Icebug Järv RB9X Review: Ready for the Spring Thaw

Introduction to the Icebug Järv RB9X

TAYLOR: The light is expanding its reach slowly but surely, day by day. As we step from one season to the next, I’m grateful for that warm, bright refreshment. In most places, the extra daylight that comes with spring typically means more pleasant weather, but it’s not that simple here in the mountains. Though it may be brighter and slowly get a bit warmer, we’ll be dancing between winter and spring for a few more months, which can make it hard to settle on one pair of shoes.

Yes, for a bit longer, the gravel roads and trails that I run will be littered with ice. I’ve often thought of Icebug as a fairly ideal brand for such conditions, given its Nordic knowledge of winter and trademark embedded studs to grip and rip through the frozen conditions. As it turns out, that was a pretty narrow view of the brand because I’ve recently learned that it has so much more to offer.

Then plop, this box with an Icebug logo on it dropped at my door, and I opened it to find that it didn’t contain the cleats I expected. Instead, it housed the Järv RB9X, Icebug’s rendition of a high-stack daily trail runner. Merely by getting my hands on the shoe, I could tell that some very intentional design went into it. Its build shocked me with a pairing of modern materials and quality, and I have to say that things just got interesting.

What we like about the Icebug Järv RB9X

TAYLOR: Utility is very much the Icebug Järv RB9X’s purpose. It’s built as a day-to-day runner that can handle a lot of pounding. Its very stout stature was a little surprising in initial runs, but it made more sense as I put more miles into the shoe.

As always, I’ll start from the top. The upper is made of a thicker knit material with a little bit of engineered mesh and burly protective overlays. Typically, I worry about knit uppers for trail shoes as they tend to stretch and lack true security. The Järv RB9X did not have that issue at all. This material ticked the boxes of comfort, durability, and performance at a satisfactory level.

Icebug’s heel felt a lot more traditional in the sense that it had a solid structure and quite a bit of padding, and the elf-eared heel, like that found on the Hoka Speedgoat 6 and Craft Pure Trail X, brought even more comfort. Even though the overall fit is generous, I was able to lock down my foot securely and comfortably thanks to a lay-flat semi-gusseted tongue and extra padding throughout the heel.

The midsole has a very consistent feel that complements the upper nicely. It, too, feels very sturdy, but the midsole formula is quite interesting. Yes, it is a steamed ETPU midsole. Also, more than 60% of the midsole is a bio-based material derived from corn! What’s the result?

Well, there’s no getting around the fact that it felt dense underfoot, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially since the initial sensation is softened by the supercritical insole. It provided a medium-density sensation, and it was met with similarly medium responsiveness. Though it wasn’t as soft or bouncy as the Craft Xplor Hybrid, I’d say the two shared similarities.

Overall, the midsole geometry, with its gentle forefoot rocker, allowed the Järv RB9X to ride smoothly. It transitioned nicely from the initial footstrike to the toe-off. The moderately wide forefoot and decently dense midsole also give this one some inherent stability, which I’ll never complain about.

With a midsole stack of 29/25mm (midsole only), the Icebug Järv RB9X should have a decent amount of protection, as its overall stack is up there with the Merrell Agility Peak 5, Hoka Mafate Speed 4, Topo Athletic MTN Racer 3, and The North Face Enduris 4. Given the midsole’s quite dense nature and the substantial amount of rubber underfoot, this shoe had no choice but to be protective, which also means there’s no real ground feel.

The RB9X notation in the name is because of the outsole. This is Icebug’s proprietary rubber without any metal studs, and I’m running out of synonyms for stout, but that’s how I would describe this outsole, too. Just like how the upper and midsole complement each other, the outsole construction feels very at home on the Järv RB9X. There’s a lot of very grippy rubber with massive lugs that absolutely kept me upright in all conditions. At the same time, the lug pattern performed surprisingly nicely on gravel and pavement miles. Outsole’s are apparently Icebug’s forte and it’s easy to tell that with this construction.

I would be doing Icebug a disservice if I didn’t mention its sustainability efforts. Part of the conversation can be approached while also talking about durability. The Icebug Järv RB9X is going to be one of those shoes that lasts for a long, long time because of its construction and material choices. I have no doubt you could get 600 miles out of this one.

In this shoe alone, nearly 50% of the materials are non-virgin, meaning they did not have to source raw materials. Some of it is bio-based, some of it is recycled, and it comes together in a performance package that you wouldn’t be able to tell otherwise. Icebug is very transparent about where materials come from and how they are processed and created. I hope that this type of intentionality will become an industry standard.

What we don’t like about the Icebug Järv RB9X

TAYLOR: Where the overall stature of the Järv RB9X is a blessing, it also lends itself to being a little too much. Overbuilt is the word that comes to mind. There are plenty of good shoes that feel excessive in a similar manner — notably the Speedland GS:PDX, Merrell MTL Adapt Matryx, and Hoka Mafate X — but there’s a whole lot of material on the Icebug Järv RB9X. Weight is an obvious setback. It’s notably heavier than many in its category.

The ride is smooth on a variety of surfaces. However, as a versatile trail runner, I wish the Järv RB9X could be a little more nimble. There were times when the trail required some dancing, and this shoe felt a bit clunky.

The Icebug Järv RB9X runs a little long, too, which contributes to its less wieldy performance. With such a hefty upper, it’s also a fairly warm option… and that’s even during springtime review. Summer miles could be downright toasty.

At the end of the day, though, being a “little much” isn’t too bad and there really wasn’t anything that was offputting. It’s just a shoe that you’ll have to know when to use.

Final thoughts on the Icebug Järv RB9X

TAYLOR: Simply put, the Icebug Järv RB9X is a stout daily trail runner that surprised me with its overall build and runnability. It does feel a bit like my runs do post-holiday meals — I can go far and have all that’s necessary to do so inside me, but I am undoubtedly going to be feeling the effects of my lack of self-control.

Sure, there are a few things that can be trimmed up and tuned for future versions, but I do appreciate that the Icebug Järv RB9X is a sustainably minded, durable, and functional trail option.

You can pick up the Icebug Järv RB9X for $179 from Icebug by using the buttons below.