NIKE PEGASUS TRAIL 4 Review

If you've followed the channel for some time, it's a well known fact that I have been pretty disappointed with the performance of Nike trail running shoes in British trail running conditions, especially if it's wet and muddy. When I purchased the new Pegasus Trail 4, my expectations were quite low but I was pleasantly surprised how they performed out on their first run (here's our first impressions video if you haven't seen it already). However, it was on very dry, wooded trails and I didn't encounter any mud to test out the level of grip and traction from the outsole.

Since then I've run a good 50 miles in the shoe and I have managed to test them out in the wet and muddy conditions, so is it a thumbs up or thumbs down for Nike's latest trail offering?

UPPER

In the past I have had a few issues with the fit when it comes to Pegasus Trail with it feeling a bit sloppy on my foot shape. In Pegasus Trail 2 I felt a lot of slippage in the upper and struggled to get a good lockdown around my midfoot, which lead to stability issues on uneven ground (I know, that's personal as I do have quite narrow feet). As soon as I put on the Pegasus Trail 4, I could feel a big difference and it works better now for my foot shape, which I think is down to having the midfoot band from the gusseted tongue and Nike's Flywire technology. It has a much better lockdown and I haven't had any lateral or medial slippage in the shoe at all which really helps when it comes to feeling stable when you're running on uneven ground. Personally, it has just the right level of padding around the ankle collar in the heel and in the tongue so it feels nice and comfortable.

However, there are a couple of things that should be mentioned. There's not a lot of volume in the toe box and I wouldn't say it's a wide shoe. I haven't had issues with it and it's worked well with my narrow foot shape, but if you got on well with the roomy toe box feel in Pegasus Trail 2 and 3, then you might be a bit disappointed with the changes to the fit in the new version of the shoe. Also, it would have been nice to have an addition of a toe bumper for protection.

MIDSOLE

Like all Nike trail running shoes, the Pegasus Trail 4 runs well on the hard stuff. Personally, the best addition is the slight guide rail around the foot. The shoe feels more connected and stable, especially when you compare it to the previous two unstable versions of the Pegasus Trail.

Lack of stability in the previous version of Nike Pegasus Trail shoe

OUTSOLE

Previously I haven't had confidence in Nike outsoles but the Pegasus Trail 4 did seem to offer a lot more grip on wet rock. I'm not sure if Nike have changed the rubber compound but it definitely seemed to perform better now in wet, rocky conditions.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said when it comes to mud. Looking at the shallow lug depth, I already knew it would struggle in muddy conditions. The forefoot wasn't too bad but there were a couple of times when I ran down a steep, wet, slippery, muddy descent and the reverse facing lugs on the heel didn't give me any confidence at all.

Also, the Pegasus Trail 4 really struggled with water drainage. At times it's been like running with two sponges on my feet, which isn't great.

CONCLUSION

I think that the new Pegasus Trail 4 is a step in the right direction for Nike Trail. Big improvements have definitely been made: better lockdown and a stable, connecting midsole, and improving the grip on wet rock.

If you're looking for a trail shoe and you spend most of the time on less technical trails like fire roads or towpaths but you have to cross over to big sections of tarmac as you do it, then the new Pegasus Trail 4 performs really well across those environments and does it very comfortably.

However, if you are the type of runner who likes to run all year round and get out on wet, muddy, slippery, technical trails and you're looking for a trail shoe that's going to give you that grip and traction to fill you with confidence then I would definitely look elsewhere because I think there are trail running shoes on the market that would handle those types of conditions a lot better.

SCORING

Price: 8/10
Comfort & Performance: 6/10 (8/10 in dry conditions and 4/10 in wet conditions)
Durability: 8/10

Total: 22/30

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