RUNssel

In February 2014 I had the chance to practise with one of Haglöfs initial trail running shoes – the so-called Gram XC (LINK). Immediately I was charmed by the characteristic quality, light weight, varied functioning as well as the unique chic. Now, a mere of a year later, Scandinavia’s major seller of outdoor equipment is back with an improved version – the Gram Comp II.

In July 2010 Asics bought Sweden’s Haglöfs and a good bit of Japanese knowledge can be found in the current shoe. A visible sign for Asics involvement is the sole. It is hard to overlook the “Sound Mind, Sound Body” famed symbol. The sole of the Gram Comp II is made out of a material called AHAR+, which stands for “Asics High Abrasion Resistance Rubber”. The rubber they used with this shoe is pretty versatile. I used the first model on the roads but mostly on trails. I did the same with the Gram Comp II and I found the performance and the variety of qualities to be even further improved. The qualities of this shoe matched my needs for daily training pretty much impeccable. As I run a range of easy and wide forest alleyways, a good portion of rocky and technical trails as well as simple paved roads, Haglöfs featherweight in the running shoe collection, seems to be a jack-of-all-trades.

Initially made for trails, containing a proper Rock Protection plate that protects the foot against rocks and branches, the shoe is also pretty comfortable on the road. The nicely designed cushion gives a good feel. Tempo Runs and even a track workout (…as I forgot my flats at home) were handled pretty effectively. A big seller to me is the weight of 26g. Together with the proper cushioning this is something not to overlook for a daily training shoe and even for a great trai racing shoe on moderate not to technical terrain. The grip oft he sole is good but during rocky terrain it needs some experience to guide the blue Swede around the passages.

Not only because of the matchless glance this shoe should not be ignored. With the second episode of the Gram series Haglöfs made the jump and shaped a truly great running shoe. Following the noble presentation of the former models I thought this was hard to top. They did it by improving the frameworks, striking skinny tongue, a lightweight midsole infused with the Solyte technology as well as the minimal stitch count that ensures a suave upper.

Haglöfs, what are you going to improve with the next shoe?