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ASICS Magic Speed 4: Moving Up to a Super Max Cushion Carbon Trainer
Jul 16, 2024
In the video I review the Magic Speed 4. 00:00 Intro and Details, 05:56 from the run, fit, ride, and comparisons, 12:02 conclusions and more comparisons including to Magic Speed 3.The Magic Speed 4 moves from a moderate stack height carbon plate tempo to race type shoe to a very light super max (43.5mm heel) carbon plated trainer/racer. It gets a dual foam (FF Turbo supercritical and FF Blast Plus) midsole. It is lighter than and will compete with the Saucony Kinvara Pro, New Balance SC Trainer, Hoka Skyward X, adizero Prime X Strung, and especially Mizuno's new Neo Vista.
$170. Available July 1, 2024
Full Multi Tester Review soon.
Written Review with 9 detailed comparisons here:
https://www.roadtrailrun.com/2024/05/asics-magic-speed-4-speeding-up-to.html
Samples were provided at no charge for testing purposes with no additional compensation. The opinions herein are entirely the author's
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Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Hey everybody, Sam here. Beautiful day here in Rye, New Hampshire. We're going to take
0:04
the ASICS Magic Speed 4, $170, out July 1st for a second run. I'm going to give you my
0:10
impressions from the run and comparisons actually from the run. It gets much more stack height
0:15
at 43.5 at the heel, so it's a super max cushion trainer. It also gets a dual foam midsole
0:22
with flight foam turbo underfoot, and it has a carbon plate. Stay tuned
0:29
Hi everybody, Sam from Road Trail Run. Today we're going to take a look at the Magic Speed
0:33
4 from ASICS. It's $170. It's coming out July 1st. So the Magic Speed has been ASICS' sort
0:42
of up-tempo shoe with a plate, not its Metasky racer. And in version 3, which I'm going to
0:50
show you here, it had the carbon plate, it had Flight Foam Blast Plus, and it had a stack
0:58
of 36-29 7mm drop. Big, big changes for the Magic Speed 4, which now becomes essentially
1:09
a super trainer with a bigger stack height, 43mm at the heel, and we have 35.5mm at the
1:20
forefoot. So we gain 7.5mm of heel stack, 6.5mm of forefoot stack. So this is beyond
1:27
the 40mm World Athletics limits for elites, and above the Metaspeed Sky. So it truly becomes
1:35
a super trainer competing with the Neo Vista from Mizuno, the SC Trainer from New Miles
1:46
the Prime X. So, but there's more changes, and you can see it right there, Flight Foam
1:51
Turbo. So we have a top layer of Flight Foam Turbo up above here, and below we have Flight
2:00
Foam Blast Plus, whereas before, in the 3, it was all Flight Foam Blast Plus. So what
2:11
does that do? Well, I've already run once, a decent longer run, and I'm going to run
2:16
them again, but it certainly gives it quite a bit of more energy. And what happens to
2:24
the weight? Well, it does go up 8.38 ounces, 236 grams, about that in a US 9, which is
2:33
still plenty fine. Before, we were at about 7.6 ounces in a US 9. So we do go up in weight
2:46
but that is a lot more stack height, and it really changes the character of the shoe
2:52
Whereas before, it was sort of an up-tempo kind of trainer. Maybe you could race in it
3:00
I kind of like the 2 better than the 3 when they went to the carbon plate. It got a bit
3:04
too stiff, a bit too rough for me. Well, here, Asics has done a really, really good job integrating
3:11
the carbon plate and the 2 foams without really changing the platform width. It's about
3:17
5 millimeters wider at the forefoot, same as before. You can see the carbon plate. So
3:26
the Asics marketing says, and I'm going to read you this, that it's a daily carbon trainer
3:35
And I think that's absolutely true. And I'm going to take them out on another run here
3:41
and give you impressions from the run. But this is the kind of carbon plated shoe that
3:47
yes, indeed, you could run most of your miles in without having a harsh feel from the plate
3:53
super well integrated, tons of cushioning. And what's actually quite remarkable, given
3:59
the narrow platform, is this is a very stable shoe. I'm very surprised. The geometry does
4:07
that, the location of the plate somewhat lower. And let's talk about the upper. So we have
4:15
a stout heel counter. We have plenty of cushioning around the collars, not too, too much. We
4:23
have a thin, unpadded tongue with a gusset. And we have a new upper mesh material, whereas
4:31
before we had the single layer motion wrap that we also see in the Metaspeed Sky, single
4:40
layer. You can see here. Now we have a bit more conventional, a bit softer, more kind
4:47
of training focused upper, very comfortable upper. We'll talk a bit about the fit on the
4:54
run. I wouldn't call it a broad, broad fit for sure. And I think that's important to
4:59
keep us stabilized on this platform. But you can see the meshes, it's now a bit lined
5:06
It's quite soft and pliable, still decently thin. We have a little bit of a toe bumper
5:13
stiffening, both the weave of the mesh and maybe there's a little thin plastic layer
5:20
in there, but very comfortable, very secure, very locked down, quite surprising. So let's
5:26
take them out for a run on the roads, right? At least today, it is better weather than
5:32
it was yesterday where it was all rain and wind. So here we go. And I'll also have some
5:39
more comparisons here for you. The Convara Pro, the Prime X. What else are we going to
5:47
talk about? The Neo Vista from Mizuno and a few others. Stay tuned. So the carbon plate
5:57
is really well integrated here. This is not a carbon plated shoe that you're going to
6:02
find very harsh at all, especially in the front. But also in the rear, it seems to sit
6:10
far enough back down in the midsole that it doesn't give you an overly firm feel there
6:20
The roll is good. It's not a race type roll off the front with the carbon. It's a little
6:28
more gentle, of course, it's rigid. So it's more a training feel roll. Wish it was a
6:36
little bit more abrupt, a little longer rocker maybe. But all in all, very smooth. One thing
6:44
I really feel here is how consistent the platform is front to back. Steady, stable despite relatively
6:55
narrow platform. Very smooth. Not particularly exciting. But it can handle different paces
7:07
slower paces even I think, quite well. Right now I'm about 10, 15 pace and it's just fine
7:17
Running into the harbor. I'm going to tell you a little bit about the fit. A little bit more here
7:26
So if you've run the SC Trainer V2, less so V1 and found at the heel kind of soft
7:36
especially at slower paces and the plate a bit mismatched. This shoe is a bit more
7:45
bit firmer and much more consistent in feel. All the fishing boats are out or most of them
7:53
the big ones anyway, the lobster boats and the tuna boats. So let's talk about the fit
7:58
here of our Magic Speed 4. True to size fit, bit pointy toe box. Very, very well held heel
8:07
Midfoot, relatively low volume. You can see my laces aren't super snug to cross. So this
8:14
is an appropriate upper I think for the not narrow high platform and the speedy purpose
8:20
of the shoe. Lacing is comfortable, easy, never had to adjust. There's enough, the laces
8:26
are soft enough, no bite on the unpadded tongue. In terms of length, try to show you here
8:33
It's about a thumb, maybe a bit pointy, but for me it works just fine. Not sure folks
8:39
with very high volume, higher volume feet are going to find there's enough room
8:45
especially midfoot room here. But I'm not sure you could try sizing up, but I'm not sure that's
8:51
a good idea in such a high narrow platform. I think they've dialed the upper just about right here
8:57
At the mouth of the harbor, some folks were trying out their 66, I think it is Mustang
9:02
and they also took some nice pictures of me, which I was grateful for
9:07
So the sensation is just all of the piece. As you pick up the pace
9:13
a little bit flat front starts to come alive as you plunge into the turbo foam
9:23
I'll say a few things about some comparisons. So at about equivalent stack heights
9:29
it's lighter than any of its plated competitors, Primex Strong, Kinvara Pro
9:39
much heavier Skyward X from Hoka, and the SC Trainer, so between an ounce and two ounces
9:47
lighter. So it really punches big for the 43 1⁄2, 35 1⁄2 stack height
10:00
And keeps itself together. Unlike, say, Primex, which is definitely more exciting, but not as
10:10
practical. Now heavier. Kinvara Pro, a little bit, definitely more lumbering. Skyward X
10:20
a maximum, maximum soft cushion and carbon plate, but very heavy. 11, 11 ounce in a bit. So
10:32
almost three ounces heavier, two ounces heavier than we have here. So at 8.13 ounces, we're just a little bit above, say, common super shoe sizes
10:47
tiny weights, which should be usually 7 1⁄2 or even way lower like the Metaspeed Skydive
10:53
tires. But it is definitely an option as a racing shoe. And at $170 versus $250 and more
11:04
it's very reasonably priced. Another clear, clear competitor, the Neo Vista from Mizuno, 0.8 ounces, 23 grams heavier
11:16
broader platform. That's where the weight comes from, I think. And also dual foam with EVA and
11:24
a Supercritical. What I like about it is it has a fiberglass type plate with some flex
11:31
It has a fiberglass type plate with some flex, so it accommodates easier paces. It's not quite as
11:38
fast-paced dynamic off the front, but it's a bit more pace versatile. The other thing is it has a
11:46
stretch knit upper, which will accommodate, I think, broader feet than in this Magic Speed
11:55
It's a really fine knit upper. I'm going to keep going. So before we move to some conclusions, my conclusions, a couple more comparisons in detail
12:09
First, our Magic Speed 3 here. So we have 7 1⁄2 millimeters more heel height in the fore
12:18
6 1⁄2 in the front. So you've got a lot more cushioning. You also get a full upgrade to flight
12:24
foam turbo from Flight Foam Blast with the Flight Foam Blast Plus below. In terms of the upper
12:35
I kind of prefer the lighter upper over here, but the fit is really quite, is quite similar, really
12:44
This upper is probably a bit more breathable. This one's a bit more comfort-oriented
12:49
All in all, it's a different shoe. It's a super max trainer versus an up-tempo kind of shoe
12:58
So you might ask, where do you go if you like the kind of agile up-tempo feel of the Magic Speed 3
13:06
Now that our Magic Speed 4 is a more max cushion super trainer, well, I would look at the
13:13
Nusa Tri 16. I'll have the review soon, but it gets Flight Foam Blast Plus. It's lighter now
13:21
It's about the same weight as the Magic Speed was before. It comes in at 7.6 ounces
13:28
215 grams, US 9, with a 34-26 stack height and about the same platform width as the Magic Speed
13:40
3 had. And it is a super fun shoe. No plate, so we do have some flexibility, as you can see here
13:47
whereas neither of our Magic Speed 4 or Magic Speed 3 had it. So this is a really good option
13:56
if maybe you want an up-tempo, lighter shoe from Asics. Let's move to mention this on the run, but
14:04
a shoe I think is a really competitor here to our Magic Speed. So it's the Neo Vista
14:13
from Mizuno. So we do get one millimeter more stack height front and back. We have a dual foam
14:21
configuration. So with the Neo Vista, we have the softer, super critical next foam below
14:32
and their EVA, light EVA above, whereas in our Magic Speed 4, we have the flight foam turbo above
14:41
and the EVA below. So this shoe is definitely a competitor. A couple key differences. There is a
14:49
fiberglass plate in here, and we have this giant hollowed out area. We do come in 0.8
14:57
ounces, 23 grams heavier. We have one millimeter more stack, but we also have a wider platform
15:06
So we end up a bit more stable here even than our Magic Speed 4. The other key difference is with
15:15
this plate, unlike the Magic Speed, and I try not to tip everything over, but we do have some flex
15:23
whereas we have none in the Magic Speed 4. I kind of like some flex for training
15:29
in plates. And so this shoe is a little more pace versatile towards the slower end
15:38
than our Magic Speed 4 because of the flexibility. And also the ride is a little more forgiving
15:47
The other key element to consider are the uppers. Let's turn them around here so we can see
15:54
We have a stretch knit upper here in the Mizuno, and what's neat about it is it's a stretch knit
16:04
upper that actually works, holds a foot well. It's not quite as locked down as our Magic Speed 4
16:11
but I think wider feet might be happier in this upper. We have a full multi-tester review
16:18
over on RoadTrailRun.com, and we really like this shoe. So now some conclusions for our Magic
16:25
Speed 4. We're going to also have a multi-tester written review here coming up real soon
16:32
So this shoe now is in the Supermax category, and it is the lightest, I think, in the Supermax
16:41
category, given its weight of 8.13 ounces, 230 grams in my US 8.5 sample. It's a little above
16:51
the sort of Magic 8-ounce racer category, but we do have a stack height that goes beyond
16:58
the World Athletics at 43.5 heel, 35.5 forefoot. So this is a Max Max Cushion shoe. And as such
17:09
I think Asics has named it well as a carbon trainer. It's been quite friendly, friendly enough
17:15
at slower paces, notably stable here, notably stable despite the narrow platform, the big
17:22
hollowed out area. So, and then things get more exciting as you pick up the pace and you really
17:28
can push down into the Flight Foam Turbo at top. The plate, well integrated, not harsh in any way
17:36
It's easy to roll from the heel at slower paces, and then you can really push into the front. So
17:43
I think this makes a, as they say, a carbon trainer, but at $170, I think it's also
17:49
a really fine racing, long racing option. It's, you know, $80 less than most of the carbon shoes
17:58
a little bit heavier, but you really probably won't notice it. The upper is comfortable
18:02
not finicky in any way as some racing uppers can be. So it makes for a really good option
18:09
for the marathoner who wants a carbon plated shoe. And that's not overly aggressive. You can
18:16
you don't have a midfoot plate hump here. And that, and that's very stable. Now, what would I
18:24
like to see Asics do? You can see the line here. That's about where the plate is. I kind of prefer
18:30
the plate to be lower for more of a roll, more of a roll. And that would put more Flight Foam
18:36
Turbo right below the foot. I think that would give the shoe a bit more excitement because this
18:44
is one steady performer, plenty, plenty of rebound here of the steady variety, a bit more excitement
18:52
would be nice. So this is a great new option from Asics for in the super max category above
19:01
40 millimeters at 43 and a half weight is reasonable. Price is reasonable. It's a great
19:08
one. Thank you very much for watching. Have a great run. We'll have a full multi-tester review
19:15
also in written form real soon on roadtrailrun.com
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