The Asics Fujispeed 2 (or Fuji Speed 2, opinions seem to vary) is a carbon plate trail shoe that bears a lot of similarities to the Asics Magic Speed 3 road shoe. It has an FF Blast+ midsole with a rocker shape and the plate running through the centre, and it’s a terrific racing option for the trails that comes in a lot cheaper than rivals like the Nike Ultrafly. Laura and Nick give their verdict on the Asics Fujispeed 2 in this video.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – Design & Key Stats
02:22 – How’s The Fit
05:41 – The Run Test
13:25 – Verdict & Alternatives
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Hello and welcome to run testers my Name's Nick and this is our review of The Asics Fuji speed 2. So the Fuji Speed 2 is asics's carbon Plate Trail racing shoe it's launched in The UK already where it costs 160 pounds It's not quite available yet in the US We don't have that price as yet it's a Pretty lightweight shoe it weighs at 257 Grams or 9 ounces exactly in my UK size 9 which is a us-10 and it has a five Millimeter drop from Heel To Toe no Official stack I've given for the shoe At the moment but it's pretty high you Know it's one of these new breed of Throwing shoes that start to bring in The stacks from Road shoes the missiles A lot of similarities to the magic Speed 3 Road running shoe you've got an FF Blast plus foam midsole which is not Asics best phone which is the FF turbo You find in the metal speed shoes and The super blast but it is still a Lightweight pretty bouncy foam and it's Got a card plate running through it to Add some more pop you've also got Asics's guided Soul rocker going on There so all of us got lots of varieties To maybe more the plated trainers you See on the roadside issues like the Asics magic Speed 3 or the silkeny Endorphin Speed Line where you've got a Rocker complaint and a good phone Although in this case with Asics they
Don't give either the magic speed or the Food you speed the best foam in their Lineup which is the FF turbo plus got a Woven upper with a gusseted tongue You've got some reinforced sections Around the front of the shoe like little Plasticky overlays there to protect the Toes a little bit as a bit of a heel Counter going on as well stability a lot Of padding at the heel actually to Create some extra Comfort even though There's not a lot on the tongue you've Got a pull tub at the back and a lace Garage on the outsole you've got Asics Grip which is obviously an in-house Material from Asics unlike other brands They don't Outsource this to Vibram or Continental you've got these interesting Three pronged lugs almost like little Ninja stars there then they're slightly Stepped as well and though they're not The longest logs in the world they do a Little bit of bite for soft ground but They are probably more designed to grip Well on slightly firmer trails and Technical trails that kind of thing General the shoe has quite a narrow Overall design compared to some of the Other big trail shoes we've been testing Lately things like the ultrafly or even The adhes Terex aggravate speed Ultra It's either a very wide forefoot or are Just wide in general to Credit Services Is much more narrow and in keeping it
With the style of Asics at our road Shoes I'd say Foreign In a UK 6 I found the length of the Fuji Speed to to be okay that was a good fit But Um they do fit a little bit more narrow Around the around the mid foot and the Toe whereas in most trail shoes you'd Expect maybe a bit more room in the toe These are a lot of more narrower fits And they reminded me a bit more of say Cross-country spikes that sort of Um fit than Um Than a lot of trowel shoes that that I've run in but they for me they weren't Too tie they were just Um noticeably like a uh like a skinny Jeans for my feet but um they weren't You know they weren't uncomfortable They fitted okay Um but I am on the narrower side so if You're a wide fit you're probably not Gonna get on well with these Um If you are now a footed person then These will be a good fear but yes Feed okay but on the slim aside the Laces Really good laces they've got these like Bubbly bits on the the like texture Um on the outsides of them that means That once you've
Tied your foot in and you've and you've Got the got the fit that you want it's They're not budging so those laces don't Slip anywhere So if you're happy with the fit it's Going to stay like that all the way During the Run Um also on it but when I took them out Of the box I did notice the um the toe Box this material because it's it's it Seems like It kind of doesn't Move very Um you know see how it's crinkled up a Little bit I did think it's not going to Be a bit stiff it's going to be a bit Tight but actually it felt fine Um because it's it's not got any stretch To it it just is as it is but once my Foot had filled that out Um it was fine it's very um breathable That fabric Um so much so that my toes Um because it was very dusty and dry on My root Um my socks were quite Dusty from the Road so you could see from the trail you Could see that the um the airflow was Was moving I do think if it's wet you're gonna get Soggy feet though but You're gonna get soggy feet in those Shoes but um yeah there's a lot of Airflow through those that dough box so
It fits worked really well for me with The Asics Fuji Speed 2 it's got quite a Narrow fit and I say it works well for Me because I do have quite a narrow foot I like the kind of racy feel you get From the shoe because it is quite a Narrow shoe feels a bit close around the Midfoot and the toes but obviously That's something that might not appealed To lots of other people so if you have a Wider foot I think it might feel a Little bit restrictive on length it's Fine but it might be a little bit Crowded especially if you're looking at It as a shoe you'd like to go and do Very long races in Ultra marathons in it Might feel a little bit cramped on that Front but I really like the theater it's Really dialed in and they feel very Secure and don't get any lateral Movement when I'm running hard on a Twisting single tracks and that kind of Thing so yeah I was fine with it in my Normal size Oh So my runs um it's been very dry here so I would love to be able to well I Wouldn't really actually well I don't Really want to go running in the mud at The moment but I would like to be able To tell you about that from the shoe Perspective fortunately I can't um Because it's been very dry here so what I can tell you though based on that is
That the ground even on the trails here Is very firm Um but it's very comfortable Um running in this shoe on the firm Ground The the foam was nice and good level of Cushioning Um A lot of my trail miles I like doing in The Hawker tectonics to Um and the first one Uh as well still regularly running that One And this in some ways is very similar Shoe because it's got that carbon plate Trail shoe Um the hawk attacked on x2 has a a lot Thicker sole Um I think we've got about an extra 10 Millimeter in the in the stack on that Um So I was not expecting to find this as Comfortable as that haven't said that it Was comfortable and I I enjoyed it I Liked that Um feeling of being closer to the ground In a way I did feel that it would be Maybe a nice cross-country shoe to wear Um it it did feel like A racing shoe Um because of that lover profile you Know close to the ground feel the spring From the plate I did start thinking ah This is an option for cross-country
Seasons not too far away Um on the calendar and maybe this is an Option for that if you're I'm used to Wearing spikes for cross-country but now Where I live it's not the the league Doesn't Um have a lot of That kind of ground where you need Spikes so if you're in a race where There is that harder ground either Compacted or you're gonna have to go on Paths because that's the nature of the Course and spikes aren't going to be Suitable for that something like this Might actually be quite good and I could See because of that closer fit and the The lock in that you can get you get Your foot nicely locked into that so That you know you run for a massively Squelchy bit on a cross-country course And you Hope that your your shoe is going to Come out with your foot there is that Level of security in the fit on this Shoe that I'm not losing that shoe in a Big muddy bit of Hampstead teeth so I've Gone 50k in the Essex Fugees P2 and I've Really loved using it there like it Feels very fast you pull it on and it is Fast when you go and run on the trails As well I think a lot of the super trail Shoes I've been testing lately are Geared probably a little bit more Towards Ultra events so I don't
Necessarily feel all that uh speedy and Fantastic when you first pull them on They're comfortable but a bit more Geared to be stable and forgiving over Long distances whereas this feels far More like a fast Roadshow in many ways Like it definitely reminds me of shoes Like the magic Speed 3 or the Endorphin Speed 2 the way it feels they're like Nimble fast big rocker going on there It's not excessively bouncy or anything Like that but it certainly feels very Quick and designed for Speed like so the Phone when combined with a plate crates Are fairly firm feeling under foot and The Rocker is very noticeable uh creates Quite a smooth ride a little bit of Pop From the plate and it feels very easy to Pick up your feet deep into hard runs or When you're trying to push up a Long Hill something like that I did one Longer Hill session industry running a Six three minute reps up a hill and even Very tired your legs are burning it Feels easy to keep picking if you Fuji Speed up and then if you do hit some Flatter ground when you're deep into Runs I want to keep running fast The Rocker really comes to play and helps You keep turning your feet over Maintaining a nice high Cadence so the Nimble light feel of the shoe is Certainly very much a positive Especially when you are a bit tired so
Put the hardest ride in the shoe was a Progression hour running like 60 minutes With 20 minute intervals on heart rate Raising the heart rate is 20 minutes Just did just over 10 miles in total in That time and this was one like a gently Undulating route on fairly a tame Trail So nothing too technical no long cars or Anything like that and it did feel you Could really get into nice Rhythm as you Roll on and run quick for a long period Very much in the way that when I do this On the road I really enjoy using Something like the magic speed or the Endorphin speed because it doesn't feel As compulsive and aggressive as a full Plated shoe but you get that nice fluid Turnover and it does save legs a little Bit and just me helps you maintain that Pace deep into the run so really what Stood out for me either she was like It's a shoe that I really feel Comfortable using to to go and do Workouts I normally do on the road on The trails like if I'm picking you know A select Trail area where it's not too Hilly it's pretty good trails or I want To go and do one of the workouts I just Have my training plan I'd rather do them Off-road the Fuji Speed 2 feels great to Do them off-road when I normally go and Find a flat piece of ground and run in Something like the Endorphin speed and Do them on the road instead so it's a
Nice thing to have available because Before it wasn't really a Trilogy that Really did that for me in my eyes Because even Fast Pro shoes I like using The trail racing were generally quite Minimal and not sure I'd go and Bash out A hard hour in uh during a training week Because and I want my legs to feel good The next day whereas this does have that Feeling of those super Road trainers That do protect the legs a bit while Still being nice and quick so I think The downsides of the Fuji Speed 2 in General are probably comfort for one Compared to some of the more Ultra Focus Shoes out there things like the ultra Fly I've been testing the terrex Aggravax speed Ultra the hokite next to Even the Endorphin Edge it's not quite As comfortable as those shoes it feels a Bit more firm and aggressive and it's Probably not a shoe I personally would Line up a really long like ultra Distance to run into myself I think I'd Be happy racing up to like a marathon on Pretty well groomed Trails but it wasn't Very hard Rocky stuff and or looking at Ultra distances I don't think they'd be Quite comfortable enough for me others Will disagree on this I'm sure the Asics Pros have been using them for races at UTMB and that kind of thing but I think I prefer one of the other shoes just When I'm going to start moving at a
Slower speed I probably prefer to hit The balance a bit more towards comfort With something like the ultrafly and Stability I think it is quite a narrow Shoe and you don't get that big wide Landing Zone that you do get on some of The other uh plated trail shoes and Things like that it's not as great for Dashing downhills when you've got a Little bit more technical stuff to deal With anything more Jagged rocks and Roots some rotted ground because it is a Quite stiff midsole with the foam and The play in there it does feel like it Moves your foot around a bit more than Some of the others so I'd say that might Be a concern for someone who's tackling Mountain tracks a lot because it is so Light and nimble like it does feel like You can dance down those tracks but I Think it's a shoe that doesn't feel Quite as stable and just pounding down a Hill and you want a big wide base to Land on and feel comfortable landing on Um it doesn't have that to the extent of Some of the other issues in this Category for me the grip has been really Good in testing but it's been pretty dry And hot here in the UK I did have a Couple of slightly muddy patches and I Think that's what this household can do Like it's a pretty versatile outsole in That if you are on a mostly dry run and Go through a couple of buggy patches
You're not going to easily fall over It's got a little bit of bite there but It's not really issue it's going to be Reliable for long stretches on very soft Ground I'd say it's more built for kind Of a mix of terrain and more focused on The harder stuff I'd say so although It's not an outsole that I have any real Criticisms of based on my testing it's Probably not one that I'd line up for The real depths of cross-country season Here in the UK something like that where You are going to go through just mud the Whole time because I don't think it's Gonna be quite as grippy as shoes with Along the lugs for that during my Testing yeah no concerns on grip and on The road it's actually been okay as well Like I thought those loads because they Are quite thin and they're not that Shallow I thought they might be a little Bit skittery on the road but not at all There's enough overall surface area There to create a smooth ride when you Are on roads and again on runnable Trails they uh aren't too long or in the Way they just grip well but they don't Give you on any unnecessary ground Contacts put it that way so yeah I think It's quite a well judged outsole all Around and probably the best I've come Across that isn't outsourced from Someone like Vibram So although the Fuji speak to is
Probably one of the less heralded new Entrants in the trail Super Shoe Category you know the big name releases Like the ultrafly and Adas issue coming Out recently I think it's actually one That's probably going to suit a lot of People better than most other shoes and The fact it is considerably cheaper than The new Trail super shoes that are out There is a real bonus as well because The performance is definitely there for The use case scenario I think a lot of People will need that is running Probably most of the time on reading These hanging trails and up to about Marathon distance uh this shoes was Really good for that it's very fast it Feels very racy it's got a bit of a road To feel to it with that extra grip and I Think it will like I say Superior uses Very well like there's a great shoe you Can go and use for training a lot on the Trails Doing Hard runs you can race in It it's got some weaknesses and Certainly and it's not going to be as Comfortable as someone's usually going Up to ultramarathon in particular if That's not what you're gonna do it is Lighter and does feel a bit faster to me Than things like the oct fly or even the New Alia issue just because it's just Built a bit more for Speed it has a Speedier feel to it so it's great that It is a lot cheaper because that's
Obviously a big bonus as well so I'll Run through some of the comparisons of The shoes I have tested I've got the New Balance SC Trail coming in as well that Haven't used that yet but other shoes I Have tested if you compare it to the Ultrafly ultrafi feels like a very Ultra Focus shoe I've run up to 50K in that Shoe it's really comfortable and and I Really like the way it feels deep into Runs but it doesn't feel so good when You are trying to push the pace as the Asics for me like the Asics is a much More direct shoe they punchier a bit More Nimble ultrafly can move pretty Well but I think it's mainstream through Just maintaining a decent pace for a Very long period Um and doesn't feel so great if you Aren't just going to kind of try and do Something like that hard hour training Run I talked about in the run test it's A much more Comfort Focus shoe but it is A lot more stable as well with that wide Forefoot if you're going to go down a Lot of Hills then the Adas Terex Aggravix speed Ultra which I've just Started testing I've done about 50k in Actually now including a long run there That's a really interesting shoe because That does feel bouncier than the Fuji Speed and it's got a lot of places so It's only a little bit heavier and it's Got about full Light Strike Pro midsole
It does deliver a lot of booming Pace It's not quite as Nimble and agile it's Been like Hill reps as the Fuji speed I'd say but if you're gonna maintain a Good pace on a fairly runnable Trail Marathon or something like that I think The Asics would be the better pick it is A bit bouncier a bit softer a bit more Accommodating to your legs it'll Probably help you go deeper into the Race but the way it's shaped if it's Very wide fall for a narrow back I think That is something that could throw People a little bit and I think the Fuji Speed probably feels a bit more normal And it's a lot cheaper and it's probably The shoe I still prefer to use out of The two for something like a five fast 5k on good trails that's something I Probably prefer to use Terex does have That Big Y forfeit though and the sort Of phone probably makes it more Comfortable and very hard Rocky runs and It is a good base for landing on your Forefoot and running downhills I think The sketchy thing with the ads is how Narrow it gets at the back that's for Sure also only available next year so if You're going to buy a shoe now then You're probably gonna get the Essex and The Hoka Tech to next too I think Doesn't fill us out right quick as the Fuji speed again but that is a really Well balanced shoe like it's not got the
Most exciting or Lively midsole but it Does have a nice light feel to it you Can run quick in it I found and the ride Is really reliable if you're running on Tricky Trails it's stable we've got a Good Landing Zone there's nothing Sketchy about it the grip's very good From the vibe room and that's what I Think you can kind of use for any Distance it's going to be comfortable It's not going to do anything weird to Your body and like the Terex can do a Little bit of this aggressive rocker so I think that's probably the more Accomplished shoot for long distances in Particular but again I do think the Attic is a bit faster for doing quick Sessions quick workouts on the trails During the week and then racing distance Shorter distances on the trails as well Talking the Endorphin Edge I think it's Quite similar to the 3gb for me in terms Of the way it feels like has got a lot Of Road elements in the way it feels on The run but it's a bit wider a bit more Stable again probably a shoe I feel a Bit more confident in Pounding down Harder sense because it's a bit wider And the grip feels a bit more secure It's got a slightly better grip on soft Ground as well I'd say the Endorphin Edge but not much it's not still not a Shoe I'd want to go and do a long run in The mud in and still of those two I'd
Probably prefer the 3G Speed four hard Workout short races dolphin Edge has a Bit more to it for longer events as well And the North Face some effective Pro I Didn't get almost actually that well Because the way the carbon winglet Rubbed my foot a little bit but that is A much more shoe that's built as a Cruiser for long events that's really an Oldest issue as well in my mind whereas The Fuji speed I think sits almost Alongside it if you have a trail range For your very different Trail Races Because it's a fast shoe more direct Shoot definitely better I think for Nifty small amounts of heels and fast Racing over short distances whereas They're so effective prior things can Give you that extra Comfort but really Uh deep into long runs if you don't get The rubbing from the carbon winglet one Thing to say about all those shoes is They are more expensive than the Fuji Speed too which is a bit of a bargain Really all round given how capable of Shoe it is so yeah it hasn't got the Most exciting foam in the market in There like things like without the Ultrafly and the Adidas Trail shoe do Use their company's best phones and I'm Sure in time Asics will consider using That as well but I think the overall Package is certainly very good it's a Really good shoe that I like having
Available like I say to go and do hard Workouts on mild trails and it can Handle other Trails I just think you're Gonna get a bit more comfort and Stability from some of the other shoes I Mentioned and certainly looking at Ultra Distances that will come into play so it Doesn't do ultra marathons and doesn't Want spend 200 quid on your travel Fuji Speed is a really strong option for a Fast Trail shooting so for me personally Personal 5K 10K trail races I would I Would comfortably wear it just on an Easy run that's the way that I use Um their Hawk attacks on X I'll use that On easy runs just to make it feel a bit Um a bit more easy when you're running Over a bit more challenging terrain it Kind of gives you that that carbon plate Gives you that Um leveler between your Paces on the Road to then going onto the trail Usually the Trail's a bit harder isn't It so the play I'm not using it for Racing I'm using it to kind of Make my trail running a bit more Comparable to my road so for me I would Happily go out for easy runs 5 10K and Race over those distances I personally maybe wouldn't go into a Trail marathon in this shoe but I would Like something with a bit more a bit More Soul under me if I was but perfect For a five mile cross country race
Um Or Potter around the trails I did run at The start of the year Um I had the Asics Fuji light three and This uh it feels like A very different shoe Um they both share that Fuji in the name But The Fuji light wasn't a shoe that I Loved wasn't excited about it it was it Was fine it would uh have been a good Good introductory Trail shoe for light Trowel but it wasn't something that I Was like reaching for to run Um again and again whereas this one I do Think Will make an appearance in my running Rotation again and and it's good price Good price for Um the shoe that it is
