Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo Review

Comfort and Fit

The Metaspeed Sky Tokyo has a very obvious and logical performance focus. It's designed to go fast, at the expense of comfort. The upper is pared down drastically, featuring an extremely lightweight and stiff material that provides excellent lockdown. The tongue is very lightly padded, but more than adequate to prevent lace rub on the tops of our feet. The Metaspeed continues to feature ribbed shoelaces, which we think should be a standard feature of every shoe on the market. They're easy to handle and never slip, even when you're tying your shoes with cold and numb fingers.

At the top of the heel, there is a thin section of lightly padded knit material to prevent Achilles rub. Unfortunately, we still experienced some rubbing in this area when we were wearing thin socks. Wearing a thicker pair mitigated the issue, but we wonder if the overall snug fit of the shoe is the real problem, and it can't be solved with a different sock.

The stiff upper materials do a good job of providing support and keeping you on top of the midsole foam, but our feet were pretty snug in these shoes. They were so snug that we would recommend ordering a pair in your usual size and a half size up, keeping whichever pair fits best.

We think the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo runs a little short for size. We noticed our toes hit the front of the shoe far more often than usual. The Metaspeed is also extremely snug on the foot. The toe box is narrow, although it does provide a decent amount of vertical volume. As a result, we experienced some rubbing on the outside of our pinky toes on both feet, where the toe was pressed against the wall of the upper. We eventually found a sock and lacing combination that didn't cause rubbing, but this is an uncommon issue and worth consideration. It's easily attributable to the width and shape of the toe box. Other users have reported the same problem. From the toe box back, the shoe remains snug. The midfoot is narrow, as is the heel.

A snug and simple upper makes sense on a racing shoe, but we think this particular model fits a little tighter than snug. A half size up would have likely resolved most of our complaints.

Cushioning

The Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is a shoe designed to help you cross the finish line of a marathon as quickly as possible. Leg-saving foam is a big part of this equation. The new Metaspeed is noticeably more cushioned than the previous version, particularly at the forefoot, where there is ample protection. Our legs felt (relatively) fantastic at the end of a hard 20-mile workout in these shoes.

This is a shoe designed for running at maximum speed. It feels pretty unstable and awkward at slower paces, and we don't recommend it for anything other than hard running.

The midsole consists of two layers of foam. The top layer is Asics' FF Turbo Plus, and the bottom layer is a new foam, FF Leap. The new foam is lighter, bouncier, and feels softer. In total, we measured a stack height of 39 mm at the heel, with a 6mm heel-to-toe drop. There's a lot underfoot, and we felt it when we landed. The shoe compresses well under weight, but it quickly rebounds when we push off the ground.

The drawback to the new foam combo is the lack of stability. The Metaspeed feels softer underfoot, which also makes the shoe feel wobbly. We don't think this shoe is a great choice for runners who need support and stability during their long, hard efforts. However, the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is a very fast shoe. It's excellent for keeping a fast pace over a long period of time. The aggressive geometry and explosive foam help keep your legs rolling deep into hard efforts. Assuming there are no issues with fit, we think the cushioning makes this one of the best choices for racing long distances.

Breathability

The Metaspeed Sky Tokyo offers impressive breathability, as a racing-centric shoe should. It's one of the most breathable shoes we've tested, thanks to the Asics MotionWrap 3.0 materials. Basically, it's a single layer of highly perforated mesh you can almost see through.

As a result, these shoes have no issues on the hottest days, and when paired with a good sock, our feet stayed dry even on the hardest efforts.

Traction

We were impressed by the grip of the ASICSGRIP outsole rubber. It easily bites on cold, wet pavement, even without noticeable siping or lugs.

However, the lack of lugs means this shoe doesn't have the best traction on non-paved surfaces. Our tester ran a cross-country race in them and regretted not choosing something with a little more grip. On the other hand, the outsole is surprisingly durable, lasting far longer than many other racing shoes.

Should You Buy the Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo?

If your main goal is performance, and you want an extremely fast shoe for race day, then yes, you should seriously consider the Metaspeed. It combines design features that make it one of the best choices for running fast. It offers incredible cushioning while remaining phenomenally lightweight. If none of those things sound like the most important consideration to you, then we think you might want to consider a slightly less race-focused model that provides more comfort and stability.

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