Just in time for the end-of-summer championship OCR season, Reebok dropped their surprise upgrade of the popular All-Terrain Supers shoe with their 2.0 version. It's chocked full of little tweaks to the original, adding a bunch of upgrades that we saw in their trail (but less mud-friendly) series All-Terrain Thunders that I reviewed in May. So when the good folks at Reebok shipped me a size 9 of these bad boys, I couldn't wait to try them out. Here's what I thought:
1. FIT/FEEL- These Super 2.0's might be better named "Super-Sprints" or some variation because they seem to have the DNA of both sets if they were its parents. The original All-Terrain Supers that debuted a year and half ago were Reebok's first real venture into OCR (besides their under the radar "Wild's" that never really took off), and became a standard at races everywhere, and not just Spartan who helped launch them. They had great grip for the mud ahead, which was the main goal, but were a little stiff compared to what Inov-8 had out with their X-Talons and other trail running models. So then the Sprints were born and were more of a minimalist feel. However, that thinner upper resulted in less durability as a lot of owners were returning them shortly after with holes and tears. Now the new Supers have a hybrid upper- the thin skin of the Sprint but instead of the plastic mesh stiff structure that kept the Super 1.0's more sturdy, they borrow the Thunder's TerrainSkin rubber coating from the laces all the way down to the sole. It takes nothing away from it still feeling soft, but should no doubt give the shoe a longer lifespan and definitely keep more water from seeping in (which the Sprint did little of). Like each of the Reebok's I've tried out now, these also were true to my usual size, though they are narrow compared to a traditional sneaker, but thats probably to be expected for any trail shoe. GRADE = B
2. FUNCTION- The lineage to the first Supers is clear. Besides the different colors, you can't tell the bottoms apart, with identical arrangement of lugs for solid grip on muddy and uphill running (whereas the Sprints has more and smaller cleats, maybe suggesting to be better on "more shallow" mud?). We also get the same rope climbing arch with little teeth to assist with holding on to the wet slippery ropes. The well-known H2ODrain feature is again present, a virtual outlet for water to expel from the shoe after a swim or puddle jump. As for protection from the tough terrain and gravel (and obstacles), the sole has a legit rock-shield and a newer toe guard at the front end, a nice upgrade that will make you realize the beating your tootsies had been getting otherwise before. GRADE = A
3. FASHION- Love the snakeskin camoflage design of these and probably couldn't imagine a better style to coordinate with the badass nature of obstacle racing. If it's too hardcore for your look, they do come in a number of other colors and patterns. For me, one of the biggest positives will also be the ease of cleaning (helped by the rubber coating) but also with this design, as I think these could be still looking like new after a dozen of the muddiest races. My prediction is that you will see these at races soon by the wave-full. So just like your chip time, don't be last! GRADE = A
OVERALL GRADE = A
