Buckle in for lightning speeds across fell, mountain, swimrun and OCR peeps! The fresh adidas Terrex Speed Pro SG (Soft Ground) is an impressive entry into the fell/swimrun/OCR scenes that may make you do a double-take - we certainly are slightly transfixed by it's unique and forward-thinking design. Terrex have pulled out all the stops in creating their first off-road shoe suited for proper mud and gnarly terrain. A shoe with aggression, incredible lightness and dynamic ride, you're in for a treat here.
Top Highlights
Recycled Content
The Speed Pro SG is made with recycled content as part of adidas' ambition to end plastic waste. Good for the mud, good for the planet.
Light. Speed.
adidas Lightstrike midsole material is redefining the next generation of speed with a super-light midsole designed for dynamic, lightweight movement. It offers propulsive energy at toe-off but still provides the cushion when needed, creating a nimble and dynamic runner.
Continental™ Rubber Outsole
The renowned Continental™ Rubber used on the Speed Pro SG's outsole is well-known for awesome traction on wet and dry rocky terrain. 7mm chevron shaped lugs provide the teeth you need to take on slippy and muddy terrain, clawing up fells and tearing down descents.
The Detailed Lowdown
We can tell that the adidas Terrex Speed Pro SG is gonna mix things up in the world of off-road running. An almost revolutionary design with quite unique characteristics, these speed demons have not only ruffled the feathers on the aesthetic side, but maybe fill the gaps in aspects of functionality where others shoes do not.
OutsoleLet us start with the pointy end, as that's the bit we all look at first (who ever sets out to intentionally slide on their bum!). Providing the grip are 7mm lugs, nicely spaced so as to prevent mud clogging and jettison any debris. Chevron in design, these are foward-facing at the front and rear-facing at the back to provide superb traction at every point in your foot's cycle through on the ground. Simple but a tried, tested and given the 'highly effective' seal of approval design.
Made with adidas' well-known Continental™ Rubber, this stuff is pretty good on dry and wet rock too, making the Speed Pro SG a grand mountain and skyrunning shoe.
MidsoleThis is one of those aforementioned components of this shoe that makes it stand-out from its peers. With 23mm and 19mm of cushioning at the heel and forefoot respectively, the Speed Pro SG fulfills that desire of many a regular off-roader for just a decent amount of cushion on top of great grip also. This additional midsole material also means that your feet thank you more when your runs take you from bog to hard-packed trail and back again. Not many other fell-orientated shoes provide this. The 4mm heel-to-toe drop also provides an agile, close-to-the-ground and confident feeling, especially over uneven and technical terrain.
The 'Lightstrike' material used in the midsole is much lighter than adidas' Boost cushioning which contributes to this shoe's incredible lack of weight. This stuff creates a great feeling underfoot - flexible and dynamic for speed and stable enough for longer miles.
Now on to the extension of the midsole, the insole - well, there is none! Don't cry though (we only shed one tear), because it's no bad thing and we have seen this work for other shoes before. Your feet will still find themselves in a happy place once placed in these shoes, and with an almost seamless upper they can't complain about bad treatment.
UpperWell, this is just unlike most uppers we've seen before, and what also catches the eye. It is created of a very open, light and breathable mesh (the black part of the upper) supported underneath by a thin layer (the yellow part) which creates the structure of the shoe's upper and support around your foot. This upper will let water out so quick it is very unlikely to be gaining much weight if any while you plunge through bogs or swim across lakes. adidas have said that the materials used for this upper are water resistant - I'm gonna say they probably needn't have bothered! In addition, there are extra, albeit thin, overlays on the upper around the toe, sides and heel for protection.
For locking down, it's good to see standard lacing being done properly here. Lightweight yet pulling everything in where needed, the lacing holds well.
FitThe Terrex Speed Pro SG has a wider toe box compared to your classic, 'precise' fitting fell shoe. However, if your foot is mid-to-wide-to-wide plus, this shoe could well be the answer to the hole in your shoe-shelf, the lug to pull at your heart strings... Basically, this shoe still has a precise 'feel' despite that extra width up front, great especially for when running longer. It's not as boat like as say an
Inov8 X-Talon Ultra 260.
The heel counter is only very lightly padded, which at first we thought might not feel secure enough, yet having laced up it all fits nicely around the back of the foot.
One last thing...The Terrex Speed Pro SG has a reflective print, so you can light up any dark forest trail by headtorch - I think this will almost certainly seal the deal for you...