adidas adizero Terrex Agravic SL Review
adidas adizero Terrex Agravic SL
Snapshot
The adidas Terrex Agravic SL is a delightful mashup of the highly popular Evo SL road shoe and the dashingly rugged Agravic Speed Ultra. It's a trail shoe made to handle a wide variety of training runs and terrain, with a full bed of Lightstrike Pro foam, a reliable lug pattern of Continental rubber, and an efficient rocker shape for smooth strides. For our testers, this shoe is a trail runner's dream come true!
- Well-rounded shoe for a variety of trail runs
- High-value Lightstrike Pro cushioning
- Excellent fit and outsole grip
- Upper could be slightly more pliable for longer runs
- Weight could be a hair lighter
Shoe Specs
- WeightMen's: 9.9 oz | 281 g
Women's: 8.9 oz | 252 g - Heel Stack37 mm
- Forefoot Stack31 mm
- Heel Toe Offset6 mm
- SizingTrue to Size
The adidas Terrex Agravic SL is for you if...
- You want a fun, energetic trail shoe that hits the sweet spot for the majority of your training miles
- You’re an all-around trail runner looking for a shoe that can handle a wide variety of paces, terrain, and conditions with confidence
- You’ve been caught up in the adizero Evo SL craze and want the same experience on the trails
What is the adidas Terrex Agravic SL made for?
If you're an avid trail runner, you may be familiar with adidas' Terrex Agravic shoe lineup, which consists of several models of trail running shoes that cater to different distances, paces, and terrains. Historically, we have the Agravic for everyday trail, the Agravic TT for technical terrain, the Agravic Speed for uptempo training or sub-ultra racing, and the Agravic Speed Ultra for ultra-distance events.
And, unless you’ve been living under a rock (rather than just running on them), you may have heard of the road shoe that took the running world by storm: the adidas adizero Evo SL. Soft, light, and versatile, these shoes have been spotted on feet everywhere, from daily training and workout runs to TikTok trends and a night on the town.
Now, Adidas has dared to combine these concepts by introducing the Terrex Agravic SL, an off-road super trainer with a responsive and versatile experience. It's got a full bed of Lightstrike Pro foam in a smooth rocker shape, with a nylon midfoot shank to stabilise while maintaining some flexibility. The Continental rubber outsole features grippy lugs ranging from 3.5 to 4 mm in depth, and the breathable mesh upper has TPU reinforcements for durability and structure.
We like to think of it as a rugged cousin to the Evo SL, affixing itself in the Terrex Agravic lineup as an energetic daily trail runner. After taking these out on the trails, we were very happy with how these shoes performed, and have only a few small notes for how this shoe could be even better.
Our Breakdown
Performance
The Agravic SL performed well as a super trainer for our variety of trail runs. You want to go kind of far? This works. You want to go a little faster? This works. Starting on rocky terrain and finishing on the roads? This is your shoe. And at about 280grams, it’s a good weight for the package you get.
It’s a fun, well-rounded go-to for daily trail running. It feels energetic when we pick up the pace, fades comfortably into the background when cruising, and gives us confidence in more technical trail sections. We were happy with the traction and lug depth on the outsole, and didn't experience any issues there.
While not as fast as a true race-day shoe, or as plush as a max-cushion shoe, it offers a great middle ground between them—quick, comfortable, and confident. In fact, Becky noted she would personally consider wearing it for a race because it has a bouncy midsole and works well for her at faster and slower paces.
I feel confident running down steep hills, powering up climbs, and running flat fast sections during my long runs. When I wear them, I end up running faster just because of the foam/rocker combination.
If you found the Agravic Speed Ultra to be too unstable or aggressive for you, the Agravic SL has a wider base that gives you more stability and confidence. These geometries worked well for a majority of our testers. For Billy, he is used to running in shoes that are slightly narrower, so this wide base took him some getting used to—but after the first few kilometres, he found his flow and completely forgot it had ever been an issue.
Comfort
Overall, the Agravic SL is very comfortable. The midsole cushioning is sitting in the Goldilocks region—not too much cushion or stack, but not too little. We were excited see how all that Lightstrike Pro foam felt, and it did not disappoint. It’s lightweight, bouncy, and makes for a fun experience to run in. It does feel more stable than the Evo SL, and not quite as squishy-soft, which is great for more technical terrain.
The upper has a nicely accommodating fit (more on this in the Fit section), and a plush, nicely padded heel collar. The tongue has strategically zoned padding—Erik enjoyed this and felt that it kept the upper from feeling overbuilt. Becky, however, found the tongue to be too thin for her liking, and also wished that the mesh material in the upper was a bit softer.
Billy, for the most part, found the shoes to work comfortably for him, with the cushioning feeling particularly forgiving in the heel. He noted that the front regions of his feet felt mildly battered after some higher mileage, which may indicate too-shallow squish/protection in the front of the shoe for some.
I felt the shoes were quite comfortable; everything I'd expect from a fun, energetic, daily trail runner. This is not the plushest shoe I've run in, but it does offer a fair bit of forgiveness.
Fit
Out of the box, the Agravic SL fit and felt great. They run true to size, with a surprisingly accommodating width that will work well for a variety of foot types. While we wouldn’t call them noticeably wide, the overall internal volume and width make the shoe unobtrusive, even if your foot reacts to heat, and kilometres, with a bit of swelling. For our wider-footed runners, this is a breath of fresh air after the lower-volume experience in some other shoes in the Terrex lineup.
A number of previous adidas Terrex models had a narrow midfoot and low-volume feel. I feel the fit of this model will be more agreeable for a wider variety of people.
The upper felt both unobtrusive and secure, molding well to our feet without pressing or creating hot spots. After many kilometres, we unanimously experienced no hotspots or issues on a variety of runs and conditions.
Comparison
adidas adizero Terrex Agravic SL vs. Nnormal Kjerag 02
"The Kjerag 02 is a more nimble shoe than the Agravic SL, better suited to be worn for fast and technical runs or races. The midfoot fit is more secure and snug, with an overall lower volume. The foam of the Agravic SL is softer and feels more substantial, and has a notable rocker.
I’d choose the Kjerag 02 when I want better ground feel, and am worried about precise footing and navigating technical terrain. I’d choose the Agravic SL for smooth terrain and less technical trails, when I want more comfort and a livelier feeling underfoot." -Becky
"I much preferred the SL to the Kjerag largely due to the fit. Although a good shoe, Nnormal’s offering was shaped in a fashion that didn’t play well with my feet. In comparison, the SL’s shape and upper made them a fabulously comfortable experience. I’ll give the Kjerag a slight edge on traction, but preferred the quick feel, and comfort, and all-around awesomeness of the adidas." -Billy
Spec Comparison
| Model | adidas adizero Terrex Agravic SL | Nnormal Kjerag 02 |
| Weight | Men's: 9.9 oz | 281 g Women's: 8.9 oz | 252 g | Unisex: 8.1 oz | 230 g |
| Heel Stack | 37 mm | 29 mm |
| Forefoot Stack | 31 mm | 23 mm |
| Heel Toe Offset | 6 mm | 6 mm |
| Price | $269.95 | $329.95 |
| Best For | Daily Trail Running, Easy and Faster Paces | Sub-Ultra Trail Race Distances |
| Shoe Type | Daily Trainer Trail | Performance Trail | Sub-Ultra |
Individual Thoughts
Like many, I love the adidas adizero Evo SL. The Evo SL had a reputation of being a lighter-weight shoe that could handle a variety of paces and workouts. I would take that shoe out for some great runs and routinely hit some sections of trails, wishing I had a very similar shoe that was built for the trails.
Enter the new Terrex Agravic SL. The newest edition to the Evo SL and Agravic families, the Agravic SL hits all the high points I want for a well-rounded super trainer built for the trails. This shoe fulfilled the promise of what could happen with the proper blending of the Evo SL and Agravic DNA.
With over 75 miles of training on my pair so far I didn’t notice any early wear to the outsole or issues with the upper. The shoe is well constructed and durable without being over-built.
My only thought is I’d like to see 0.2-0.3 ounces taken off for future versions. The outsole is very durable with the Continental rubber. It could probably be minimized a touch for an even overall lighter experience.
| 's Breakdown | |
| Performance | 9 |
| Comfort | 9.5 |
| Fit | 10 |
| Overall | 9.5 |
The Evo SL is one of my all time favorite lightweight trainers for road. Adidas took that concept and tweaked it to work on trails. As someone who has worn the Evo SL for some trail runs and a backyard ultra event, I am thrilled to have a trail companion to the Evo SL.
Overall, adidas nailed this first version of the Agravic SL. I’d love to be able to wear the Agravic Speed Ultra, but I am not efficient enough with my gait, and it ends up being too aggressive of a rocker and too narrow of a base, leaving me feeling unstable. The Agravic SL has a wider base and the foam feels a little less squishy/squirrely than the Evo SL.
The only ask I have is that the upper gets tweaked for v2 to something a little softer/more pliable, to enhance the overall experience once the runs extends beyond a couple of hours.
| 's Breakdown | |
| Performance | 10 |
| Comfort | 8 |
| Fit | 9 |
| Overall | 9 |
I really like these shoes. They are quick and fun with no tricks or gimmicks. They're just shoes that lend themselves well to daily trail runs, and otherwise feel natural enough to more or less fade into the background. They’re fast when you want them to be, unobtrusive when you’re just enjoying the scenery, and confidently planted when you don’t feel like falling off rocks or sliding feet first over the trailside.
For my purposes and mileage, they fall into an ideal category: just a shoe that you can grab for most anything and be confident they’ll be up to the task. I would also easily reach for these if I were running a shorter trail race.
| 's Breakdown | |
| Performance | 9 |
| Comfort | 8 |
| Fit | 9 |
| Overall | 9 |
