Reviewed by 
- Weight: 303g (UK12)
- Heel-to-toe drop: 5mm
- Type: Neutral trail
The shoe
Race focused and responsive, the Asics Fujispeed 2 feels like a significant step forward in Asics' trail offerings, but the narrow fit and shape won’t suit everyone.
How is the Asics Fujispeed 2 different from the Asics Fujispeed 1?
The first version of this shoe featured a Pebax plate, a standard FlyteFoam midsole and some no-tie laces that did up with one of those little sliders. Version two features a full length carbon plate, FF Blast Plus midsole foam and some laces that you have to tie. Both shoes use Asicsgrip for the outsole rubber, but the lug arrangement on version two deviates from the more traditional arrow shaped lugs. There is still a 5mm drop between the heel and the forefoot and they roughly weigh the same, with version 2 being a touch heavier.
What’s it like to run in the Asics Fujispeed 2?
The shape and feel of the Asics Fujispeed 2 is all centred around being fast. The carbon plate combined with the FF Blast Plus foam (another variation of FlyteFoam) delivers an energetic ride, the cushioning of the foam working well with the propulsive and stabilising qualities of the carbon plate. It feels nimble on technical paths and easily deals with open gravel tracks and dry forest paths.
What everyone's reading
Most major brands tend to use a third party rubber for grip but Asics has its own called Asicsgrip, and it does a decent job on the loose and dry stuff, although the smaller lug size does limit what they’re capable of – you wouldn't go venturing onto muddy trails in these. The laces are the same as those found Asics' carbon-plated road shoes and do a great job of locking the foot in place and keeping it there, plus the little elasticated retention strap on the tongue to keep the laces tucked away is a nice touch.
The only drawback for some with this shoe is the shape and width of the toe box. From a sizing number point of view, these shoes are true to size, but trail shoes tend to have a little more room up front to allow for your foot to move about in the shoe, so that you can easily navigate varying terrain. The Fujispeed 2 does not follow this trend, and even though it’s stated as D width (which is standard width for Asics), it is a narrow feeling shoe – and is noticeably narrower than some of the other carbon plated trail shoes which we've tested recently.
This fit issue is compounded somewhat by the curvature of the outside edge of the shoe from little toe to big toe; this isn’t a rounded toe-box but one that cuts in more, so if you have issues with fit around the little toe, then you might find points of friction there, as well as on the big toe joint knuckle.
All that being said, this is a fast trail shoe that will suit those wishing to race short and long distances, but only if your foot shape is compatible.
