Pearl Izumi M2 v2 Review

The newest iteration of the EM Trail M2 by Pearl Izumi leaves the TAUR TESTER TEAM (TTT) wanting to wear these PIs forever! The TTTs put from 150-250 miles on each pair of shoes

In general, we thought the shoe was extraordinarily comfortable, both on technical and smooth, pebbly and gravelly, sandy and dry trail. We took them on jaunts across muddy plains, rocky mounts, and grassy fields. The M2s passed all of our exams with flying colors.

Pearl Izumi M2 v2 – Mens (R) Womens (L)

Any company can build a good and sturdy trail shoe, but Pearl Izumi does it one better. In design, durability, badassness (this is a real qualifier!), comfort and performance, the Trail M2s win high marks across the board. Pearl Izumi has created a shoe that people with low arches and flat feet can wear and feel confident on the trail, with stability support and an overall pretty perfect design.

Multi purpose M2

The design of the most recent version of the Trail M2 is similar to the last. The upper continues with breathable and flexible mesh. Some of our testers did notice that the upper allowed sand and fine dirt to penetrate. One thing that might be improved is its thickness. Additionally, a thicker mesh in the forefoot and side area would inhibit aggressive little branches from peeking inside the shoe. That said, the mesh’s durability still recieved praise from our testers.

The PI isignia has been resized against large neon, diagonal stripes. To some, the color choices might seem jarring, but have you seen the options in running gear lately. NEON against non-primary colors is IN, folks. This actually has made it easier for many of us to match our outfits that are going to get dirty and gross anyway with our shoes…..

The rock plate(s) and sole combination is our absolute FAVORITE aspect of the shoe. It is durable, supportive, and thick enough to protect the foot from errant rocks and branches. Yet, it is not thick in a maximalist way. The shoes function in a maximalist way, but have a minimalist ride.

The toe box is so sturdy in fact, that for some of us it is the go -to shoe for preventing big toe injuries, which are common amongst us trailrunnin’ folks. Sizing should be noted here, some of the testers found that the toe box ran slightly short compared to the previous model. If you find yourself on the upper end of a size, you may want to go up a half size.

Treadmill time

The lugs of the Trail M2 are not super aggressive, but they function extremely well on all types of terrain. In fact, our favorite runs have been on muddy and technical trails, where the shoes perform excellently, gripping when necessary, shedding mud and retaining free and unecumbered lugs so that the runner has a extra sense of stability on tough trails.

Flying high in the Pearl Izumi M2

The TAUR Team loved this shoe and can’t wait for whatever the newest version brings. The Pearl M2s are sassy, strong, and – ok, well we wouldn’t say sexy, but something like that! Get yours today and get on the trail!

Specs:

-Seamless synthetic mesh upper

– Weight: 10.2oz/289g

– 4mm heel to toe drop

– Sure lacing

-ESS Forefoot rockplate

– High density EVA midsole

– Heel stack height: 24.5 mm (includes midsole/outsole)

– Carbon rubber outsole