Asics Gel-Arctic WR 2 Review

I live in the Northeast, so this time of year I tend to think a lot about the tires on my car. That and the shoes on my feet. Lately, the two lines of thought have started to merge: I see the winter running shoe options as three types of snow tires for my feet:

• tire chains (strap-on traction devices)
• studded snow tires (shoes with built-in spikes or, to the Brits, “dobs”)
• snow tires (shoes with soles and other features to help out in the snow, but no metal parts)

Trailgoat has already done a series on the tire chains of the running world: devices that attach to your shoe, put a lot of metal between you and the icy ground, and will get you through the gnarliest winter conditions. They’re not a great solution for mixed conditions, though, and they’re on the heavy side. So I’m beginning what I hope will be a similar series on the “studded snow tires” type of winter-running shoe: basically a standard shoe with built-in or removable metal spikes. Before reviewing the Asics Gel-Arctic WR 2 (skip to review), I’ll provide a little background on screwshoes and other running shoes with metal traction features imbedded in the outsole.

Background on Screwshoes
I have to admit at the outset that I’ve long been a huge fan of the do-it-yourself version of this: the “screwshoe,” so I tend to think of other studded shoes in comparison to my old faithful screwshoes. Others have written at some length about the beauty of the screwshoe (see also here and here). And, no doubt, the screwshoe can’t be beat for economy, and it provides incredible traction that is the equal of the strap-on devices. I love screwshoes and I always have a pair set up in the winter. The downside of the screwshoe, at least in my opinion, is that they really aren’t that great on pavement. I always feel like I’ve got worse on-pavement traction with screws than without. The screwheads are just so big that, on pavement, I feel like I’m wearing ice skates. Studded shoes provide a nice middle ground for icy days when you have to spend some time on pavement. The studs tend to be smaller, more along the lines of the studs in a studded snow tire, so at least some of the rubber still meets the road when you’re on pavement or concrete.

Asics Gel-Arctic WR 2 Review
We at iRunFar are hoping to do a series of reviews on the available studded-shoe offerings, and it begins today with the Asics Gel-Arctic WR. The Arctic is basically a standard Asics trail shoe with an integrated spike plate (just like high school track spikes) and ten removable spikes. These spikes are small (maybe 1/8″) which is really the major difference between the Arctic and, say, a GT-21X0 with screwshoe treatment. The shoes come with a little spike wrench for removing the spikes, and you can replace them with any standard track spike, even (hey, you never know) these 5/8″ monsters.

As you’d expect, the smallish standard-issue spikes mean less grip on ice and hard-packed snow than a screwshoe. But the Arctic is way closer to a screwshoe than a regular shoe is to the Arctic. I feel secure in the Arctics on all but the hardest ice, where I’d rather be in a pair of screwshoes with fresh screws. Today was a beautiful day for the Arctics here. I was at work, so I had to sneak in a lunchtime run, which means a mix of pavement and dirt roads or snowmobile trails. It rained all day yesterday, then was near zero last night with high winds. The ice on the roads this morning was everywhere and very hard, and the trails are all frozen solid. As I’ve noticed before, the little studs in the Arctic definitely feel way more secure than regular trail shoes, but on the hardest black ice they’re noticeably less grippy than a screwshoe. I can’t remember ever slipping with screwshoes, but I’ve definitely had some slippage with the Arctics.

The Asics Arctic WR 2’s studded outsole

So far it seems like the Arctic spikes are a bit more durable than the screws in my screwshoes, particularly if I spend a lot of time on pavement. And the Arctic’s spikes are removable, but I wouldn’t recommend running without the spikes in. The threaded “female” connectors in the spike plate are just bound to collect pebbles and the screw threads will strip the next time you try and reinsert the spikes, leaving you with a very heavy pair of regular old training shoes.

The major downside of the Arctics for me is that the spike plate makes them heavy (14.3 oz., as compared with 11.0 oz. for the GT-2140). It also makes them noticeably stiffer than your average shoe. I’m not a heavy-shoe guy, and it seems like some of the extra weight could be avoided simply by making the spikes non-removable. As noted above, I don’t see much benefit in removing the Arctic’s spikes anyway. Inov-8 uses non-removable “metal dobs” in the very intriguing Inov-8 Mudclaw 340 0+, which weighs in at 2.3 ounces less than the Arctic (and, lets be honest, looks a whole lot more rip-snortin’). There have been some complaints about the durability of the Mudclaw dobs, though. And that’s one thing that isn’t a problem so far with my Asics Arctic WRs – I’ve got a few hundred miles on them, much of it on icy pavement, and the studs are all intact and in pretty good shape (and, of course, I can always get more).

The bottom line is that if you’re happy with screwshoes but could do with a bit less of that golf-cleat feel on pavement, the Arctic is a very able pick at a very decent price. It provides much of the same traction as a screwshoe in a water-resistant package that provides good grip on ice and snow, and a bit less noise on pavement.

Like I said, we’re hoping get our hands on the other two “studded snow tires” of the winter running shoe world: the aforementioned Mudclaw 340 O+ and the IceBug range from Sweden. I’m especially looking forward to getting to know the “squish unit” and “bounce unit” in the Icebug PYTHO. Because mmmmm…..squishy! Like a donut.

And, readers, if you know of any other running-specific studded footwear (does anyone do any training in orienteering shoes?), do let us know and we’ll do our best to put ‘em through their paces.

Happy trails!

The squish unit (a/k/a Gavin)

Overall Impression

• Great traction on snow and solid traction on ice
• More traction on pavement than screwshoes
• Durable and replaceable spikes
• Heavy and someone stiff due to the spike plate
• A very good value for winter running

Related posts:

1. Kahtoola MICROspikes Review After 14 months of waiting, I finally got my chance to try the Kahtoola MICROspikes last week and the MICROspikes didn’t disappoint. (iRF preview – 10/07) They were the most...
2. Kahtoola MICROspikes – Down and Dirty Last night I arrived home from a rainy run to find my pair of the just released Kahtoola MICROspikes had arrived. Kahtoola describes the Microspikes as “pocket-sized traction” and that’s...
3. Kako Ice Trekkers Ultra Review [Product Discontinued] Every tourney needs a loser and iRunFar’s traction device throw down has one – the Kako Ice Trekker Ultra [Product discontinued]. The Ice Trekker Ultra did provide additional traction on...