Article by Sam Winebaum
adidas Terrex Agravic 2026 Line Up
For 2026 adidas Terrex will launch a four shoe Agravic trail racing and training line including an all new shoe the Agravic TT. Tom Louage, Global Sr. Product Director Footwear at Terrex presented the line up in a video call with RTR, and we have also had the opportunity to test and review the Speed Ultra 2, see below.
The 2026 Agravic line up:
The Agravic TT ($180, February release) arrives with slightly lower stack height, broader platform, and Lightstrike Pro / Lighstrike 3 combination midsole and a fingered rock plate.
The Argavic Speed Ultra 2 ($230, December release) sees a midsole foam and upper update.
The Agravic Speed 2 ($160, February release) loses weight through a new upper but remains unchanged underfoot.
Finally the Agravic 4 ($140, February release), the everyday trainer comes with a durable upper and a new softer Lightstrike 3 foam midsole.
The line up is coherent, priced appropriately in tiers and should cover the racing and training needs of a now broader range of trail runners, distances, and terrains.
We have had a chance to test the Speed Ultra 2 in the prototype colorway and share our initial thoughts below with a complete multi tester review soon and expect to be testing the others shortly. Our initial analysis of the other shoes in the line up follows the Speed Ultra 2 review.
adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra 2 ($230)
We first saw and received a sample of the Speed Ultra 2 at UTMB in the prototype colorway and have been able to test. The release color version is said to be identical in construction.
Best for: faster runners who midfoot strike consistently, and where more aggressive traction is required.
Stats
Spec Weight: Men’s 9.35 oz/ 265g US 9 : Women’s 230g
Sample Weight: 9 oz /256g US8.5
Stack Height: 44mm heel / 36mm forefoot, 8mm drop
Platform Width: 80mm heel / 50mm midfoot / 115mm forefoot
Outsole: Continental with 3-5mm lugs, almost full coverage
Midsole: Lightstrike Pro single density
Plate: Pebax plastic energy rods
Upper: breathable ripstop mono mesh
Price: $230 / 230 Euro
The Speed Ultra 2 is well named! It has a very narrow rear platform, far narrower than any of the other trail super shoes and especially so at midfoot where we are at a mere 50mm,
The geometry clearly favors a midfoot strike and faster paced running as the widest forefoot width is towards midfoot. It is not as heel striking friendly as the TT and Agravic 4 in the 2026 line up due to the narrow rear of the shoe which at 80mm heel and a mere 50mm midfoot is narrower than competitors such as the Rocket X Trail (100 mm heel / 85 mm midfoot / 125 mm forefoot) and upcoming Brooks Cascadia Elite (100 mm heel / 90 mm midfoot / 115 mm forefoot)
The ASU2’s spec weight of 9.35 oz/ 265g US 9 is 13g lighter than v1. The narrow platform of the Speed Ultra 2 assists in keeping the weight down while at the same time providing the copious and aggressive outsole.
We have an aggressive outsole with nearly full coverage Continental rubber with lugs I measure of varying heights from 3-5mm.
It is modified from v1 with broader contact lugs and fewer small ones for better wet rock contact and as I noted on smoother trails a less harsh ride although I actually found it a bit too grabby on dense small gravel.
The midsole and plastic Energy Rods carry forward with the same big 44mm heel / 36mm forefoot stack height and identical platform widths but.. in a A/B test run on road with version 1 the Speed Ultra 2 is clearly somewhat softer and more flexible with slightly more upper volume.
The foam is classic Lightstrike Pro foam and not the softer Pro 2 foam found in the road Adios Pro 4. Terrex tried that foam in prototypes but decided that the way to go was a softer version of the Pro foam in v1 with more density than v2 foam.
Quite frankly, I found v1 almost impossible for me to run too stiff too unstable at anything other than fast paces on smooth terrain, a more elite speedster for a few elites and others who could stay on their mid to forefoot for long distances and run with lots of power.
The V2 is definitely somewhat more flexible and with slightly softer foam these have been clear improvements over v1 for me. The Speed Ultra 2 is clearly now more “practical” and a lot of fun for me to run but still.. not so much back on the heels and at slower paces. And that's OK as Terrex now provides another option in the TT.
The shaky upper of v1, especially at the rear (where elites don’t dwell but us mere mortals do), is more supportive/secure and comfortable.
The lasting is changed to a broader fit, the laces are wider with the heel area is now supported by a slingshot overlay and more padding.
In terms of fit, my sample is an EU 41 ⅓ and also marked US9 so beware of sizing as my usual US8.5 is most often an EU 41 ⅓ and even EU42. In the ASU 1 my tester was marked US8.5 EU42 and I could have sized down due to shaky rear hold
Yes, the Speed Ultra 2 is the still the long distance speedster of the Terrex line up and more generally for trail super shoe choices for 2026.
The new Speed Ultra TT, while lower stack but with broader platform at midfoot, is likely to be a better choice for more technical terrain and mid pack paces. I still find ASU 2 less versatile than the On Cloudultra Pro and in my early impressions, the ACG Ultrafly 2. The Rocket X Trail is my the choice for long distance on gravel/ easy trails and the Brooks Cascadia Elite for forgiving cushion and stability noting its far broader midfoot platform. See my comparison review article here
Agravic TT ($180)
The Agravic TT arrives as lower stack height than the ASU 2, on a broader platform, with deeper traction, a stable dual foams midsole, less aggressive rocker and plating and I see it as the the new option for more technical terrain than most can handle in the Speed Ultra. At a spec. eight of 270g / 9.52 oz US9 it weighs the same as the Speed Ultra 1 did.
With a stack height of 39mm heel / 31mm forefoot it sits somewhat lower than the towering 44 heel / 36mm forefoot of the Speed Ultra 2.
Its midsole is a combination of the same Lightstrike Pro as in the Ultra 2, a broader fingered more plate like rock plate, with below the plate, a new Lightstrike 3 foam that is softer than prior Lightstrike foams, but denser than Pro foam, to provide stability and protection. Its rocker is less aggressive than the Speed Ultra’s very pronounced one
The outsole features Continental rubber in an aggressive 4-5mm pattern.
We see the TT as a practical and versatile all solid all around choice given its light weight for stack, more moderate geometry, stability and aggressive traction.
Agravic Speed 2
The Agravic Speed 2 is an upper update, and a significant one, as the new upper reduces the shoe’s weight 20g to 220g / 7.76 oz US9 so it should compete very nicely in the faster and shorter racing and training category with shoes such as the Salomon S/Lab Pulsar 4, Merrell Long Sky and NNormal Kjerag.
With a stack height of 35mm heel and 27 mm forefoot the combination of Lightstrike Pro inner core and Lightstrike 2 is still substantial. The platform widths remain unchanged.
The upper is the same mono mesh as in the Speed Ultra 2 and it too features the same new rear “slingshot” hold overlay.
The outsole is unchanged with Continental rubber and 3-4mm lugs
We can’t wait to wind the Speed 2 up! The Speed 1 was held up by its plasticky rigid upper and shakier than ideal hold. With the new mono mesh upper and slingshot hold, as already experienced in the same materials upper of the Speed Ultra 2, the Speed 2 should be improved such that the upper keeps up with its lively, fast and fun platform but testing will tell!
Agravic 4 ($140)
The Agravic 4 is the daily training more classic trail shoe in the collection and a very reasonably priced one at $140.
With a 36mm heel / 28mm forefoot stack height and a spec weight of 260g / 9.17 oz in a US9, its weight is very reasonable for its stack height.
It features the new softer Lightstrike 3 foam in its single density midsole and has a woven mesh layer between the midsole and outsole for rock protection.
Its dense debris resistant upper is said to be softer and more comfortable than previous versions with hold and stability maintained,
The outsole is Continental rubber with 4-5mm lugs (confirming).
Light weight, softer foam, big traction, great pricing the Agravic 4 should be a solid all arounder for training and even racing.
We hope to have multi tester reviews of all the Agravic 2026 shoes soon.
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2025 Sam’s 54th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:43 range. if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Park City, Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
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7 comments:
Yay! Great article, all these updates look impressive
Does anyone even proofread this stuff anymore?
These pictures are awful—they should never have gone up and definitely need to be redone.
To the other Anon, lighten up on the photos. Pretty easy to tell that many of them are from a webcam discussion/presentation, so not going to get much better. Thanks RTR team for these sneak peeks!! The weights on these updates are insane, but I will hold judgement upon review of durability/longevity. The price on the TT is super surprising. Adidas could easily charge $200+ ($225 for the Prodigio Pro), and it's great to see them maintain some decent affordability, given the tech involved (still can't believe Nike is charging $170 for the Kiger 10!!). Lineup seems like a home run all around for Adidas.
@rms
“Offended by everything, Ashamed of nothing, Entitled to everything, Contributing nothing"
I just got a pair of the new version of the Speed Ultras and I am disgusted with the net changes. My size 13’s gained 23grams in the same size and they now fit about a full size shorter than the current ASU’s. The padding in the heel and collar area is a clear improvement. They extended the front laces very far forward in the shoe, which add weight and seems unnecessary. The tongue is much improved with modest padding. Only having tried them on inside, I can’t speak to how they will run, but I like the upper material of the current ASU better. The new material is much less breathable. With the changes to the sizing I am going to return them. If the current version of the ASU’s work for you, the new model is going to fit substantially different. Time to stock up on more of the current version.
These gained weight pretty substantially. You guys must be regurgitating (false) marketing info and not checking yourself. Bummer! But at least there are some other reviewers who do actually check easy things like a shoe’s weight.
The item regarding weight is simple maths - There is a weight saving on the sample size (as published by Adidas) which is due to the savings in the upper to combat the increased weight in the outsole. However the larger size you go this weight ratio will change and the weight saving of the upper will not compensate for the increased extra outsole.
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