for 170€ incl shipping. So I am absolutely against pushing this shoe, wehter its good or not, because its not worth 250. maybe 190 because its the TR version. Id probably say do 200, and market it as a skyrunner. But its not a 250 bucks trail supershoe for ultras. Its a roadshoe from top to bottom.
Geniuenly hope this will be a similar story to the fujispeed. First Fujispeed was basically the magic speed 1 TR.
I hear a lot about race foams and premium foams as an excuse for $200+ prices on shoes. I'd bet that the actual cost of these foams is at most a couple of dollars more per pair. Anyone have real data on this?
well the S4, the shoe this is a trail version of, retails in japan ( without international tax ) for 165 dollars.
@@berthein5476 This one is basically priced same as latest MetaSpeed Paris in Japan (about 190 USD).
While construction is similar to S4 it has 1cm Fujitrail has 1cm more foam and upper is quite different.
Fair review, not a shoe on my radar.
Thank you
Prices creeping up towards £300. Running shoes must still be at 10%+ inflation a year. We are all total mugs. The lug depths don’t even make this a versatile show all across all trails.
its 310 dollars on Asics US
This or tecton x3
I don't think a plate works on technical trails. Plates are great when you're pounding a nice even trail, but trail cadence is all over the place and I don't think a plate is helpful.
Try the fuji speed 2 and you might change your mind.
£220 for those in the U.K
Yep
Asics is milking it now!!
Shoe prices are getting ridiculous, I've never paid more than £50 and I've run 29 for 10k and 65 half. You can buy shoes from China like Onemix with a super critical foam and a plate for £36 with free delivery. Don't believe the hype from other brands. People running slower than 33/34 for 10k don't need fancy shoes, lose some weight, do some miles... My current shoes... Adidas SL 20.3 (£32), Reebok Floatride Energy 5 (£32) Puma Nitro Liberate (£50).... Nobody needs to spend £200... Mental... How much are these full time influencers making? Getting more support from brands than actual athletes.
Why are you talking in dollars! Bring back the British pound for the majority of your viewers 🙌
21.9% uk / 19.7% US 👊
Why on earth anyone would buy this when you could get the Tecton X3 for the same sort of price is just beyond me. Asics are way over the mark on pricing with this release
@@paulmulks because HOKA is kind of trash
@bogdanandrei6256 Oh well, if you say so 😂
not gonna lie, the x3 is kind of a miss. Its good, but its a downgrade from the x2 and x2.5.
if the metafuji wasnt 250 bucks and marketed as an ultra supershoe, id say it was better value.
for context: the x2.5 basically was a "what if we make the x2 peba and add more stack". and it was sooooo good. the densities were perfect. the x3 is softer, and the 40mm feel more like 20 once you in. it also doesnt have a rocker anymore. it loocks like it does, but its not working. its a okay shoe, but nothing compared to the x2 or 2.5.
@berthein5476 I never run in the previous Tecton models, so I can't compare them to the latest version. Personally, I like the X3 and would certainly recommend purchasing it over this offering from Asics. I have the Fujispeed 2 and used to own a pair of Trabuco max 2's, so I'm not an Asics hater 😂 Just from a price point I think Asics are asking too much in my opinion
Because most of us don’t want a stupid built in gaiter.