Adidas Terrex Agravic SL
Adidas Terrex Agravic SL - First Run Review
About me
Run around 50/50 road and trail. Currently tapering for my second 100 miler in July. Average 70-90 miles per week during training - 50-60 per week off season. Enjoy road running, track workouts, and marathons as well as bigger mountain stuff and trail ultras. I averaged around a 9 min pace with 800ft of gain/loss for this 7.5 miles test run - which is uptempo for these conditions and the humididy.
I ran these shoes on a summer morning 70 degrees with 95% humidity. We’re in the real thick of it down in Western NC and this is a true test for this shoe as I’ve got at least a month of this type of weather left and my kit needs to be able to handle it
Terrain was a 7.5 mile loop of mixed gravel, MTB single track, and a little technical hiking trails. Basically a taste test of all the types of terrain that I’d need these shoes to work for me.
Sizing
I actually ordered 2 sizes, 11.5 and 12 mens. This was largely due to difficulties with every other Adidas running shoe that I’ve ever owned from them. Hopefully this review helps with those who have struggled with sizing issues for this brand. For reference I wear:
mens 11.5 in the OG Evo SL
mens 12 in the SL Woven.
mens 11.5 in the Prime X strung 2
mens 11.5 in the Boston 12
mens 12 in the Boston 13 (and this is so snug I rarely use them.)
I really love the ride of Adidas shoes but their sizing is a horror.
I’m solidly a size 12 in every other running shoe that I own so its always a gamble with Adidas.
I have a narrow to regular volume foot and the 11.5 in the Agravic SL fits well, maybe a little tight when downhilling super steep sections, but I haven’t run enough to really know yet.
Fit and feel
I was nervous, as usual, that I picked the wrong size with these. Should I have gone up to the 12? I think that ultimately sizing down was the right choice as there’s nothing I dislike more than a sloppy trail shoe. I didn’t get any hotspots or rubbing - except for maybe some very steep downhills that I bombed down to test out the feel (could feel my big toes moving forward to the end of the shoe - but my feet were wet so who knows). At this point in the run my socks were completely soaked so I’m confident that I made the right choice when there’s a reasonable amount of humidity. The laces and upper feel great, easy to lock down, and quick to get adjusted right. I’ve taken my Evo SL wovens out on some light trails and these were a world of difference. Very structured in all the right ways. I hit some really off camber stones and never felt like the shoe was moving or twisting.
Ride
Very pleasant. I’m a big fan of the lightstrike pro, should be obvious from the amount of money I’ve dumped into ill fitting Adidas shoes. I bought these because I’ve always wanted to try the Agravic Speed Ultra but just don’t have any real use case for them. Big stable platform with a noticeable rocker. That familiar firm but bouncy lightstrike. I’ve seen other reviews saying that the Agravic SL’s are boring but they felt really fun to me - Like a North Face Vectiv but more forgiving. They climbed well, decended well, and were fun on the short gaps of pavement that I had to run. I’ll say that the Agravic SL is better on road than the Evo SL is on trail in terms of ease of use and smoothness.
The shoe is very stable. This is big plus for me. My favorite fast trail shoe is the North Face Vectiv Pro 3 - I love that I don’t need to think about foot placement so much with a huge, locked down platform. The Agravic SL feels very similar. For MTB and runnable single track it’s my favorite type of feel and geometry. I feel like the SL will be forgiving at slower paces, unlike the North Face Vectiv Pro
Midsole felt great. I’m actually a huge fan of what Adidas is doing with the Evo line. Taking a homerun piece of high end shoe tech and applying it across the board makes for some really interesting iterations and I think this is one of the better versions
Outsole was actually great - again other reviews have said its too much lug, but things were really soft out on the trails due to recent rain and humidity and I actually needed the traction along some sloppy banked downhill turns. I like that these run a bit like a gravel shoe but with a real mountain shoe outsole.
Use case
Things get a little murky here. I’m hoping that these will be a swiss army knife shoe for the summer season. I need something to replace a pair of packed out Prodigio Pro’s. I feel like there’s big saturation in the market for non-technical, faster, shorter distance trail shoes - a category that I don’t really need as I have a workout shoe that works for me and I really need a versatile easy shoe and a trail tank - I don’t really race short distances so those more nimble, snappy trail shoes don’t have a place in my quiver.
Comparisons:
There’s a lot here so I’ll keep them short and to the point
North Face Vectiv Pro 3
Probably the closest comparison. Big platform, fun ride. Softer, more forgiving foam. The issue for me with the Vectiv Pro’s is that they are super unforgiving at slower paces. I end up kicking rocks when I get tired and don’t engage the rocker or plates
North Face Vectiv Enduris 4
Only run around 30 miles in these but close comparison as well. Both shoes have great lockdown. Enduris feels more workout / race oriented as the foam is a bit more firm. Outsole is far superior on the Agravic SL
La Spo Prodigio Pro
Never really loved these shoes. Feld unstable and slappy for the most part. The upper also didn’t work at all for me in the summer temps - held a lot of moisture. Agravic SL feels much more structured and stable underfoot. Haven’t run a workout or hard effort in the SL”s - the Prodigio Pro’s were nice at intensity when they were new
Norda 001A
Have owned the 001’s as well and these are my cooler weather trail tanks. Agravics have much more fun geometry and ride. Will be curious to see how the Agravics hold up over time as I love the durability with the Nordas. Agravic has a much more breathable upper
Nike ACG Zegama
Feel like maybe this is the compairson that is most applicable, as both shoes feature premium elements arranged in an affordable package. Zegama was a disaster for me. Hotspots all along the front of the foot. Sizing was off from my TTS 12, very hot upper, and heavy. Agravic SL is better in every way, from fit to ride. I feel like the Zegama is a shoe that’s purely for west coast carpet trails. The Agravic SL really feels like Adidas tried hard to take thier super shoe trail offering and make it accessible for a broad audience. I wish Nike would do the same.
Evo SL Woven
I do feel like these shoes have some of the same feel - in the sense the Evo SL is just really easy to lace up and take out for any pace. The Agravic SL is firmer, with a very structured upper. I actually want to try to get a Vibram sole put on my old pair of SL wovens when they’re at the end of their life to feel how different the two shoes would be. I can easily run the SL woven on gravel and uneven terrain. I would have twisted both my ankles had i tried to make it through this mornings run with them - More miles will tell if I reach for the Agravic SL’s the same way that I do with the Evo wovens.