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Topo Athletic Specter 2 Video Review: Pure PEBAX Foam Ride!
Jul 16, 2024
In the video, Sam tests and reviews the Topo Specter 2, a very light daily trainer class run shoe with a broad anatomical toe box and all supercritical PEBAX foam midsole. 00:00 Intro and Shoe Details (including comparisons to Cyclone 2 and Specter 1), 05:21Fit, 07:20 Ride, 11:29 Conclusions, 13:22 Comparisons including to New Balance Rebel v4 and ASICS Noosa Tri 16.
For its 2nd edition it gets an all supercritical PEBAX foam midsole and 2mm more stack height.
Action video shot on the DJI Action 4 camera also in test and a free loaner.
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
Today we're going to take a look at the Topo Athletic Spectre 2
0:04
So it's $165, releases in August. It has a 37-32 stack height and a midsole that's now all Peebax foam
0:15
Of course it has Topo's anatomical fit. Their motto is move better and this upper holds both wide and narrow feet such as I
0:24
have super well and is quite light and breathable. It is different from the first version in that the first version had a core of Peebax
0:34
and an outer carrier of an EVA type foam. We also get 2mm more stack height and a slightly heavier upper which leads to about a 6g increase
0:49
in weight in my US 8.5 sample. Let's get into the testing
0:54
Before I take them out for my third run for our Spectre 2
1:00
The most important thing here is we have a full Peebax foam midsole
1:06
Peebax is kind of the OG of the supercritical foams. In here it is a beaded type, expanded bead type foam
1:17
We also have a prominent rocker geometry here created really by the outsole which I
1:27
think when they glue it on puts the tension in the shoe
1:31
So this is a rocker profile shoe, 37 at the heel, 32 at the forefoot
1:38
But it does have a bit of flex as you can see here
1:43
Not a lot but it is mainly a rigid rocker type shoe
1:48
The upper here is an engineered mesh, somewhat dense, somewhat thick but with these slots
1:57
which provide quite a bit of nice ventilation. The tongue is very lightly padded at the top and I'm going to contrast it a bit here now
2:09
with version 1 of the Spectre which had a less padded tongue, very similar upper
2:19
But the key difference with version 1 between version 1 and version 2 is we have 2mm more
2:27
stack height of all Peebax foam now front and back to that 37-32
2:34
Whereas in version 1 we had a carrier of a firmer, somewhat stabilizing EVA with the
2:41
center core being the Peebax. So the carrier here is everything you see and the core was inside
2:50
We do gain a couple tenths of an ounce over version 1, not sure how
2:54
I think it may be the upper here because the upper in version 1 is a bit lighter
2:59
We had a bit less padding at the collars. Let me see if I can get it up there so you can see it
3:07
The collars, you can see the heel collar, Achilles collar is a little more padded
3:12
Tongue is a little more padded in version 2. And before we take them out for the run, the other Topo alternative, the Cyclone 2, basically
3:26
exactly the same shoe as our Spectre 2, but with a 28-23 stack height
3:39
So considerably lower stack height and lower weight. The Cyclone comes in at about 6.9 ounces, 196 grams in a US 9
3:57
Whereas here we're at 8.2 ounces. So this is kind of your racing shoe in the Topo line
4:01
You see it also has a more flared kind of Achilles collar
4:09
It's a mono-mesh upper with some reinforcements. Just a lighter, faster shoe for your race day or your up-tempo
4:19
And in terms of flex, let's see. Yes, indeed, it is a more flexible shoe as well
4:27
So I'm going to take our Spectre 2 out for a run now along the coast
4:34
Some beautiful scenery at the beach. It's been warm. It's my third run
4:39
My prior runs were a little faster paced than what I did today
4:43
So I've tried them at various paces and they are really good at all paces
4:48
So not just for folks who want a wide anatomical toe box, because I have a narrow foot and
4:55
this fits me beautifully. It's more about the theme of move better
5:00
You just have a natural kind of springy, bouncy ride in these where you really feel your foot
5:09
kind of working in a good way. Plenty of cushioning. So let's take them out for that run
5:17
On our beautiful beach here in Rye, we're going to take our Spectre 2 out for a third run
5:25
Let's keep going. Okay, let's talk about the fit of our Spectre 2
5:31
As you can see, of course, that very, very wide anatomical toe box that Topo is known for
5:39
I have a narrow to medium foot and I am super well held here
5:45
I'm not sure why, how, but this is always the case with the Topos
5:49
Incredible foothold, no matter what your foot shape. Midfoot is also very well held
5:55
There's no gusset tongue, but there are a few straps. I'm not sure we'll be able to see them this way, but a few straps that run down that are
6:02
laminated to the upper on the inside. Also, the tongue, another characteristic of Topo, these little loops that hold the laces
6:13
The tongue always stays put. The heel, very well held. Not hugely padded, but plenty comfortable
6:21
It's a very humid day today, warm as it's been. Upper is quite breathable
6:28
We can see it's fairly dense where we don't have the slots
6:33
Light, fairly light, not super light. We have a quite rigid toe bumper, and I think that also helps keep the foot locked in this
6:42
wide toe box. You can see how rigid it is. Very comfortable
6:46
In terms of length, here, just about right. Teeth, you can see that's the end of my thumb, so just about right
6:55
We do have that toe bumper that's quite stiff, but it's quite vertical, so it doesn't reach
6:59
over the toes. All in all, another superb upper from Topo. It sometimes amazes me that other companies can't pull off an upper that fits even all
7:12
kinds of feet so securely, but they do it just about every time without fail
7:19
The feeling here is of a continuous kind of sensation of the outsole being really not
7:30
felt, creating the rocker up front, and the foam just being very, everything being very
7:37
kind of consistent all of the piece. So what that allows us to do is get lots of nice spring from the full Peebax foam
7:49
We have 37-32 stack height, so we're mini-max, I'll call that mini-max, similar to the Elios
7:59
from 361, but with a more, even more springy feel, while that shoe's a bit bouncier
8:10
8.2 ounces, 232 grams in my US 8.5 sample. We're very light, very light for the big stack height, yet you've got a full shoe here
8:22
This easily, easily is a daily trainer for me. Today's a slow recovery day, 10-50 something pace, and they're doing just fine for that too
8:37
Look how pretty it is. So there's a lot of energy from the mid-foot here too, you kind of feel sprung forward
8:47
no plate, but it just kind of drives you forward. That's also I think a function of the heel geometry, really, really smooth, all foam
8:59
kind of experience, no plate, no excessive outsole. In terms of the outsole, it's sort of a die-cut rubber
9:09
We've had very good experience in the past with this rubber on other toe posts, we'll
9:15
see how this one holds up. I'm going to keep going. Little teeny hill here, this is called Little Boar's Head, we're in Northampton, New Hampshire
9:25
Beautiful seacoast. So, a bit more about the feel, because of the width of the toe box, you really feel
9:36
all your toes splaying out and pushing off here. So while there's no plate with the rocker, it's just a really pleasant sensation, and
9:51
even at slow paces. So very well cushioned, it's not the deepest of four foot cushions at 32, but still a lot
10:03
compared to what you might have had four or five years ago. We've got a little downgrade here, very stable, found them very, very stable, that outrigger
10:11
at the heel. It's just really pleasant here to have a ride where the foam itself is the star along with
10:23
the geometry being not a midsole geometry, but the upper geometry which is wide enough
10:32
to match the 105mm platform, so we're not like have a squeezed foot on a wide platform
10:41
The prior version, number one, had an EVA carrier with the same Peebax foam as the center
10:50
This is livelier springier, maybe a teeny touch less stable, but it's definitely a more
10:58
fun ride. We're running by what are called the fish houses, so they used to launch the fishing
11:02
boats here, now they're little cottages, and over there they're repairing more of the damage
11:08
from this winter's January storms. Some on some gravel here, just fine
11:15
Wouldn't call this a trail shoe, but I have found that smooth rubber outsole grips really
11:22
well on gravel because it is for sure full contact. Okay, some conclusions for our Spectre 2
11:31
So if you want an anatomical fit, a broader toe box, an all supercritical foam midsole
11:40
with no additives, let's call it, no plates, no gimmicks, a rocker based ride, and a lot
11:48
of versatility for a shoe that comes in at 8.2 ounces, 232 grams, with a big mini max
11:57
I'll say, stack height of 37 heel, 32 midfoot, this is for sure one to look at
12:04
In terms of the prior shoe, the Spectre 1, it's maybe a touch less stable, it's a bit
12:11
more springy, yes it's a teeny touch heavier, a couple tenths of an ounce heavier
12:19
It is a really fine option, it just feels really good on foot, it flows nicely, I would
12:28
call it a daily trainer in the super lightweight class because we have plenty of heel stability
12:35
for slower paces, today I was slower than the other day. We have a broad platform, we have very decent rubber coverage, we have of course a comfortable
12:46
upper that works just as well at slow paces as fast, there's no binding, obviously because
12:52
of the width you have here, but there's also great hold from the toe bumper, really keeps
12:59
you locked down, the tongue with its little loops to keep the laces in place, let's see
13:05
if we can spot the loops, oh they're off to the side here, there's the little loops
13:11
comfortable, smooth, just a really fine option from Topo. Now a few comparisons, two that I'm sure will come to mind right away, the Rebel V4 from
13:26
New Balance, considerably lighter, 7.3 ounces, so a full ounce lighter, just about, it is
13:34
on a lower stack height, 33-27, so we got 4mm less stack height at the heel, and it's
13:43
a 6mm drop, so we got a bit less, we got 5 less at the forefoot
13:51
It sits on an even wider platform than this, its foam is kind of airy, kind of airy, kind
13:58
of, it's not nearly as stable, it's a shoe that really favors faster paces
14:04
Another close comparison, the Noosa Tri 16 from Asics, which sits on, again, a slightly
14:10
lower platform, 34.5-29.5, 5mm drop, it's a full ounce lighter, just about, at 7.3 ounces
14:20
207 grams, it also has a rocker type profile, similar to our Spectre, it's a little firmer
14:28
it's a little more responsive, it's a little bit more focused up-tempo, as kind of an up-tempo
14:34
shoe, but it certainly can also serve as a daily trainer. Thank you very much for watching, we're going to have a full multi-tester written review
14:42
over at www.roadtrailrun.com with yet more comparisons real soon, it's a really fine
14:49
shoe from Topo, another fine shoe from Topo, so I wish you all have a great run, thank
14:56
you very much for watching the DJI video footage, all the video footage was done on
15:01
the DJI Action 4, which was also a free sample
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