Asics Gel FujiTrabuco 7

Asics Gel FujiTrabuco 7: A premium trail shoe which shows you can have too much of a good thing

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As befits a shoe sitting at the top of Asics' trail range, the Gel FujiTrabuco 7 showcases the full repertoire of Asics’ cutting edge technology.

There’s more of everything: cushioning, stability and comfort along with a new outsole featuring, you’ve guessed it, more grip.

If this sounds like a top of the line plush road trainer, well that’s not wide of the mark. Asics certainly seem to be taking attributes that will work well on the road and replicating them in the FujiTrabuco 7.

Everything is topped off by a highly protective upper and the FujiTrabuco 7 gets a new aggressive outsole. On paper at least, a bit more of everything appears to be the formula for the perfect trail shoe, but is it? 

Upper

The upper has been designed with durability and stability as a priority. Any mesh is kept to a minimum and confined to the toe box. The midfoot is constructed entirely from synthetic overlays.

As a result, the upper is very supportive but heavy and not especially breathable. The lack of mesh also means that once the shoe gets wet, it takes longer than average to dry out. 

Pretty much everything is well padded. The tongue is thick and extends adequately above the laces. It offers good protection and has a handy little lace garage at the top to store away excess laces.

The FujiTrabuco 7 has a slightly unusual variation on a gusseted tongue: there’s a stretchy layer of mesh which lies over the top of the tongue rather than either side.

It’s a decent solution to stopping grit entering the shoe. However, it’s the only part of the upper that isn’t particularly robust and I suspect this may rip over time. 

The ankle cuff is thick and cushioned and sits just below the ankle.

The Achilles support is especially good with a perfect mix of comfort and support and sitting at the ideal height. The heel is heavily reinforced with a thick internal and firm external heel counter.  

Fit

The FujiTrabuco 7 fits true to size, so order as normal. It is fairly wide through to the MTP joints with a squarish toe box which has got a bit of wiggle room laterally.

Things are a little snug vertically, but not uncomfortable. It’s the sort of fit that will suit most people and is good for an everyday trainer and longer distance running.

The lacing is conventional but quite widely spaced and because the laces tend to slip back a little through the eyelets, it can be tricky to cinch the midfoot down for a locked-in fit. 

The midfoot is well wrapped by the extensive overlays and the heel fit is good and kept stable on impact by the reinforced heel counter.

The end result is that the foot is encased in a very protective upper, but one which is stiff and rather restrictive: think more hiking shoe than a slipper.

Midsole

The ‘more is more’ theme continues with extra cushioning provided by both an EVA insole and SpEVA lasting.

These combine to provide the Asics Gel FujiTrabuco with comfortable and plush step-in and gives that extra softness to the initial foot landing which many runners will enjoy.

Asics have utilized their ‘Gel’ insert in the heel only, the forefoot is solely reliant on the EVA Flytefoam Lyte, more on this later. The stack height is stated at 20mm at the heel and 12mm at the toe, I assume this refers to the midsole only; once the insole, lasting and outsole are taken into account it seems considerably more cushioned than on paper.

The 8mm drop feels about right and along with the bias towards heel cushioning the FujiTrabuco 7 accommodates heel strikers best. The broad base distributes the force on impact improving the cushioning.

The outsole

The outsole has been newly designed for the FujiTrabuco 7 using the ‘Asics Grip’: a chunky multidirectional grip with 4-6mm deep lugs. There is full outsole coverage with a firm rubber which is ever so slightly sticky.

The three dark T shaped lines visible in the forefoot are unfortunately not there to improve flexibility but are instead glimpses of the rock plate.

The FujiTrabuco 7 is in fact very stiff, the only flex point is about the MTP joint, and there is virtually no torsional flexibility. 

Performance

If you were picking the Asics Gel FujiTrabuco out in your local running store so far so good: lots of cushioning, support, great grip and tough enough to kick your way through a dry stone wall. There has to be a downside doesn’t there?

Well, there’s no denying the FujiTrabuco 7 is a supportive shoe. The Asics Duomax technology in the midsole is a denser wedge of midsole ‘sponge’ set at a 35-degree angle which helps control inward rolling. In my book, this makes it a medial post in all but name.

The Duomax isn’t particularly obtrusive but will add some extra weight. The foot is securely held by the upper and the hefty construction to the rear reduces rotation of the heel on landing. 

If you’re new to trail running, you may be glad to see familiar support features from your road shoes: stiff heel cup, wide base, medial posting. It is worth at this point reflecting that on a trail, your foot is repeatedly landing on a much more varied surface than flat pavement.

Features that might ‘stabilise’ your gait on an even surface can be problematic off road, especially the more uneven or soft the ground is.

Instead of a shoe that provides the consistent platform, you want a shoe that adapts to the uneven terrain. In my opinion, any form of medial posting has no place in general-purpose trail shoes.

The exception might include running on exclusively flat, hard terrain: of course this is a moot point as the Fuji Trabuco’s outsole is intended for varied terrain. 

The cushioning is soft in the heel. If you have already been running in the Asics Gel range, this will be a familiar ride. This set up works well to reduce the impact as the heel strikes, especially with the secure heel support.

If your foot strikes further forward, then sadly you miss out on this cushioning altogether. The mid and forefoot strike relies on the Flytefoam Lyte which is much less inspiring. In fact, it’s rather solid and unresponsive.

Again, it’s worth taking a moment to think about this: even the most inveterate heel strikers are going to land further forward on their foot a good proportion of the time on the trail, therefore, bypassing the gel in the heel.

Over longer distances you’ll be relying more and more on the forefoot midsole, the result is the FujiTrabuco 7 feels heavy and clunky.

Fair enough, this isn’t a lightweight speedy shoe, and the emphasis is towards cushioning the landing rather than picking up the pace, but the lack of responsiveness is frustrating.

Added to this, there is very little ground feel at all. While some will appreciate this protective feeling, the loss of proprioceptive feedback is dismaying. 

It’s difficult to construct an outsole configuration that will cope with everything, but this is something the versatile Fujitrabuco does well. The broad-based lugs excel on most trail surfaces, particularly softer terrain. It’s decent on uneven, rocky surfaces - thanks to the fairly sticky rubber.

The only surface I found the Fujitrabuco 7 struggled on was gritty loose trails where it was prone to skidding. The deeper lugs aren’t ideal on tarmac, but adequate for short distances road to trail and do tend to clog up easily with mud.

Conclusion

Is the Fuji Trabuco 7 going to set the world alight? Well no, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Asics Gel Fuji Trabuco 7 is that solid workhorse of a shoe which is going to suit a lot of people most of the time and you can trample over just about anything in your way providing you’re happy not to feel it under your feet. 

All the extra technology packed into the Fuji Trabuco 7 does indeed provide the promised ‘maximum protection, comfort, and grip’.

Nevertheless, seasoned trail runners will find the concessions required for these additional features, namely sensitivity, weight, pace and agility, a hard pill to swallow. Next time a little less of everything will create a more accomplished shoe.

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Asics Gel FujiTrabuco 7 – My current top choice for trail running

I signed up for the local Arber Ultratrail run that will happen this year. It features a 1500 meter of altitude change during a 41-kilometer competition.

I tested some trail running shoes during the preparation period. Aside from the Asics Gel FujiTrabuco 7, I also run with the New Balance Fresh Foam Gobi v3 and the Asics Fujirado.

But among those shoe models, I chose the Trabuco 7 as my competition shoe. In this review, I will share with you why I chose it.

Appearance

Yep, the appearance is really a plus in my point of view. Its white-red laces remind me of shoes that I can wear with the famous Bavarian lederhosen. It would be an excellent fit.

Great work, Asics. Well done!

Run and Feel

For a trail running shoe, it is all about traction, stability, and comfort. These features are essential because I will wear the shoes for more than 5 hours on the said run.

Traction

To be straightforward, I found no terrain where traction was not efficient enough—gravel roads, steep inclines, downhill—you name it. I have nothing negative to mention in this section at all.

The lugs on the rubber outsole are multidirectional and don't pick up small stones, which is a great plus. This occurrence is one downside of other shoes like some of the On Cloud brand.

Stability and Protection

Now, stability and protection are the most important specifications for a trail running shoe. Without proper protection and stability, it is simply way too dangerous to run under challenging trails.

Let's begin with protection. The most crucial feature is the rock plate protection that enables you to run over very rocky surfaces unharmed.

Asics left nothing unanswered with the Trabuco 7. It has very solid protection, and you won't feel the sharp stones at all.

That brings us to stability. Trail running shoes have to be very stable to protect the runner from twisting their ankles that cause ligament injuries.

The Trabuco is doing an outstanding job here as well. I was never worried about twisting my ankle during my runs.

Weight/Drop

As indicated on the Asics website, the shoe has a weight of roughly 360 grams and a drop of 8 millimeters. The good thing is I didn't feel the weight as disturbing.

The Asics Fujirado is roughly the same weight. The 8 millimeter is also quite average in my opinion.

Fit/Size

I ordered the shoes in the same size as all my other running shoes, and it fits just fine. They seem to be true to size.

Summary

There are not many negative points that I can say about this shoe. They feature everything that a trail runner needs and even more.

The only question is if there will be a lot of buyers due to the lack of trail runners in the running section and the highly competitive market.

But, be aware that these shoes are not designed for running on tarmac. Maybe use a car or a bike if you don't have direct access to some gravel roads or trails.

Running on the tarmac with these shoes is no fun at all.

Recommendation:

Are you a hardcore trail runner? I am not talking about an occasional run on a gravel road, but the real stuff.

If your answer is yes and you want to buy a new trail running shoe, my recommendation is to go with the Asics Gel FujiTrabuco 7. I am convinced by what the Asics guys delivered here.

In fact, I am not sure how they can even improve the next iteration. Good job, Asics!

Pros:

- Nice coloring
- Excellent protection
- Very durable – even after some difficult terrain runs you can't see any wear or tear on the shoe
- Agile for a trail running shoe

Cons:

- If you have to cover some tarmac to get to your trail, keep the distance as minimal as possible.
- The rebound feature that Asics claims as part of the shoes could not be spotted