Details
Brand
Saucony
Heel To Toe Drop
8mm
Breathability
7/10
Latest Version
Ride 10
Terrain
Road
Type
Neutral
Key Features
• Saucony Ride 7• Welded overlays give the upper a lightweight, snug feeling• XT 900 carbon and lightweight iBR+ material in the outsole• SRC technology absorbs impact and adds cushioning• Powergrid and SSL EVA are lightweight cushioning features that deliver a smoother ride• Moisture-wicking Rundry lining• Flexible Triflex outsole
Upper
The upper is a combination of mesh and welded overlays to give the shoe a secure and durable fit while still remaining highly breathable. The lacing system, which uses flat laces to give a secure fit, is highly durable and cinches to the foot nicely. The plush heel collar and tongue are great for providing a soft secure fit to the top of the foot. Saucony has also made an effort to make improve the durability of the upper in this edition by adjusting the position of the overlays in problem areas.
Midsole
This shoe is built with durability and comfort in mind. The SSL EVA material combined with the powergrid keep your feet comfortable no matter what your strike pattern is. The additional cushion in the forefoot gives forefoot strikers a little bit of an extra boost on lift off and many forefoot strikers reported being very happy with the feeling of this shoe. Heel strikers also have lots of cushion supporting them throughout the stride and the shoe, while not a stability mode, it does encourage runners to avoid overpronating. The SRC, or super rebound compound, found under the sole gives the shoe an excellent, consistent ride from heel to toe.
Outsole
The outsole uses both iBR+ which is a blown rubber, as well as a special blend of carbon rubber found in many of Saucony’s other shoe models. The iBR+ is good for adding some extra cushioning and bounce to the shoe and is found all along the bottom of this particular model. The XT-900 is harder and contributes more to the durability of the outsole of this shoe. It is placed primarily around the midsole and a bit around the toe area to support the iBR+ blown rubber areas. The outsole is durable enough to support pronators while still giving a great plush feeling to forefoot strikers.
Breathability
The mesh upper works excellently at letting air pass into the shoe, cooling the foot, and keeping the shoe highly breathable, making it great for warmer weather conditions. It also works great if you get your feet wet. Although the upper is not waterproof, the heel lining does incorporate rundry technology which keeps moisture from getting into the shoe from the top. Although this area is not breathable, it does well to keep your feet comfortable in semi-wet conditions.
Comfort
This shoe has a medium stack height, so you are neither close to the ground nor too far away. This is not an ultra plush shoe, but for the amount of material underfoot it is extremely comfortable. What this neutral trainer doesn’t have in support features it makes up for in cushioning. This means you get a neutral feeling shoe with lots of freedom and if you do misstep you are protected from impact-related injuries. The inner lining of the shoe is soft and makes for a great next to foot feeling. Many runners reported using this shoe while recovering from knee surgery or overuse injuries. This shoe is also available in regular and wide sizes, great for people who need a little more wriggle room in their shoes. Some people have found the overlay portion of the shoe to be a little uncomfortable, sometimes causing blisters.
Style
This shoe comes in 4 color variations for men and 5 color variations for women. They range from being conservative neutral colors to very bright variations such as the blue and yellow for men and the berry color for women. The shoe also has a nice design and doesn’t look overly bulky for the amount of cushion it has. No matter what color shoe you like, there is a color variation for you. The flat laces are also a nice looking addition to this shoe.
Durability
This shoe is very durable and great for long runs. The two types of mesh with the overlays make a great combination of breathability and durability. The outsole, which is a combination of softer blown rubber and harder carbon rubber, makes for a cushioned yet durable outsole. The carbon rubber does a great job of supporting the iBR+ part of the outsole and they work together to make a smooth ride. The cushion is also very durable, providing the same great cushion after hundreds of miles as they did out of the box.
Protection
As a neutral running shoe, the Saucony Ride 7 offers a decent amount of cushioning from heel to toe. Although the cushioning will not be high enough to control the movement of the foot, it will still be suitable to offer protection in case of a misstep. The design of the shoe and the outsole are great in providing traction and protecting the runners from injuries caused by overuse. The cushioning is enough even for half marathon or marathon races.
Responsiveness
The Powergrid with SSL EVA provides a great balance between lively responsive cushion and a soft plush ride. This is great for runners looking for a long distance shoe with cushion and a lack of ground feel but still, want the fast responsive ride.
Support
There aren’t a ton of support features in this shoe. It is meant as a neutral shoe for runners who don’t need a lot of support but still want a ton of cushion. The shoe does do a good job of keeping runners from overpronating. There is lots cushion from heel to toe, which is good for runners who are transitioning from a stability shoe to something more neutral.
Terrain
The combination of blown rubber and hard rubber are great for any road like terrain. The shoe does well on track, pavement, light trail and even has the cushion for longer durations of running on very hard surfaces such as cement.
Price
This shoe retails at 120 USD but you can now find this older edition of the shoe for less than 60 USD. Older versions are a little heavier than the new editions and have fewer technologies, but are very reasonably priced, all things considered. If you are finding the 120 USD price tag a bit much for the Ride 7, look for this shoe on sale. It will give you a good taste of what the Ride has to offer without costing too much.
Drop
The 8mm drop from heel to toe is well designed for this type of neutrally designed trainer. At this drop, many runners find this to be a great shoe for long distance running as well as just an everyday shoe. The drop isn’t very noticeable but it does get runners-up on their toes for a nice strong toe-off, which is essential for a powerful stride. At 8mm the drop also leaves space for more cushion in the heel portion, which is usually a vulnerable area for impact-related injuries.
Stability
This shoe does have some stability features, but not many. It encourages good form but doesn’t do too much work for the runner. It keeps runners from overpronating too much while also allowing more range of foot motion. Given the cushion, this is a good shoe for runners recovering from overuse injuries that they may have acquired from transitioning too quickly into a minimalist designed shoe. One great thing that the shoe does is keep a nice consistent ride.
Flexibility
This is not an overly flexible shoe, but that is to be expected given the amount of cushion underfoot. This is a good shoe for someone with medium foot strength working towards increasing their foot strength. There was some effort put into making the outsole of the shoe more flexible, and given the pattern, there is much more heel to toe flexibility than there is lateral. One advantage of having a shoe that lacks flexibility is the nice consistent ride you get out of a shoe like this, making it perfect for those long distance training runs or races.
Traction
The blown rubber and the more flexible outsole make this a great shoe when you need a little traction in wet conditions or if you need to do some light trail running. The traction is, of course, also good for any road surface, and the little extra hard rubber around the forefoot give some good traction for a strong toe-off.
Bottom Line
The Saucony Ride 7 is great for someone looking for a neutrally designed shoe which also offers a lot of cushions. The stack height is great for offering a consistent ride for a long distance run. This shoe deserves its place in any runners shoe rotation. Some people have found the original 120 USD price tag to be a bit steep, but this is a great alternative if you would like to try out this design without spending a lot of money. It has kept the same general design features, only improving them over time.;This is also a highly durable shoe that will last mile after mile, as the outsole, midsole and upper are all built to last. The shoe balances weight, cushion, stability and responsiveness and lots of runners have reported making this their new go-to trainer. It also works well as a transition shoe if you are looking to move from stability to something lighter with less cushion this is a good option. If you are looking for an excellent, versatile, uptempo trainer that will go the distance and keep you comfortable check this shoe out!
