Reebok Nano X2 TR Adventure review: a versatile training shoe indoors or out

Meet the reviewer

Cat Ellis

Our esteemed editor and UK Athletics qualified run leader, Cat Ellis is passionate about running, whether she's hitting the tarmac or the trails. She's an expert on running footwear and tests every pair she reviews with gusto – those PBs aren't going to beat themselves, after all.

Reebok Nano X2 TR Adventure first impressions

The Reebok Nano X2 TR Adventure is a shoe build with HIIT workouts in mind. Think fartlek training on grass, triceps dips on park benches, and burpees on asphalt – plus indoor training sessions.

The shoe (released in August 2022) is designed to absorb impacts and to provide grip on wet grass and blockwork. The flat outsole maximizes the surface area in contact with the ground, which helped me to stay steady for balance drills, with small lugs across the entire surface to prevent sliding. Heel drop is minimal to help with balance, and although there's a decent amount of midsole foam, it's distributed relatively evenly.

The Nano X2 TR Adventure is also tougher than a road running shoe, with a reinforced upper and a toebox that feels surprisingly firm in wear. This took me some getting used to, but the robust material helps prevent damage whenever I caught my toe on steps. It's also particularly welcome for planks, when you're placing your weight on your toes and don't want to bend the heck out of your shoes' soles.

The laces are flat with minimal stretch, with plenty of length for creating a heel lock. That's something well worth doing, as it'll allow you to get maximum benefit from that stiff heel clip and prevent the shoe moving during challenging motions.

Reebok Nano X2 TR Adventure on the road

When lacing up the Reebok Nano X2 TR Adventure, one of the first things I noticed that its very firm heel clip. This is made from stiff thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and is intended to give stability when balancing and making quick turns. It's the stiffest heel clip of any shoe I've worn to date, but never felt uncomfortable thanks to the shoe's softly cushioned collar, which sits relatively high on your ankle.

The toebox, as mentioned, feels firm and quite stiff due to the material used, but the shoe fits true to size and it never felt uncomfortable. I'd say the Nano X2 TR Adventure is about standard in terms of width, feeling neither particularly narrow nor wide. The ripstop material gave me the confidence to push the shoe pretty hard in situations where I might normally worry about damaging the soft upper of my regular road shoes.

I particularly appreciated the small lugs on the outsole for extra grip. While this certainly isn't a trail shoe, I can see it working well for the occasional short road-to-trail session where you need a little extra purchase on loose surfaces but don't want to hit the streets with chunky cleats.

The tongue is lightly padded, but not gusseted, which will be fine for most situations, but might prove annoying if you're working out on a path with gravel or woodchips that aim to work their way into your shoes. Personally, it's something I would have appreciated, but certainly not a dealbreaker.

Overall. this is a shoe that's built for a very specific purpose, and thoughtfully engineered throughout. Sure, you could wear your regular running shoes for bootcamp sessions in the park, but the Nano X2 TR Adventure will make them that little bit safer and more enjoyable.

Just be aware that they aren't well suited to longer runs, as their midsole cushioning and shape isn't intended to help your foot roll and absorb repeated heelstrikes.

The updated Reebok Nano X3 Advneture

In 2023, Reebok unveiled the updated Nano X3 Adventure, which features an update upper that shurgs off even heavy rain and ironclad traction courtesy of a new Vibram rubber sole. You may want to opt for the updated version; alternatively this should mean you can get the X2 TRs at a better price.

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