ASICS - Fuji Lite 4

My personal thoughts about the three. I am far from being an expert and these are just my impressions :-) - Fuji Lite 4: my favourite when it comes to shorter runs. Snappy, light and fun shoe, with great feeling on the foot. I think their limit is probably (for me) around 15/20k runs. - Trabuco 12: It's the shoes that "convinced" me to move from Hoka to Asics. Light, very well-rounded shoe, with the right amount of cushioning. However, it lacked in my opinion a bit of stability (especially on the arches) and is quite "flat". Often I ended up hoping it would give me some more energy in return. I absolutely loved the sole. The drop, in my opinion, is right on point. - Trabuco 13: Honestly, it feels like a brand new shoe rather than an evolution of the 12. I feel the whole geometry of the shoe has changed, while keeping the same drop. It is a glove, with a more comfortable toe box, great feeling on the foot overall and tremendous improvement on the two things that I felt the 12 missed the most, stability and energy return. All this while keeping a great cushioning. They also changed the geometry of the sole, making it slightly more flat at the center. Very impressed with them. Overall, I am very satisfied of all three and they are in my rotation. As someone said in the comments, I am absolutely impressed by the durability overall: coming from Hokas, where the sole was gone super quickly (disappointingly), it is a huge improvement. I ran the entire summer of 2024 in the Trabuco 12 and the lugs are still in great conditions. I am a fan of Vibram soles, and probably the Asics' is the only proprietary sole at the same level but (at least in my experience) with a much much better durability. I also tried the Trabuco Max 2 and hated them to the guts (😅) but I am planning to try the new Trabuco Max 4 at some point. However, I think the Trabuco 13 are the sweet spot between comfort and performance.

Tecton x2 is one of my favourite trail shoes. Not a soft ride and not the quickest I have used but does everything I want really well. Is hard wearing too. Personally I would say the tecton x3 is the quicker shoe. Much bouncier ride though does sacrifice some stability for it. Adidas speed ultra. You dont have issues rolling ankles? You will in these shoes. Fastest shoe ive tried on open fire trail but you hit the slightest bump wrong and it tries to murder you. Definitely not for heel strikers. Fit didn't agree with me either so gave them away. I will echo other that the prodigio pro might just be the best all round shoe I have used on the market. Not plated but holds speed just as well and handles technical terrain with ease. Sizing can be tricky with them though Have tried the metafuji trails on and the heel felt wildly squishy and unstable. Seeing them used on trails confirmed that for me. Everyone I have seen using them collapses in badly through the heel once they get off the forefoot

I moved from the Peregrine to the Fuji lite 4 and won’t go back any time soon. The grip and feel are similar, but the mid sole of the Asics are nicer and the comfort unmatched. I couldn’t be happy with the Fuji Lite.

I really like the asics Metafuji trail. They also aren’t the most stable shoes. I feel like these are the most road-super shoe like trail shoes out there. They hold up pretty good and are light, comfortable and very energetic. As a non plated option maybe take a look at the Hoka mafate speed 4. Very responsive and comfortable shoes that can go the distance but also have some pace in them and are more suited to rugged terrain as opposed to the metafuji trail.

Hello people of Reddit. I wanted to share my thoughts on the Metafuji Trail from Asics as I have not seen it that much in this subreddit. I have ran a little over 480km in mud, gravel, snow, rocks and forest with this shoe. Runs ranged from 8km to 50km. Upper: It feels pretty stripped down but not uncomfortable. The heel and midfoot are secure and the forefoot has surprisingly much room. They fit true to size. I had some problems initially with achilles irritation and lace bite on longer runs but after figuring out the lacing of the shoes it worked great and the issues never came back. I really like the breathability of the material and that it doesn’t hold water that much/ drains somewhat quickly. The overlays work great to give some structure and help prevent injury but are not as durable as I would have hoped. The lace garage is very handy and I like the nubby laces. The upper material itself is very durable and somewhat stiff. Midsole: The midsole is HIGH. That’s the first thing you notice, especially for a trail shoe. It’s a very nice and bouncy running experience. The midsole is not necessarily soft but feels comfortable to run on. You have absolutely no ground feel but immense energy return. The best way to describe the midsole feel for me is bouncy and dense. The pretty extreme rocker and the carbon plate give you the ability to really push the pace in easy terrain. However due to the big stack and a narrow heel it is a fairly unstable shoe. It wasn’t as bad as I expected but on tired legs and faster downhills or very difficult terrain I really had to concentrate to not break something. The midsole had that special bounce up to 300-350km and then started to slowly deteriorate but I still enjoy running in them with nearly 500km in the shoes. The carbon plate is not as stiff as in many road shoes and works great for me on easy runnable terrain. The shoe feels at home between HM and marathon pace for me. Outsole: The outsole works really great for what it is. The lugs are somewhat shallow at around 3,5mm but aside from deep mud they gripped well in every underfoot condition. Wet rocks and roots, creek crossings, sand, gravel, snow and pavement worked just fine. Even after nearly 500km the outsole probably has another 500km in it. So great job on the durability part. Final thoughts: If you can get past the high price point (which seems to be the norm in the segment) I believe you get a phenomenal trail shoe for a niche market and a good trail shoe overall. The shoe excels in what I would call gravel racing. Stuff like hard packed trails, gravel or forest roads with maybe some more challenging terrain or even road sections from now and then. They work over any distance when you want to push your limits or just have fun and feel fast. However if you expect to run a lot in very technical terrain or deep mud this shoe is definitely not for you. If you want to run an ultramarathon in them and expect to walk/ hike a lot I might also look at different shoes since I find them a little awkward for walking. Over the time that I have used them they became one of my favourite pair of trail shoes and when they are done I will definitely get a second pair. Trail shoes I also liked: Hoka Mafate speed 4, Scarpa Spin Race, Hoka Zinal, Salomon S/lab Genesis Trail shoes I did not like: Asics trabuco max 2, Nike Pegasus trail 3, Hoka torrent 3, Asics trabuco 12

I’ve tried a few: Salomon Ultra Glide 1.5 is fast but narrow, Hoka Tecton X 2 is comfy but less quick, and Asics Metafuji Trail balances speed and traction well. Go for something light and grippy for long runs.

Asics Metafuji are great for less technical stuff. Tecton X3s are fine for technical terrain too, surprisingly.

The agravic’s narrower last would have me concerned with your foot. The metafuji may be a better option, so long as you don’t regularly roll your ankles because of the high stack height. Out of the other super shoes on the market, I wonder if north face’s options would work? If I recall that has a more traditional, less abrasive upper than most of the current gen trail supers. I wonder if experimenting within hoka’s lineup might make more sense - something like the Mafate speed (even though it’s not a super shoe) might get you most of the way there with a more comfortable upper. Current super shoes really only improve running economy by about 1%, compared to 3-4% on road, so they’re not nearly as game-changing in terms of performance as it might seem (however I do have a few pairs of supers, so that might be hypocritical of me)

I also have quite flat and wide feet, give a try to Asics options. Be careful with trabuco 13s upper, it breaks really quick, I would go for 12s. - I use a soft pair for recovery days and long not technical runs. I have being using hierro since V5, but V9 is not wide enough and V8 is not technical enough. I'm using Nike Zegama 2 now. - For high intensity and short fast runs Asics fujilite. Technical or not, they are great shoes. Im on a v4 pair. - mid to long technical runs Asics trabuco 13, I would go with the 12s because of upper issues, but Asics sent me a replacement so I'm with them. - mid to long not highly technical runs merrel agility peak 5. I just throw them with 700km. I'll take another pair soon probably. I have a mafate speed 4 pair, intended to use them for long technical outings in replacemt of trabucos, but they are too narrow and I'm not confortable longer that 2 or 3 hours with them. They are a nice shoe if they fit you

I really like my ASICS Fuji Lites but also my Saucony Peregrines! Though I find myself reaching for the ASICS first (if they are dry)

Hello. I come from the same issue. I had major issues with Plantar Fasciitis after running in the Speedcross and S/Lab Speed for many years. My first shoe was the Hoka Speedgoat Evo. That was an epic shoe, but sold out everywhere so quickly I only ever ran in one pair. Since then I’ve tried many similar shoes, looking for great grip, soft and bouncy ride, but good stability as I over-pronate, plus I recently developed osteoarthritisin my big toes. So, I really rate the following: - Hoka Mafate Speed 4. Good all rounder - Salomon S/lab genesis. A little narrow and unstable but speedy and shed mud quickly - La Sportiva Prodigeo Pro - great foam and good grip, lightweight. - Saucony Xodus Ultra - 1 and 3 are pretty good, ignore the 2. - Hoka Tecton X 3 - my go-to race shoe for hard packed trails and gravel I like the Speedgoat, Catamount, Fuji Lite, Ultra Glide too but they all have compromises that the shoes above don’t have in the same way.

Best cheap trail shoe I’ve run in was the ASICS Fujilite - great simple and fun, and I usually find a pair going for €75-90…

Hello - I would say that the Prodigio Pro will feel a bit too squishy for general walking around. I walk the dogs in a pair of Salomon GTX Thundercross. They’re stable enough, comfy, and waterproof. The Ultraglide are also a good option. I’ve also had numerous Inov8 Roclite, Trailfly which are also good for hiking if you like zero drop. Hoka are also comfy if you stay clear of the racing shoes - Challenger ATR or Speedgoat. I also like the ASICS Fujilite for walking. I’d suggest avoiding the S/Lab Genesis, Tecton X3, Mafate 5, Prodigio Pro, Nike Trail Ultra, or anything with a PEBA Foam or really pronounced rocker. They will be too squishy, unstable and wobbly underfoot.