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While the Asics Metaspeed Edge Paris was one of the best carbon plate running shoes available, it was overshadowed by the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris for us, which made it tricky to recommended.
There are now three Metaspeed racing shoes in the Asics range, with the Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo and Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo sitting underneath the Asics Metaspeed Ray. All are great, and the Edge Tokyo is a step up on the Sky Tokyo, but we’re still not sure it outperforms the Asics alternatives, even if it’s strong racing option on the market at large.
Design & Key Stats
- Price: £240/$270
- Weight: 166g/5.9oz (men’s UK 9 / US 10)
- Drop: 5mm
- Stack: 39.5mm heel, 34.5mm forefoot
- Upper: Lightweight MotionWrap 3.0 mesh
- Midsole: FF Turbo+ and FF Leap with full length carbon plate
- Outsole: Minimal rubber on forefoot and heel
Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo review
How’s The Fit
Nick, Mike and Kieran tested the Metaspeed Edge Tokyo for our review and found that it fit well in their normal running shoe size. The size in line with other Asics racing shoes and previous models of the Metaspeed Edge, and though it’s a little tighter around the toes than trainers like Asics Novablast 5, we still had enough room without having to size up.
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The Run Test: Likes
The Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo is one of the lightest racing shoes available and feels incredibly nimble on the foot when running fast. It’s also a little softer and more comfortable than most other extremely light racers we’ve tried, including the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo and Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, though the Metaspeed Ray is even softer underfoot.
The softness comes from the layer of FF Leap foam in the midsole, which is the main upgrade on the Metaspeed Edge Paris and makes the Tokyo springier and lighter. The more scooped plate you have on the Edge compared with the Sky gives a softer feel under the forefoot too, which might make the Edge more comfortable for longer events.
As with past Edge models, the Tokyo is designed for cadence runners, who mostly increase their stride rate when running fast, instead of their stride length who in theory should benefit more from the Sky shoes.
While we’ve never found that this distinction matters to which shoe we prefer of the two, the Edge and Sky do have slightly different rides, and runners will find one simply ‘feels’ better to them in our opinion. The softer forefoot on the Edge Tokyo and the way the plate pushes from the midfoot differs from the more noticeable plate you feel just under your toes with the Sky Tokyo.
In our testing we did find the Edge Tokyo excellent on long runs in particular, and it helps to keep your feet turning over even as you tire during long sessions or races.
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The Run Test: Dislikes
While the Edge Tokyo is a great shoe that has performed well throughout our testing, Nick is the only tester to have tried both it and the Sky Tokyo and he still prefers the Sky, despite being a cadence runner ‘on paper’.
The Edge feels good, but the Sky has a punchier ride that feels faster to him, though other runners will undoubtedly disagree. The Metaspeed Ray is a softer, lighter and bouncier shoe too, but less stable and durable than the Edge Tokyo.
Despite being more durable than the Ray, the Edge Tokyo still doesn’t have a lot of rubber on the outsole, and heel strikers in particular will find the exposed foam gets roughed up quite quickly. This hasn’t affected performance for us, but it’s a shoe to reserve for key training sessions and your races.
Verdict And Alternatives
The Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo is better than the Edge Paris and one of the best running shoes for racing you can get, but we preferred the Sky Paris and still prefer the Sky Tokyo. If you’ve always been an Edge runner, however, this is the most impressive version yet for sure.
There are also a few outstanding racing shoes available from other brands, like the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, that outgun the Edge Tokyo for us. The Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 is another great shoe to consider with a softer and bouncier ride than the Edge Tokyo, while the Hoka Cielo X1 2.0 is a more rockered racer.
We’re also still not entirely sure Asics helps itself by having two such similar shoes in its range, especially as we haven’t found our preferences on the Edge and Sky have aligned with running style in the past. Both are great shoes worth trying, but the confusion around having two available might make runners look at other bands who have a simpler choice of shoes.