Test of Asics Gel Trabuco 12 W trail running shoes (women)

Test video summary

My summary

How do I use the Asics Gel Trabuco 12?

Asics’ flagship model, the Trabuco is probably one of the most popular trail shoes! The Asics Trabuco 12 is a versatile trail shoe, ideal for medium to long distances thanks to a good balance between comfort, dynamism and cushioning. Suitable for all types of terrain. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a lighter shoe with a lower drop, more suited to Asics’ shorter distances, look no further than the Fuji Lite 5 W.

Features

• Drop: 8mm
• Stack to heel: approx. 35mm (as measured by us)
• Weight: 280g in size 40.5 (according to our scale)
• Stud thickness: 5mm (as measured by us)
• Pronation: neutral
• Carbon plate: no

Our full test of the Asics Trabuco 12 W (Women’s)

Comfort

Here’s one of the shoe’s strong points in my opinion: its comfort. When you put them on, you immediately feel really good inside, thanks to the soft foam inside: you almost forget that these are shoes made for running!

In my opinion, the generous fit is pleasant, since it’s generally snug but a little wider at the front of the shoe. Some may find this a little too wide, but I like to have room for my toes while feeling relatively supported in the middle of my foot.

I also like the well-padded tongue, which adds comfort. This doesn’t prevent me from lacing the shoes as I wish. A little plus is the elastic loop that lets the laces slip through, so they don’t come undone along the way. I don’t double-knot thanks to this system, which avoids a pressure point that sometimes bothers me on other trail shoe models.

At the back of the foot, padded foam is also present, which is comfortable. The back of the shoe, with a heel cup, rides up a little on the ankle without being excessive, and offers support that I find pleasant. It takes a little effort to get the shoe on (the loop at the back helps!), but once you’re in, you’re in!

At first, I was just a little perturbed by the heel height, which is quite high (around 35mm). It has to be said that the whole sole is quite thick and I’m used to lower drops. At first, I felt a bit “perched”, but the sensation quickly dissipated as I ran, and I didn’t have to worry about twisted ankles (although I’m prone to them).

Weight

In terms of weight, this shoe is a little heavy, which you feel when you put it on, but I found that you quickly forget about it in action, as the weight is well distributed and the shoe is quite dynamic.

Amortization

The shoe’s cushioning is excellent, both front and rear, thanks to its high-performance shock-absorbing foam and integrated gel in the heel. The midsole of the Asics Trabuco 12 features FF Blast foam, renowned for its cushioning and dynamic properties. This quality of cushioning guarantees long-lasting comfort, ideal for extended training sessions (and ultras, I hear, but I haven’t tested it for you!).

Dynamism

In keeping with its versatility, the dynamism of the Asics Trabuco 12 is just right. There’s a good relaunch and a pleasant roll-off, even if the model is clearly not designed for high speeds. It will suit you well if you’re looking for a good compromise between cushioning and responsiveness.

Stability

As I said above, despite the heel height being a bit disturbing at first, I didn’t feel any instability and didn’t have any ankle twisting problems, which happens to me regularly. I didn’t, but I’ve read that the generous volume at the front can be a little unsettling for runners with thin feet or on steep descents. As far as I’m concerned, the stability of the Asics Trabuco 12 is really good.

Hook

This is also one of the things that won me over with these shoes. The Asicsgrip sole, with its 5mm multidirectional lugs (by my measurement), offers excellent grip, whatever the terrain (except on wet rocks, like almost all shoes that said…). I tested them on dry ground, in the mud at my home in Alsace and on the stony ground at the Calvi-Balagne trail station, and had no trouble at all with grip.

Protection

The shoe has a stone guard that I found effective, even if it seems visually relatively unobtrusive at first glance. As someone with a razor-sharp stride, I’m the queen of hitting rocks on my trail outings (although I have to admit that I didn’t have too many of those on my tests of these shoes).

What’s more, the fact that the shoe comes up a little at the back and is fairly close to the ankle prevents things from getting into the shoe.

Conclusion

The Asics Trabuco 12 W trail shoes are really good all-rounders, suitable for many runners!