Discontinued · trail · Trail / Daily · $100
Grippy budget trail shoe with a lugged outsole.
Built for trail, daily, at a target pace of 9:00–12:30 /mi on trail.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Asics Gel-Sonoma 8.
Asics tuned this midsole firm (2/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is modest, so the ride feels protective and damp rather than springy. 28 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as calm at 2/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. Forefoot flex is middle of the road. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 450 miles from the outsole, about $0.22 per mile at $100.
For the foams and plates Asics uses across its line, read the Asics brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
290 g / 10.2 oz
15 g heavier than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
28 mm
8 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$100
60 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
2 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
2 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
2 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~450 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Asics line it is heavier than the brand's median (268 g / 9.5 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (38 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Salomon Pulsar
289 g / 10.2 oz · 29 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $140
Do-it-all daily trail trainer on optiFOAM at a friendlier price.
Asics Gel-Sonoma 8
300 g / 10.6 oz · 29 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $90
Budget trail workhorse with decent grip and long wear.
New Balance DynaSoft Nitrel v5
285 g / 10.1 oz · 30 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $90
Budget trail shoe for packed paths and light terrain.
Under Armour Bandit Trail 3
300 g / 10.6 oz · 30 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $100
Hybrid trail trainer for gravel paths and light singletrack.