I was sent a pair of the Salomon Grvl Concept Unisex Running Shoes to run the Gravelanza 5-mile race in Los Angeles gratis. I didn't have to review them, but I honestly wanted to. I'm generally more of a road runner, but I do some trail running, and let's just say my road shoes don't translate. However, the Grvl Concept have shifted my focus to multi-surface shoes.
There is only one colorway (which is luckily great with everything if you care about such things). That's really my only issue. These shoes are really different from anything I've worn before. First, these have energyBLADE carbon plates for spring, and I wasn't expecting them to be as springy as they are. I wear a lot of carbon plate shoes, and the Grvl Concept stand up against all of them. There is a ton of bounce, and while running this very hilly race, my ankles and calves never got tired the way they usually do. They also have a ton of cushion, and while I love a bit of softness, that isn't generally what you expect in trail shoes. However, I could feel the ground perfectly. I never felt like my feet were away from the surface, or that I couldn't judge what I was running on. In fact, they felt more stable than most trail shoes I've tried. I also used them while training on the road, and they're just as comfortable if not more so than they are on the trail. The soles are dual-layer energyFOAM+, and really lightweight and responsive. Even better is the fact that the outsole has a great grip, but no holes for gravel to get stuck. I mean, I checked the second I crossed the finish line. Not a single stone, rock, or tiny piece of anything.
I also love the fact that these have a mini-gaiter, which keeps the rocks out of your socks. I assumed this would mean something stiff that you have to wear with long socks. (Friends, I am Gen X, and I do wear shorter socks. Sue me.) You don't. They're soft and flexible, and fine against a bare ankle. However, the laces are my favorite part. There is a quickLACE Neo system, which has a clip, so you never have to tie them. You pull the locking clip back, and then tuck the tip of the lace loop into the slot toward the front of the shoe. It's super easy, and they never move a centimeter. You guys, I kind of got hooked on that, and when I had to go back and tie the laces for the shoes I'm currently testing, I was pretty bummed!
The Gravelanza race was in Griffith Park (you can see my review here), and as someone who used to hike at least six miles there almost every day for years, I know how dicey the trails can be sometimes. While the course was really well-maintained, I did run up to and around the Old Zoo area as a warmup, and that isn't the most stable surface. I never felt like I was going to turn an ankle in these shoes, and again, I was very aware of what was under my feet, without feeling like I was running on cardboard outsoles as I do in some trail shoes. I'll be running the Joshua Tree Half-Marathon in these as well (with no need to add separate gaiters), and I'm actually starting to wonder if I'll have a better pace, being this aware of what's under my feet.
