November 18

MERRELL AGILITY PEAK FLEX 4: ULTRA TRAIL SHOE, WITH VIBRAM MEGAGRIP SOLE.

Posted by Héctor Rubio on November 18, 2020 in trail running gear, trail running spain | Leave a comment

MERRELL AGILITY PEAK FLEX 4: Ultra trail shoe, with Vibram Megagrip sole. The fourth version comes with many changes. It maintains its philosophy of comfortable shoe for long running and well protected. And details for better balance: 6mm drop, 5mm lugs, lighten the weight to 290gr and more… It will arrive in stores in February 2021.

The Merrell Agility Peak Flex 4 arrives with a 140€ recommended price. If it manages to correct the problems of soles ripping off from 2019, it could be a shoe of great interest.

Merrell Agility Peak Flex 4. Photo: Ernest Colell.

MERREL AGILITY PEAK FLEX 4. ANANYSIS BY MAYAYO.

The MERRELL TRAIL 2021 saga comes with five pillars. Agility Peak 4, Moab Flight, Skyfire Race Day, MTL Longsky and Skyfire. Bring three new features for your mountain races, namely: The Agility Peak Flex 4, a revamped version of the ultra running house’s shoe. The new Merrell Skyfire Race Day to compete and the newly introduced Moab Flight, heritage of the Moab family, bestseller trekking shoe. Complete the MTL Long Sky and MTL Skyfire range with new colors and the Merrell Skyfire OCR for orientation racing. Today we go with the details of the house flagship, whose third iteration left a bittersweet taste to many fans last year because of the durability problems in the sole.

MERRELL AGILITY PEAK FLEX 4: NEWS 2021.

The Merrrell Agility Peak Flex launches its 4th edition, completely renovated. It maintains its philosophy of being a comfortable shoe with which to run long and well protected, from the forest trails to the technical paths. It has a 6mm drop, 5mm lugss and incorporates a support for the legging. This model is available in 3 colors for men and 2, in the specific womens model. At the size level, they range from number 40 to 51 in men and from 36 to 43 in women. Its weight is 290 grams for size 43EU and the recommended price is 140€.

It comes with a new tongue and new FloatPro foam midsole, which according to the brand is thicker for longer life, but much lighter. The fact sheet talks about savings of 40 grams, no less. A huge advance that will be validated on the ground. It keeps its FlexConnect technology in the chassis, seeking to better fit the foot and footsteps at the time of running. It also maintains a Vibram MegaGrip sole, which we hope from this version not to have the problems of the previous one, where some of the strokes were ripped off in strong lateral twists. If this is resolved, the shoe has a reliable traction, both dry and on wet ground.

MERRELL AGILITY PEAK FLEX: EVOLUTION 2017-2021.

In 2017 we launched the new Merrell Agility range. It departed with improved traction, with new redesign of sole and prominent lugs, combined with lightweight materials mounted on a chassis that offered remarkable cushioning and specific reinforcements for foot clamping and stability. The whole set had been christened by the brand as the “Flex Connect” design based on these three pillars, as you can see below.

The first Merrell Agility were two: The Merrell Agility Charge Flex as a paths and trails shoe and the Merrell Agility Peak Flex as its most rocky companion, which for this reason seemed of particular interest to us when opening up new the ground for the brand.

In my case, I ran very and well with that shoe that I have worn at ease for two seasons, being its weak point without a doubt the grip of the sole in wet rock and its durability when stepping on sharp and aggressive rock. The second iteration had some minor improvements of no special interest.

In 2019 with the Agility Peak Flex the brand sought to take a step forward… that didn’t work. The various improvements implemented were obscured by the sole problems. The famous “claw” of the Vibram sole was not well topped and caused strong lateral twists to tear off pieces of rubber, leaving the shoe useless in some cases. Now, let’s go with details of this Merrell Agility Peak 4.

TECHNICAL SHEET MERRELL AGILIY PEAK FLEX 4.

Type of use: Shoes for medium and long running on trails and technical terrain
Cover: TPU fabric, mesh and upper
Merrell FLEXconnect Damping: EVA double-directional EVA midsole with flexible groove for agility and stability on uneven terrain. Tuned by Laser.
5mm lugs: Prominent tacos, which will help us in the mud but do not bother on firm ground. They lower 1mm compared to the previous year, seeking a better balance. Strong point, already demonstrated in all previous versions.
Vibram Mega grip sole. A reliable compound for rock and wet terrain, trail protect anti-theft plate for finishing. Narrow and tall, the sole barely adds 10.5cm in front and 8.5mm in front which is appreciated for a more agile running but forces you to tread more accurately.. and be attentive to the ankle if you don’t have a fine technique.
Drop 6mm. A balanced drop between having more and better touch, maintaining a wide cushioning for when by tiredness or low technique we start to heel. Shoe therefore for agile and cushioned running many kilometers.
Weight: 290 grams (43EUR Masc.) A significant saving, about 332 grams of the previous version.
Available versions: There are three colors for men and two in the specific model of woman. At the size level, they range from number 40 to 51 in men and from 36 to 43 in women