ASICS Trabuco Max 3 Review: Comparison with Trabuco Max and Max 2

When the ASICS Trabuco Max first came out I reviewed then for TRI247 and fell in love with them. When the Trabuco Max 2’s came out I rushed to buy a pair as the stack height had been increased to 43mm. But it did not end well for them. I have since been sent the Max 3’s and this is a review of what happened and how I am getting on with them.

ASICS Love Affair left me Heart Broken

I have been a fan of ASICS running shoes for many years and have always raced in the ASICS Noosa shoes. Here are a few of the pairs I have still got.

A section of my ASICS running shoes I have here at ChiliTri

When I got the Max 2’s they were great! I used them to walk the whole of the Senda Litoral which is the 200km coastal route between Nerja and Manilva in the costa del sol. You can read about the route in my Blog. I reviewed the Trabuco Max 2’s and was really impressed to begin with but then the wheels fell off the cart and the heel and ankle padding started to disintegrate.

I contacted customer care in the US, and they agreed that this was not right and after a few emails we go to the point where they would replace them. But then they said I had to go to EU customer support. They agreed something was not right and told me to contact the US! This went on for a couple of weeks and it was clear that even though they agreed it was not right neither customer support areas wanted to do anything about it.

It finally came to Valentines Day, so I thought I would write an amusing post and tag in ASICS:

The post I put on Linkedin on Valentines Day saying my love affair with ASICS was over

This got a reaction, and they sent me a pair of Trabuco Max 3’s. The Max 2’s were changed to 3’s pretty quickly so maybe there was an issue with them generally?

Linkedin post thanking ASICS for my new Trabuco Max 3's

The Trabuco Max 3 Trail Running Shoes

Ii am pleased to report that the Max 3’s are lasting well and have shown none of the issues of the Max 2’s. They are much more robust and have performed well on the mountain trails, tarmac and even the snow in Sierra Nevada ski resort here in Spain.

ASICS Trabuco Max 3 in the mountains in Southern Spain

They have the same shoelace storage system as the Max 2’s and similar tread. The biggest difference is the lack of gaiter attachment that the previous versions had then protective heel and toe fabric is rubberier and more robust which could reduce the breathability slightly. The gaiter attachment Velcro flap on the heel has been replace by a large loop. I do not use gaiters to the loss of the attachment areas is no loss for me but may be a consideration for some trail runners.

The laces are thinner and less stretchy than the Max 2’s and feel like they will last longer but I won’t know yet if this is the case.

The strange thing I did notice about then is that the description say they are light blue, but they are clearly more of a purple colour so if you would like to order the light blue to get the ones shown in this review.

The ASICS Trabuco Max 3's are great in the snow (Sierra Nevada ski resort Southern Spain)

Rather than ramble on about the changes here a table that summarizes them:

Comparison table for the three versions of ASICS Trabuco Max Trail Running Shoes

ASICS Trabuco Max 3 at Amazon UK: £155

Conclusion

If you are looking for a robust trail running shoe with a good stack height, then I would recommend the ASICS Trabuco Max 3’s. There appear to be a few costs cutting measures such as the loss of the gaiter attachments, but they have made the interior and exterior more robust.

Avoid the ASICS Trabuco Max 2’s, they only last 2 months! Sadly, it’s rather like a movie sequel that just isn’t as good (do you remember Jaws the revenge?).

If you would like a version with gator hooks, then opt for the original Trabuco Max shoe as mine have lasted over a year now. I also still like the lock laces and tongue storage pouch. Even with the lower stack height they are a great shoe and being older may be on sale. 

Karen Parnell is a Level 3 British Triathlon and IRONMAN U Certified Coach, WOWSA Level 3 open water swimming coach, 80/20 Endurance Certified Coach and NASM Personal Trainer and Sports Technology Writer. 

Need a training plan? I have plans on TrainingPeaks and FinalSurge:

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I also coach a very small number of athletes one to one for all triathlon distances, open water swimming events and running races, email me for details and availability. Karen.parnell@chilitri.com

The heels on the Trabuco Max, Trabuco Max 2's and Max 3's showing the gator flap removed on the Max 3's