Some shoes just quietly sneak into your rotation and never leave. That’s been my experience with the Salomon Aero Blaze 3 — a road shoe that’s light, lively, and surprisingly comfortable for everything from mellow recovery miles to quicker sessions. In fact Salomon’s road shoe options are definitely sleepers in my book.
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So when Salomon rolled out the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL, I was excited because I appreciated the GRVL version of the Aero Glide 3 . This is the hybrid road/trail sibling, designed for those days when you want to keep your run plans flexible. Think of it as the Aero Blaze 3 with a bit of wanderlust — same snappy ride, just wearing grippier shoes for the journey.
Specs
- Stack Height: 35 mm heel / 27 mm forefoot
- Drop: 8 mm
- Weight: Approximately 8.7 oz for a US M9
It’s a little heavier (approximately a half and ounce), thanks to a beefed-up outsole, but honestly, we’re not complaining. Much like the GRVL version of the Glide, it comes with a more substantial tread and gives you better traction, while still maintaining its lightweight, all-around versatility – and a super plush ride.
The first thing you notice will be the outsole. The Gravel ContaGRIP tread is shallow enough to stay smooth on pavement but with just enough bite to give you traction on crushed rock, dirt paths, and the occasional soggy patch. It adds a touch of weight over the road version, but we’re talking fractions of an ounce, not a brick. It still weighs ~8.7oz in a men’s 9.
The upper has also been subtly re-tuned. There is the addition of a toe cap and the mesh overall feels a little tighter-knit to fend off grit.
Where the Aero Blaze 3 GRVL really shines is in the transitions. It feels tailor-made for runs at one of my favorite local spots — Willamette Mission State Park. The park has about a dozen miles of trails, none of them overly technical, but the singletrack dirt and bark paths definitely benefit from a little extra grip. Add in the quiet roads and paved paths that crisscross the area, and you’ve got the perfect playground for switching surfaces mid-run.
On these routes, the shoe never once felt out of its depth. I’ve had road shoes that slip on gravel and trail shoes that slap on pavement — the Blaze 3 GRVL lives happily in that sweet spot in between.
The Aero Blaze 3 GRVL doesn’t try to be a full-blown trail shoe, and that’s its strength. It’s a hybrid that respects both sides of its personality — light and quick on the road, grippy and steady on tame trails. If your running routes tend to wander, this is a shoe worth lacing up.
