In-depth Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL review. After 100 kilometres, we decide who it’s for, what it’s good at, and why we think it’s a better daily trainer than the Adidas Evo SL.

Why the Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL Ended Up in My Rotation

At a time when the vast majority of my training took place on trail — and not the kind of well-groomed gravel paths these shoes are designed for — I didn’t think I’d find much use for the Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL. But as autumn and winter rolled in, bringing with them what felt like perpetual darkness, time on the trails started to dwindle. To keep any sort of sensible training volume ticking over, a return to the relative monotony of pavement pounding was inevitable.

And while there’s a certain ease to knocking out a quick hour on the asphalt, the changing seasons bring more than just shorter days. It’s wetter, colder, and those usually safe parts of the environment — leaves plus pavement — become hazardous. So sure, the Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL won’t be accompanying me through bogs like the INOV8 Mudtalon Speed V2s, but they just might be the missing piece of the puzzle.

Gravel-focused shoes are a relatively new addition to the market. Or, at the very least, marketing them as such is. With 2.5mm lugs, the Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL is well suited to light trail, gravel paths, paved park paths that have become a little too dirty to wear your expensive superfoam’d road runners, and, as I’ve mostly been using them, on winter roads where the tarmac turns sketchy and you want a tad more confidence underfoot. A perfect option, perhaps, for frequenters of parkrun. They sit inside, or at the very least alongside, the road-to-trail segment. One that entices road runners to ditch the optimisation crowd and taste what the dirt has to offer.

Step-In Feel

Before I review a running shoe, I’m typically quite clued up on its specs and what those who’ve tested it prior to release think of it. With the Aero Glide 3 GRVL (which, for the sake of brevity, I may occasionally refer to as the AG3s) I went into testing completely blind. I hadn’t even heard of the AG3, GRVL or otherwise, before they landed on my doorstep.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when, on stepping into the Aero Glide 3 GRVL, I was met with a surprisingly bouncy, pleasantly springy midsole. I double, triple checked where the AG3 stood in Salomon’s lineup. And, having confirmed this was indeed their contribution to the daily trainer market, immediately knew from the feel of the midsole that Salomon were cooking. The upper — well structured, generously padded, and seemingly supportive — felt premium.

Fit & Sizing

Salomon’s trail shoes are typically quite narrow. For me, that’s ideal. But they typically alienate quite a number of runners. However, in an un-Salomon-like twist, the Aero Glide 3 GRVL is seemingly “normal” width. It seems to be a decision largely inspired by their new construction approach — sensiFIT — which purports to make it easier to get a secure, dialled-in fit, even with needle-thin feet like mine.

Delving a little deeper into sensiFIT, these new uppers have structural overlays integrated in them which connect toward the midsole and up into the lace rows. So, when you tighten the laces, they pull the whole upper around the foot more evenly, rather than merely pressing down from above.

I’m typically quite skeptical of this sort of “technology.” I don’t know why. I just think, mate, it’s an upper. Surely you’re just blagging about all this? But honestly, the impact of sensiFIT is genuinely noticeable and actually works. The result is better lockdown, fewer pressure points, and a fit that feels genuinely customised.

Oh, and for reference, as per usual I went with a UK 8.5, which is 1/2 a size larger than street.

Midsole

The reason the AG3 GRVL’s midsole offers more rebound than I’d typically expect from a daily trainer is due to Salomon’s use of an eTPU foam, namely energyFOAM EVO (which, strangely, is also called optiFOAM²).

It’s surprising — pleasingly so — to see Salomon opt for an eTPU foam. Previous iterations have utilised EVA-based formulations, which, even now, is standard in the daily trainer segment. A chunk of EVA and call it a day. While EVA is considered by some to be quite a boring foam (I may have called it something similar in past reviews), I actually don’t have anything against it. It does the job, it’s durable, but it’s typically nothing to write home about. However, just as pain is necessary to appreciate pleasure, sometimes you need the boring to appreciate the exciting.

After 100 kilometres in the AG3 GRVL, I’m pleased to see the midsole still retains that slightly springy feel. In my view, Salomon has engineered optiFOAM² almost perfectly. It’s not soft, but nor is it firm. It sits in the middle, suitably well-balanced. It’s not aggressively bouncy, so it’s still comfortable for those slow miles. But, should you wish to pick-up the pace, there’s plenty of rebound in the compound to hit those quicker paces.

So while Salomon has technically moved away from “boring” EVA, this eTPU formulation keeps everything that works — and adds just enough edge to make it interesting.

Durability

I’ve covered circa 100kms in the Aero Glide 3 GRVL, and they’re holding up perfectly. All the images in this review were taken post-100kms so you get an idea of wear, or lack thereof. As you can see, they look largely untouched but for the dirt and — if you have a keen eye — a few of my cat Trevor’s stray hairs that have clung to the sticky contaGRIP outsole.

eTPU is a pretty resilient and durable foam, so I wouldn’t expect there to be any parts tearing away after 100K. But the durability of the AG3 GRVL is further helped by the contaGRIP outsole pattern that covers the entirety of what would otherwise be exposed foam. Only the central cutout remains exposed — a section that’s highly unlikely to make contact with the ground unless you have the jankiest of gaits. The lugs, if used as I’m predominantly doing — on the winter roads — may be susceptible to early wear. But as noted below, this version of contaGRIP is designed for both gravel and paved roads. And so far, the outsole remains pristine.

Outsole

The Aero Glide 3 GRVL makes use of what Salomon are calling a gravel formulation of their contaGRIP compound, intelligently inspired by the tread used in gravel biking. I don’t know anything about cycling, but clearly they know a thing or two about grip. As I’ve mentioned umpteen times, my predominant use case is winter roads, but I have — as you can see from the dirt — strayed onto the good stuff a couple of times. In both scenarios, the 2.5mm lugs have proven themselves worthy. The outsole feels sticky, dependable, and inspires confidence in less-than-ideal conditions.

Gritty Verdict: A Better Daily Trainer Than the Adidas Evo SL?

The modern running shoe market is obsessed with extremes. Softer foams, bigger stacks, and race-day DNA trickling into everything. Shoes like the Superblast, Megablast, and Evo SL dominate the conversation. And sure — they’re excellent. But somewhere along the way, we’ve started to lose sight of the value in the humble daily trainer: something stable, durable, comfortable, and versatile enough to shoulder the unglamorous demands of weekly mileage.

I’m sure some of you will be chomping at the bit at my suggestion that the Aero Glide 3 is a better daily trainer than the Evo SL — particularly given this review focuses on the gravel edition. So let me explain.

The Evo SL deserves its reputation — I said as much in my glowing review of Adidas’ super trainer. That fat wedge of Lightstrike Pro (the good kind) at that price point is undeniably tempting. But as a daily trainer — the role it so often ends up filling — it’s in some ways too much, and in others, not enough. The TPEE midsole encourages quicker paces, yet the lack of a plate means it can feel unstable for some runners. And the upper… well, do we even need to go there? Incredible midsoles paired with less-than-optimal uppers is sort of Adidas’ bread and butter. While it was one of their better efforts at the time, the Evo SL upper (admittedly, I haven’t tried the newer weave version) just isn’t structured enough for longer, slower miles.

By contrast, the Aero Glide 3 — GRVL or otherwise — is stable, comfortable, and protective, without being dull. It strikes a rare balance between cushioning, responsiveness, and longevity: the kind of balance daily trainers used to be built around before everything turned into a spec-sheet arms race. Salomon has long been pigeonholed as a trail-first brand — intentionally so — but with the Aero Glide 3, it feels like they’ve planted a flag firmly in the road conversation. Not by chasing hype or race-day theatrics, but by nailing the fundamentals.

In the wetter, colder months here in the UK — which most people simply refer to as the year — the GRVL outsole inspires confidence without compromising road performance. Since adding it to my rotation, I’ve reached for it for the majority of my road miles. And that’s not just down to the weather. Conditions have often been perfectly fine for a standard road outsole, yet the 2.5mm lugged contaGRIP never gets in the way. It’s a genuinely brilliant all-rounder — a shoe that quietly does everything well.

And, with the recent launch of the Aero Glide 4, the Aero Glide 3 can now be found for under £100 — and at that price, it’s the best bang for buck on the market right now.

Who the Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL is NOT For

This is a highly capable trainer, but it isn’t — and Salomon would agree — a proper trail shoe. How limiting that is will depend on your local terrain, but there are clear boundaries.

• Not for deep, sloppy mud or consistently technical trails
• Not for runners who dislike high-stack shoes or prefer a low-to-the-ground feel

If your idea of trail running involves bogs, roots, and steep off-camber terrain, this isn’t the tool for the job.

Who the Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL Is For

This is where the Aero Glide 3 GRVL really shines.

• Winter road running
• Road-to-trail and gravel paths
• Parkruns and everyday miles
• Light, non-technical trails

Honestly? It’s for anyone looking for a comfortable, stable, and versatile daily trainer that doesn’t fall apart when the weather turns or the tarmac runs out.

Where Next?

• Get back on the trails with our roundup of 2025’s best trail running shoes
• Check out our work-in-progress: the 2026 trail running shoe release calendar
• Get training, with Runna