Upper:
(Achilles hugger)
The upper is one of my favorite parts about this shoe. Its comfortable, breathable, but above all it fits the foot super snugly. I always felt secure in it and was never worried about my feet slipping around. But the best part about the upper may have to be the two ankle pads that squeeze you Achilles, I have taken to calling them Achilles huggers. These things are so so comfortable! They hold your heel tightly and feel amazing! My one little complaint is that the laces come almost together at the top, which can be a bummer because you can't tighten the shoe beyond that. Oh did I mention that they are a pretty good looking shoe as well.Midsole:
(simple two part upper)
This is where the shoe's really excel. As I said before the shoe is that sweet spot between the max cushion of the Hoka's and minimal cushion of the Salomons. And it is made out of the fluid foam which lasts a long time and is responsive! Also as the name states they are flexible! you can bend and turn these any which way with ease. Mainly due to the grooves cut into the mid/outsole. This does lead me to one of my dislikes though. Little rocks and thorns get stick into the grooves. Its not a big deal, you don't really notice it but it does happen which is unfortunate. And my final point on the midsole is that for the most technical, rocky terrain they are a bit soft.Outsole:
(Gryptonite outsole)
Pretty standard outsole made out of Montrails Gryptonite. It is a fairly durable sticky outsole that can grip to most surfaces. It is made out of little squares that although not to deep can grip pretty decently on all but the worst mud. The lugs are starting to wear down a little bit after about 200 ish miles. But not significantly. The one problem is that since it is not a full length outsole and it doesn't have a rock plate really rocky trails can be a bit dangerous.Overall these are a fantastic shoe that I have worn on all surfaces and for the most part loved! I wore them during the Run Through Time Half Marathon that had mud, rocky trail, jeep road, and road. They worked perfectly I managed to place 3rd overall and had no feet problems. A few of my problems with the shoe (To soft of midsole, and no rock plate) have been solved with the Montrail FluidFlex ST. This shoe has a firmer midsole in the midfoot and a rock plate in the forefoot. The ST does not replace the Fluidflex 2 but rather goes along side it. I think that was a smart move on Montrail's part. So if you are looking for a light shoe that works well on any trail check these out!
Technical Stuff
Weight: 8.0 oz
Midsole: 22 mm, 17mm
Offset: 5mm
(On my way to 3rd Place at the Run Through Time Half Marathon in my FluidFlex 2)
