By Brian Metzler

What happens when an innovative trail running shoe brand decides to make a road running shoe? We’ll find out soon, but Speedland’s RX:FPY will certainly be bringing a lot of spicy sauce to the roads when it launches in May. The small, crafty Portland, Oregon, brand started by shoe industry veterans Kevin Fallon and Dave Dombrow began offering pre-sales on February 23 for the RX:FPY ($299), a lightweight, maximally cushioned super shoe designed to be a highly responsive and very speedy daily trainer and long-distance racer for the tarmac. It features high-stack uncompressed super-critical foam midsole (40mm in the heel, 33mm in the forefoot), a removable carbon-fiber plate, and a BOA Li2 dual-directional fit system in lieu of laces for the personalized, semi-custom fit that has been one of the hallmarks of Speedland trail shoes. We got a chance to try out a pair of RX:FPY prototypes at The Running Event trade show in Austin, Texas, last November, and can say that it feels pretty light (8.0-ounce spec weight for a men’s size 9) and very energetic. It’s definitely one of the shoes we’re looking forward to this spring.