The Asics Gel-Splyte is an experimental, stylish, technical skate shoe. From the outside, the Splyte look different to every other model on the Asics skate line and basically every cupsole skate shoes out there but there’s even more going on beneath the surface. This low profile shoe has a series of tech features packed inside it that gives them one of the most unique board feels of any shoe we’ve ever skated.
So you may be thinking what exactly makes them so different and are they good to skate?
Wonder no longer, just read our review below to find out what makes the Gel-Splyte stand out and discover why they could be the next pair of skate shoes that you have to go out and get.
(1.) – Tongue: Super Strong Split Tongue
The Gel-Splyte’s split tongue gives the shoe a different look and feel to any other cupsole skate shoe that we’ve ever worn. One side of the split tongue is larger than the other and extends over the other side of the shoe. This means the tongue perfectly cups the top and the sides of your feet giving the Gel-Splyte a super tight feel that has a lot of benefits to your skating when wearing them.
The first is that due to the Gel-Splyte’s tongue’s high levels of padding, your foot is consistently and firmly locked into place, however tight your laces are, and when they’re completely unlaced, they are easy to kick on and off. The durable padding on the tongue also protects the top of your feet from a falling board with a double layer more protection than a traditional skate shoe tongue would do.
The second thing, that’s connected to our last point, is that no matter if you have laces tied up to the max or have them loose it makes very little difference. So if you like a loose fitting skate shoe, for some reason, these are not the model for you. However, if you want a constant snug fit, then the Splyte will give you that.
The Gel Splyte’s tightness means that the shoe and your feet will be moving at the same time in the same direction and not only do you not have to worry about a board hitting you in the top of the foot but it’s great for preventing ankle rolls by keeping the tops and sides of your feet consistently stable and well protected.
The tongue is made out of chunky padded foam that will keep your feet warm on a cold day. But also on a hot day the shoe has you covered as they have a large mesh reinforced ventilated patch on the front that gives it loads of breathability in the main upper toe area to give your feet some relief from the heat.
(2.) – Upper: Strong, Stylih, Slim and Triple-stitched
The upper of the shoe is constructed out of a solid durable suede, grippy mesh and leather. All of the three are positioned in all of the right areas to give the shoe enough grippiness and slippiness and hardness to protect your feet for Ollies but are flexible and smooth enough to give you that snappy feeling on your flip tricks and the colour coordinated look just adds to it’s unique style.
The upper is curved in the middle which accentuates your actual foot shape, so you feel where your feet are on the board, at all times, no space in the shoe is wasted. You get pinpoint accuracy on flips and more balanced and centred, pressured weight on your board on Ollies to get even more pop which is dope.
The double stitching throughout the Splyte is incredibly high calibre, they have a tough suede upper with layers of leather in high wear areas. They have a low profile but the top of the shoe is well reinforced to protect your feet from a stray board hit.
There’s a cool looking leather Asics tiger logo on the side, that’s reinforced with two layers of different colours of suede and stitching, that alternates in colour on the outside and inside of the shoe, that looks cool but also provides a great extra patch of grippy surface to give you some extra resistance for controlling Ollies.
There’s also plenty of meshed breathable ventilation built in-between the logo that gives the shoe even more breathability.
(3.) – The Toe: Super Rounded, Really Pointy
Adding onto the snug feeling of the Splyte, their roughly triangular shaped means that the toe although suitably rounded has a very pointed edge and feel and the toe gets wider and more spacious the further back you move to the heel, so the shoe is constantly supporting your whole foot from front to back.
The meshed and moulded toe guard adds a lot of durability to the shoe and a layer of protection with the strip in the middle that makes the shoe look different to basically every other cupsole skate shoe out there, These shoes are sturdy. If you like a floppy feeling vulcanised shoe, the Splyte is the complete opposite to that.
So they are going to feel stiffer and stronger in the short term than a classic vulc or standard cupsole model but will ultimately last longer and also look more premium for longer in the meantime.
(4.) – Laces: High and Fly
The laces are placed so far on the top of the Gel-Splyte that you’d be super unlucky to somehow rip them. Although they are somewhat adjustable due to the size and relative padding of the tongue after a medium level of tightness is achieved, the overall tightness of the laces will basically have no effect on how closely the shoe is wrapped against your feet due to the folding tongue.
(5.) – Insoles: More Cushion for Pushing
The Gel-Splyte insoles have Asics patented gel tech technology and you can feel that padded support on every single step and push when wearing them.
They are punctured with breathable holes, that circulate air around the shoe, adding a subtle but very appreciated layer of performance considerations that really make the shoe feel good to wear from the start to the end of a long skate.
The cushioning tech packed into the insole works very well to protect your feet from high drop and does a great job for an insole that comes as standard.
(6.) – Heels: Solid, Strong, Supportive
The heels height in comparison to the toe makes the Splyte look like a running shoe but actually when you wear them on your board, due to the well moulded inner, they feel totally balanced and are solid for absorbing impact skating off high drops.
They have an Asics logo embossed on the heel with reinforced leather underneath, making them stronger and just adding to the Splyte’s overall solid impact protection.
\
(7.) – Outsole – Sick Grip But Slippy Enough
The outsole is quite grippy, it’s very similar to the Japan Pro, they are ideal for getting that snappy feeling on your Ollie, and have a smooth layer in the top of the middle and side of the shoe that gives it a nice slickness for flip tricks.
(8.) –Soles – Steady, Well Designed Tread
The sole of the Gel-Splyte has a very cool looking, grip pattern which has softer gel areas on the heel and strong grippy areas on the ball of your feet and on the toes to increase comfort and grip.
The tread pattern consists of indented pocket grooves that extends to the top of the outsole and from the toe to the edge of the heel which gives the Gel-Splyte a lot more flexibility in an area of the shoe where your feet need room to move.
The patterns themselves are wide, meaning that you won’t be picking up a lot street debris in these, which is another well constructed design consideration. The sole tread pattern’s two tone colour makes it one of the more tech and cool looking treads we’ve seen out there. Asics has considered how this will look and work well from the bottom to the top.
(9.) – Skateability: Fit
The Gel-Splyte fit just right but if you have wider than average feet you might find them to be tight.
(10.) – Skateability: Break in time
The Gel Splyte took about 2-3 hours of continuous skating til we managed to get them to a level that we felt very comfortable to roll in.
(11.) – Skateability: Street
Skating ledges and curbs in these is a breeze and you always feel centred over your board. Pushing, Ollies and flips feels precise as it’s a very light foot form fitting shoe , which give you the feeling that you are locked in at all times. We never had to retie up the laces on these and they’ve never felt loose for more than a second.
(12.) – Skateability: Transition
Rolling around a park or a bowl feels great in these but when you’re shredding on larger ramps unless you’re very balanced and centred there’s a chance you’re not going to be able to grip the side of your board like Bob Burnquist to roll your way out of any sketchy trick that you try.
In the long term these Gel-Splyte are incredibly durable, they hold up in all of the zones prone to rippage and the grippy snappy feeling will last for 3-6 months but will blow out 6-8 months down the line, depending on how much you skate.
Overall, it’s a solid shoe that is more built for street skating than transition but it does have enough stability and versatility to work rad on transition that’s 10 feet and under which is what most people looking at these shoes will be skating in the first place but if you want to get your Grant Taylor on, go for it and chances are they will feel just as good skating an 11 foot ramp at speed as they would skating a mini ramp for most transition-focused skaters.
(13.) – Colorways
We skated the Gel-Splyte in Graphite/Black but it’s also available in Black/Safety Yellow, Black/White and White/Cream.
(14.) – Price
UK: £145
USA: $195
(15.) – Overall Rating 7/10
The Gel-Splytes are a cool-looking cupsole that integrate a lot of new and classic technology to increase performance and comfort in the areas you need it to and more. If you’re looking for a strong skate shoe, that can help you handle skating every type of terrain, that looks stylish but also looks very different to everything out there we could not recommend a better shoe than the Splyte to fit all of your needs and ones that you didn’t even know that you had until you go and try them on.
