Salomon Spectur 2 Review: Just A Bit Behind

What You Need To Know

Introduction to the Salomon Spectur 2

KALEB: Ah Salomon, ye old and wise shoe brand. Before there was Nike, there was Salomon. Before Adidas and Puma, there was Salomon. Before there was Skechers, there was Salomon. Before there was Broo– oh wait, no, Brooks has been at it for over a hundred years now. Wow.

Anyway, Salomon is one of those brands that’s just slightly below the iceberg’s tip when it comes to public familiarity. Despite its long history of footwear success, many non-runners aren’t super aware of the European brand. This is probably because Salomon’s focus has often been in the trail department, and your average suburban mom isn’t going for strolls on ultra-technical trail networks. There are exceptions, of course.

Unlike most brands, it’s Salomon’s road department that has traditionally been a bit stale. However, with the release of shoes like the S/Lab Spectur and the S/Lab Phantasm 2, they’ve finally begun to establish themselves on the cutting edge — or at least close to it. One thing that has set Salomon apart as of late is its push to make speed-oriented shoes for the non-elite among us (a.k.a. me and almost everyone else reading this). Rather than making shoes that work great for the pros and wreak havoc on the Joes, Salomon is focused on making shoes that are safe for the masses and with enough performance enhancements to justify the purchase.

The S/Lab Spectur is perhaps the greatest example of this effort by Salomon, with a stable geometry and partial EVA layer that kept the classic PEBA plus carbon plate equation in check enough to shatter PRs without shattering ankles. It may be confusing, but the Spectur 2 is NOT the continuation of the S/Lab Spectur. Instead, it is meant to be an uptempo training partner, equipped with a lightweight upper and glass fiber plate (companies have become professionals at avoiding the word plastic). However, the PEBA is replaced by a full EVA midsole to make long-term training in the shoe more sustainable for your legs.

ROBBE: As Kaleb noted, the main thing to know in this review is the difference between the S/Lab Spectur and the Spectur, no S/Lab. As with the Adizero line at Adidas (performance), the S/Lab name denotes the performance division within Salomon. Meaning, the shoes with that name get the more premium components from the French brand’s weapons cache, whether that’s a carbon fiber plate, Matryx upper, better outsole grip, etc.

When you see a shoe with the same name but missing the S/Lab, you can safely assume it’s the tamed-down training partner to the more premium version. So it is with the Salomon Spectur 2.

In the grand scheme of things, Salomon is still somewhat new to the road scene, as Kaleb pointed out. The trio of RA shoes back in 2019 was the beginning of things, but things have progressed since then, both broadly and within Salomon. The S/Lab Spectur from earlier this year was a pretty great option for 4-plus-hour marathoners and first-timers, filling a hole that nobody else has done. Will the regular version of the Spectur create a full training loop? Let’s find out.

What we like about the Salomon Spectur 2

KALEB: My initial concern with the Spectur 2 was that the plate wouldn’t be particularly useful when not paired with PEBA foam. Plates typically function one of two ways in a super shoe: In one case, the plate is placed closer to the foot, which equalizes the pressure from the footstrike to evenly compress the midsole for maximum bounce. Alternatively, the plate is closer to the ground, allowing the foot to sink into the foam above it to maximally take advantage of the plate’s rocker geometry and snappy forward drive. Sagasu Running has a fantastic video on this concept, using the Asics Metaspeed twins as an example.

Nerdy tangent aside (face it, you’re on a website dedicated to shoes; you’re a nerd enough to enjoy that last paragraph), the vital ingredient in most supershoes is the super foam, while the plate is just there to get the most bang for your buck (and add some stability). Since the Spectur 2 doesn’t make use of any foam compounds beyond Energy Foam, an EVA compound, I was hoping the plate didn’t end up falling harshly and flat. Fortunately, the Spectur’s Energy Blade plate ends up serving a unique purpose that still makes for a very fun ride.

Rather than pressing down on the foam for the bounciness, the Energy Blade in the Spectur 2 provides a structure for the rocker geometry of the shoe to shine. At slower speeds, this takes the form of a nice, stable roll through the toe-off. Since the Energy Blad is glass fiber, it’s fairly flexible and doesn’t get in the way much during easy running. When the pace picks up, the plate preserves that rocker and helps propel you off the toe in a super smooth way with just a hint of extra snap to keep the turnover quick. Unlike a true super shoe, the roll isn’t accompanied by much bounce to speak of, but somehow, that only makes it more enjoyable: like you’re the one actually in control when pushing the pace.

Up top is a nice, thin upper that does all the right things to keep the fit secure. The lacing system, while it has a lot of eyelets, does the job, and the tongue has a great balance of cushion and simplicity for a trainer on the speedy side of the spectrum. Underfoot, Salomon’s Contagrip rubber outsole happily grips the pavement whether conditions are wet or dry.

Last but not least, this is a good-looking shoe.

ROBBE: I like the design of the shoe and the colorway shown in this review. A good looking shoe is always a nice start.

The upper fit is fairly solid overall, especially through the midfoot. As with most Salomon shoes, it feels a little long in the toe box but not roomy. It’s just a pretty simple engineered mesh upper meant to keep things lightweight and breathable.

I’m so tired of weird names with weird capitalizations, but here we are with an energyFOAM midsole and energyBLADE plate (Editor’s note: I, too, hate weird capitalization, so I’ve changed it for the rest of the review). The dumbest thing is that, in the past, Salomon just used the terms Energy Foam and Energy Blade, but now the product pages show the weird, singular, compound word version of it. Why are you making me type those words out? I don’t know, but the show must go on.

The beauty of the S/Lab Spectur was that it had the Peba top layer of Energy Foam+ for that extra bounce, while the bottom layer was made of regular old Energy Foam, providing a bit of stability and durability. This version, however, just has the Energy Foam.

It’s not bad, but it’s a little bit dense. Which is fine, I guess; after all, this is supposed to be an uptempo trainer. But also… it weighs almost 9 oz, which isn’t exactly ultralight for what Salomon calls an “exclusive race-day attitude in an inclusive, superfast training shoe.” That said, it’s fairly versatile. Slower paces, daily run paces, and tempo runs are all achievable in the shoe.

I did appreciate the wider heel which does give a little bit of stability to the shoe. Overall, I think it’s a solid shoe with good ground feel. It’s neither too squishy nor too firm, maintaining a good balance overall.

What we don’t like about the Salomon Spectur 2

KALEB: The heel is a bit wide in the Spectur 2, something I didn’t expect from Salomon since their typical last is narrow all around. The laces are thankfully long enough to heel-lock with, but when I do that, I often get a little too much pressure through the top of the tongue pillow into my metatarsals. At the end of the day, it’s not a dealbreaker, but it makes lace-up take a bit longer as I search for that perfect fit that’s secure but not suffocating.

ROBBE: This isn’t a bad shoe by any means, it’s just kind of middle of the road for me. There are plenty more exciting shoes at the same price point or under that do the same thing but better, like the Hoka Mach 6, Saucony Endorphin Speed 4, or New Balance Rebel v4. I just feel like Salomon is a year or two behind everyone else in this department.

Final thoughts on the Salomon Spectur 2

KALEB: My teammates affectionately refer to any shoes with super foam as cheater shoes, and the Spectur 2 sits in a nice category that feels light and fast without doing the work for you. All the energy from the shoe is coming from you, so you never feel like you’re cheating, but the shoe is doing its end of the deal by making sure you’re actually getting what you put into it in the first place. I will happily be lacing up the Spectur 2 on workouts from longer, steady tempo efforts, even down to quick kilometer repeats.

If you’re like me — NOT an elite marathoner with a picture-perfect stride — you’ll probably enjoy Salomon’s offering in the Spectur 2. Will it make me the next Kipchoge? No. But will it let me train like myself, at my own level? Absolutely, and it won’t get in the way while I do so.

ROBBE: As I’ve already said, this isn’t a bad shoe, but it isn’t the best shoe. If you like a more dense feeling underfoot like the Adidas Boston 12 and not the softer feeling of something like the Nike Pegasus Plus, then this shoe will likely suit you just fine. The toe-off is quick through the stride, but the heel and overall midsole structure can get a bit clunky at faster paces. Personally, I’d like to see this shoe in the $150 price range or under.

I appreciate the lengths Salomon has come since they first started producing road shoes. The higher-end stuff is pretty fantastic, especially the S/Lab Spectur for runners slower than 3:30 and the S/Lab Phantasm 2 for everyone running faster.

You can pick up the Salomon Spectur 2 for $170 from Running Warehouse (featuring free shipping and 90-day returns) by using the buttons below.