u/altapowderdog

Hi, all. I posted a fairly positive “first impressions” on the new Zegma Trail. I’ve now got 70 miles on them, and want to adjust my review (to the downside). Despite the excellent vibram outsole and the rugged looks, this runs closer to the Aero Glide Grvl than the Hoka Speadgoat I was hoping to replace, and is not proving as durable as I would want over moderately technical/rocky trails.

Shoe: Nike ACG Zegma Trail. US size 11

Original Retail Price: $180 USD

Runner Profile: 6', 175lbs. I typically run 6 miles x3 times per week at a jogging pace (8:00-10:00 minute miles). Occasionally I'll run a 1/2 marathon (typically a 1:45-ish time for road, 2:00 for trail).

Use Case / Reason for Buying: I bought this for trail running, backpacking, and potentially as an option for my next trail 1/2. My Hoka SpeedGoat 6s died early, and these had better step-in feel and toe room than the SpeedGoat 7 did, so I figured I'd give them a shot.

Fit: Still excellent, true to size, with good toe box width. If anything the fit has gotten better over these miles, as the upper padding packed out a bit (the tongue padding in particular was almost excessive at first).

Random Insole Note: I complained about the glued-in insole in my initial impressions. Well... I ended up ripping these out anyway (more on that in a second). They come out easy and the glue is actually a non-issue.

Total distance ran: 70 miles (110 km)

Type of runs: almost exactly a 50/50 split between running and hiking. A good mix of terrain: a lot of boring gravel roads, some muddy/rooted Midwest single track, and some T3 trails in the alps (tour de muverans).

Updated Running Impressions: This shoe sold me on its step-in comfort vs the Hoka. Unfortunately, partially as a result of that big stack of highly-cushioned ZoomX, it’s just not handling technical terrain very well. 39mm is a lot of stack. During my first impressions things actually felt fine stability-wise. However, once you’re running in rain over wet roots or shifting rocks, this much foam without any sort of stabilizing plate and a compliant (comfy, but only moderately structured) upper is just…. It’s not ideal. I never rolled an ankle, but I also didn’t feel secure in my footing, particularly when trying to push the pace. I actually ended up taking the insole out entirely, in an attempt to improve the stability. This didn’t impact comfort and sorta helped, but I still think that in the end this will become a gravel shoe primarily.

Durability: I got these because I felt like Hoka’s quality had decreased with the SpeedGoat6, and wanted to try a different brand. Welp… Nike doesn’t appear any better. The tread is just now starting to peel off on one shoe, there are some cosmetic cracks in the ZoomX, and the foam is separating from the upper in a few spots. Is any of this impacting the function? No. Is it still pretty disappointing for a $180 shoe? Yes. If this was an ultralight shoe I could forgive early wear, but this is on the heavy side of the trail shoe spectrum so I expected better durability given the extra weight.

Positives:
-Looks great
-Comfortable upper and protective midsole
-Good traction
-Fit and sizing is on-point

Negatives:
-Not well suited for technical/rocky trails due to stack height and soft+unstabilized foam
-Durability

Shoe: Nike ACG Zegma Trail. US size 11

Runner Profile: 6', 175lbs. I typically run 6 miles x3 times per week at a jogging pace (8:00-10:00 minute miles). Occasionally I'll run a 1/2 marathon (typically a 1:45-ish time for road, 2:00 for trail).

Use Case / Reason for Buying: I bought this for trail running, backpacking, and potentially as an option for my next trail 1/2. My Hoka SpeedGoat 6s died early, and these had better step-in feel and toe room than the SpeedGoat 7 did, so I figured I'd give them a shot.

Fit Impressions: My Brannock device size is 10.5, but I have a high mid foot and prefer to have some toe splay, so all of my running shoes (except for the Neo Vista 2) are size 11. These fit perfectly. The toe box feels similar to Norda: Not too wide like Altra, but wider than Hoka or past Nike shoes. They have enough stretch to slip on easily, but also good lockdown so your foot won't slide forward when going downhill. While breathable enough, the upper is not a fancy MATRYX or anything like that, and does feel like it won't be quick drying like some more expensive trail shoes. Sometimes I find the "collar" fabric on shoes to be irritating, but these ones are pretty soft and minimal - I don't notice them at all.

Random Insole Note: These have a glued-in insole. I'm not sure why they did this for a trail shoe. This just makes it more difficult to knock dirt out of the shoe... and if you pull the insole off of the adhesive to remove it anyway, the resulting sticky surface will probably just end up collecting sand and dust. I'm not going to list this as a "negative" just yet, because I haven't gotten this dirty enough to matter, but it could be a pain if the ankle collar doesn't do its job perfectly.

Walking Impressions: The 4mm drop is immediately noticeable, and because of that these feel more like a Hoka Bondi than a Nike shoe. They have that ultra-thick-forefoot sensation, and a rocker that drops away quickly when walking. These would be pretty great daily casual shoes for people who just end up using them for that. I know this isn't a backpacking subreddit... but if hiking with a very heavy pack, these won't give you the firm stability that a boot or Norda 001 gives you (even though stability when running is good).

First Run Impressions: I took these for a short 4 mile test run through some easy single-track trails in the woods. Trail feel is very minimal (even less than the SpeedGoat 6, which was already minimal). The flip side of that is that comfort was great: the ZoomX is quite soft, but stability doesn't suffer at all. There is a tiny bit of energy return, more than the SpeedGoat but less than something like the AeroGlide 3. This first test didn't have tricky enough terrain to properly test out traction, but early impressions were good. Overall... not mind-blowing, but also no issues and very comfortable. They do feel like an upgrade over the SpeedGoat6.

TLDR on my 1st Impressions:

Positives:

• Fit is great: good ankle collar, wide-but-not-too-wide toe box, true to size
• Looks way better than a Hoka, but the ride is very similar to the SpeedGoat
• Soft (1st run was just 4 miles, but will be comfortable for longer)

Negatives:

• The upper doesn't seem like it will be quick drying
• Soft (very little ground feel at all)