Nike ACG Pegasus Trail Review

The ACG Pegasus performed its best for us when we ran casual paces across mild trails or easy-rolling "cob" pathways that have a few rocky patches and plenty of hoofprints from cows and horses. When we had to go faster or hit more demanding stretches, the shoe stepped up to those challenges appropriately. Our toes were close enough to the ground that we felt nimble across trickier sections, but there was enough stack under our heels to keep us feeling protected.

However, when we transitioned to stretch our runs in the opposite terrain-based direction, onto roads and asphalt, the shoes left us a bit disappointed. For trails, the shoes have an appropriate level of cushioning and responsiveness. However, on roads, they felt firmer than we would have liked, and less forgiving.

We felt like dialing the rigidity of the foam back just a bit could still have remained trail-appropriate, while being more enjoyable on the roads. Thankfully, we found that the lugs struck an excellent balance of performing well on trail, while fading from notice on pavement.

As it stands, the ACG Pegasus is a reliable option with enough versatility to be enjoyable as a standard daily trainer.

The Nike ACG Pegasus is a versatile trainer that kept us reasonably comfortable from our doors to the trailhead. We appreciated the mesh upper, which offered great lockdown to keep our feet secure over uneven surfaces while remaining breathable during warmer-weather runs.

It took a brief break-in period, but after three or four runs, the midsole cushioning felt a little softer and more flexible. Even after breaking in, the cushioning maintained a slightly rigid feel that kept the shoe significantly better suited for trails than for roads, from an underfoot comfort perspective.

Finally, the adjusted drop (from 10 mm in the previous Pegasus Trail to 8 mm in the ACG Peg) didn't impact our strides and we appreciated the little bit of extra cushioning under our toes.

While our testers have had some issues with Nike sizing and fits in the past, we were unanimously happy to report that the ACG Pegasus fits true to size in regards to length, width, and volume. The slightly roomier toe box allowed our toes to spread out naturally, and even the midfoot had a little bit of roominess (in a good way) which we weren't accustomed to.

The tongue has a balanced amount of padding, and we were able to get good lockdowns with the laces biting into our insteps.

The only negative mark we have about the ACG Pegasus' fit harkens back to the arch feeling, mentioned in the Comfort section. For Lia, the arches became less noticeable on trails after an initial break-in period, but remained too noticeably prominent for enjoyment on pure, flat pavement during an out-and-back road-to-trail jaunt. Aside from that note, the upper disappeared comfortably on foot.

"The Brooks Ghost Trail is a lot more similar to its road counterpart than the ACG Pegasus is to the Pegasus 42. The Ghost Trail feels more cushioned, but narrower in fit than the ACG Pegasus. If I were to pick between the two for just trail, I would pick the ACG Pegasus because it has a roomier fit and feels like it would give you more control and have better groundfeel than the Ghost Trail. For road-to-trail, the Ghost Trail feels like it would offer a more consistent underfoot experience, though I would try to get it in a wider size." -Lia

"The ACG Pegasus is slightly less cushioned than the Brooks Ghost Trail, but the fit is more accommodating to more foot sizes, as the Ghost is a little more narrow in the toebox." -Katie