For Every Day and For Every Type of Run …
Saucony has the Running Shoe for You
Saucony has the Running Shoe for You
“The Saucony Ride 13 expands the well-received line of Ride shoes, bringing a few changes to the previous model to come in an updated upper, redesigned fit, and adjusted outsole. Recommended for The Saucony Ride 13 is a versatile shoe for neutral runners that want a reliable trainer with higher than average cushioning in a durable package. Welcome to the 'Ride that never ends!' I have been looking forward to reviewing the Saucony Ride ISO 2 since the moment came out in April/May 2019. I was a big fan of its predecessor the Ride ISO, as a mid-weight neutral cushioning shoe. The Switchback ISO has Saucony’s FormFit system as most all 2019 Saucony are receiving starting with the Ride ISO and Triumph ISO 5. It is an integration of sockliner, Everun topsole and more contoured midsole side walls to mesh with the sockliner and top sole.
Last month, I got a first-hand look at the 2019 Saucony Running shoe collection from Sharon Barbano at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. For those of you who do not know Sharon, pictured above, her longevity in the running industry speaks volumes, from working for all the major shoe brands to being the official announcer for many of the nation’s top running events, including coverage of the Boston, Chicago and New York City marathons.
![Saucony 2019 Ride Iso Saucony 2019 Ride Iso](https://runningmagazine.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Saucony-Ride-ISO-1.jpg)
A Road Runners’ Club of America certified coach, a former world class distance runner, a competitor in the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials and past U.S. 50K Trail Running Champion, Sharon knows a thing or two about the anatomy of a great running shoe and all the many great benefits. Here is a first look at what’s new from Saucony for Spring 2019 from Sharon.
When you look at running surveys, fit is the most important. For Spring 2019 and moving forward, Saucony wanted to do two things to get the fit right.
Number One … on three of our franchise shoes we’ve updated the Last. It’s a little wider in the forefoot and a little more-narrow in the heel, similar to what Saucony had years ago.
Number Two … our Form Fit System. It’s a three-layer system that’s in all of our shoes. On the top of the shoe, you have your sock liner that molds to your foot. The next layer is our EVERRUN topsole which, as the foot comes down, handles the impact in different areas.
Number Three …we are contouring our midsoles so that the foot sits in the shoe cradled.
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Let’s start with the Kinvara, pictured left. This is the tenth anniversary of the shoe. The whole idea for 2019 was to advance the experience of the Kinvara while giving kudos to the shoe’s heritage and on November 1, Saucony will launch the Kinvara 10.
Kinvara 10 … Evolution of a Revolution.The Kinvara celebrates the 10-year legacy of the shoe and its followers with performance upgrades for a smooth, incredibly energetic ride.
Saucony has a fan base of Kinvara wearers, and we never want to mess around too much with the shoe. Historically, the Kinvara has a springy, quick feel. For 2019 the shoe will continue to have the EVA Plus outsole/midsole with XT900 rubber for more durability, EVERRUN topsole and a special mesh on the upper that is reinforced and includes 3D print overlays instead of hot melt for a smoother, lighter design.
We also returned to the first version of the Kinvara and added small pods to the heel to keep the shoe from slipping and to offer a more plush and comfortable feel.
Triumph ISO5 … Fit to Float.Another big franchise shoe for Saucony is the Triumph. On November 1, Saucony will release a completely new version of the Triumph because the shoe was not offering a broad enough fit, and, we also heard the ride wasn’t feeling the same from the heel to the fore foot.
For 2019, our designers replaced the rubber carbon outsole material with Crystal Rubber which is extremely durable. And, because of its durability, 2mm were removed from the bottom of the shoe. Now, the Crystal Rubber is 2mm narrower from the other material and to allow for the difference, the designers added 2mm of EVERUN mid-sole—a compound that never breaks down or loses its cushioning properties.
When you run in a regular shoe with EVA, friction occurs. As the friction happens, EVA loses its ability to absorb shock, even in the winter, and losing its cushioning abilities when you need it most at the end of your run.
EVERRUN never breaks down its cushioning properties and is three times more durable than EVA with incredible shock absorption. With the addition and subtraction of material, it’s a more uniform, better running outsole. We are offering a new last, 3D print overlays and a double jacquard knit that is strong but very breathable.
Guide ISO2Trail Runner … The Answer. Stability or cushioning? The answer is “yes, please.” Saucony’s FORMFIT performance contoured foot bed better connects you to your run. A supportive shoe, the original Guide was designed for short, quick runs, hill work, sprints or recovery day runs. The 2019 Guide offers more support to runners with a Powerfoam base and an EVERRUN Topsole for more medial support in a running shoe. We’ve taken the original Guide and made the Guide Trail Runner and within the Guide Trail, we offer four options for people who need more support.
Peregrine 8 … Our award-winning Peregrine, pictured right, is a beautiful shoe. For 2019 we did not change the tooling but incorporated ISOFIT construction adapting to your foot as you move.
The shoe has a full-length PWRTRAC outsole for underfoot protection and cushioning—three-times more sticky than regular carbon rubber—6.5mm lugs for really great grip, EVERRUN Topsole, Powerfoam Midsole, reinforced mesh and bumper on the toe and the heel.
Switchback ISO … Dial in, Log out.We took our Freedom shoe with 4mm offset, partnered with BOA technology—combining their BOA lacing system with our ISOFIT construction—to create a game-changing fit experience in a trail shoe.
The key to this shoe is that has a ISOFIT plus Boa Lace System. This shoe becomes one with your foot. Between all of the pieces, you are cradled in the shoe and it all wraps around with XT900 PWRTRAC that’s more durable and gives you more push through protection strategically placed in push off zones.
We also added a full-length FORMFIT contoured EVERUN Midsole, woven and coated textile upper suitable for the runner who does not want, or need, a lot of foot protection.
Photos courtesy Saucony
Saucony’s standard-weight neutral trainer gets updated in the Ride ISO 2! With some pretty big changes to the midsole and outsole alongside tweaks to the upper, let’s see how Saucony has updated their very popular trainer.
Saucony Ride ISO vs Ride ISO 2:
Saucony Ride Iso For Women
Saucony has made some key changes the shoe that have changed the fit, feel, and function. The midsole and outsole are new, and the upper has some changes as well.
- The big change is in the midsole and outsole – the Ride ISO 2 is softer and more flexible than the original ISO
- Visually, the new ISO 2 is significantly less stable than its predecessor. It remains to be seen whether the actual function of the shoe reflects what we’re seeing in the store, but the soft foam and more flexible feel allows the foot to move without any guidance or support
- Saucony has done a great job in identifying the core competencies of each of their models and focusing on making those better. In the Ride, that’s a soft, regular-weight trainer that has a good transition.
- The heel is more of a flat platform on the old Ride ISO, with the ISO 2 getting back to the smooth transition that the Ride 10 provided
- Sizing is pretty similar throughout, with the ISO 2 providing a little more room in the toebox – most notably with more depth
Fit
The ISO upper continues to create a snug, sock-like fit throughout the upper. Saucony has increased toebox room with the ISO 2 especially in terms of depth, and overall the Ride continues to be pretty down-the-middle in terms of width and length. The mesh has enough stretch to it to create some flexibility in the upper if needed, but the ISO upper does a really good job in locking in the foot.
Feel
Saucony has continued to provide a luxurious step-in feel with the new Ride ISO 2. At the $120 price point it is ahead of most of its competitors. With the update to the ISO 2, the feeling while running/walking has caught up to that luxurious step-in feel. Under-foot, the ISO 2 is now a really soft yet playful feeling shoe. Getting away from platform-like heel that characterized the original Ride ISO. Video copilot optical flares 1 3 5. Despite being softer, the ISO 2 feels lower and faster than the original ISO. The combination of flexibility and softness is actually pretty similar to the Ghost, which it pretty remarkable praise considering the current popularity of the Ghost.
Function
As a standard weight neutral shoe, the Saucony Ride ISO 2 is one of the classic neutral trainers. It provides very little inherent stability and will allow the foot to be flexible. While great for neutral runners, it’s not going to provide any guidance to prevent pronation. The move back to a more flexible heel has so far proven to slightly change the function of the shoe. We’ve seen in early tests that it creates a little less balanced shoe over the Ride ISO – with the soft foam and overall flexibility allowing the foot to pretty much do whatever it wants.
Comparisons:
Saucony Ride ISO 2 vs Brooks Ghost:
In their current versions, the shoes have a very similar feel. The Ghost has a very slightly softer feel, but the new Ride ISO 2 has done an admirable job of replicating the fit and feel of the most popular shoe on the market. The Ride has a little more room in the toebox and is a little wider overall. The weights on each shoe are pretty much identical. The Ride provides a softer step-in feel, but its pretty close. It seems as though Saucony set out to get as close as possible to the Ghost, and they’ve done a good job. Both shoes are designed as neutral trainers, and neither will provide much guidance.
Saucony Ride ISO 2 vs Freedom ISO 2:
Saucony Ride Iso 2 Women's
The Ride and Freedom are very different shoes. While they’re both mid-weight Saucony trainers, the Freedom is designed as a unique plush but low and flexible neutral shoe while the Ride is a more traditional trainer. Despite its low and flexible nature, the Freedom is actually a little heavier than the Ride, but it doesn’t really feel like it on-foot because of how flexible and low it is. The Freedom is also a little softer than the Ride, but with its full EVERUN midsole it is a slightly different type of cushioned feel. The uppers are very similar in terms of fit. Neither are going to give you much support – they’re both firmly on the more flexible side of the neutral spectrum.
Saucony Ride ISO 2 vs Nike Pegasus
The upper of the Ride and Pegasus both provide a pretty flexible upper, but the Pegasus is much narrower, shallower, and generally tighter fitting than the Ride. The Pegasus also has a much more prominent arch. While both weigh the same, the Pegasus is a little softer than the Ride and has a little more flexibility in the transition. The Pegasus feels lower and a little faster/playful than the Ride with it’s contoured midsole. Neither are designed to provide any amount of guidance and the differences in inherent stability are negligible between the two.
Saucony Ride vs Guide
With the newest updates of each shoe (Ride ISO 2 vs Guide ISO 2), The Ride and Guide are moving further away from each other in terms of function and feel. Appropriate for it’s name, the Guide provides a significant amount of guidance, while the Ride is designed for neutral runners and doesn’t provide any guidance. The overall widths of the shoes are pretty similar, with the Ride having a little more depth and width in the toebox.