Editor rating:
9/10 on
FRANK MAY
User's rating:

PROS

  • Comfortable ISOFIT upper
  • Extra cushioning from EVERUN foam
  • Sleek design upgrades

CONS

  • Might feel narrow to some.

OUR VERDICT

The Saucony Ride ISO branches into new territory of the Ride line, improving on fit comfort and overall running efficiency. Comfort combined with a modern design makes this shoe a good choice for daily training.
WHERE TO BUY
LOWEST PRICE
$79
merchant logo$120 $79See It
SHOE INFO
Brand
Ride ISO
Model
Type
9.70 oz. (275 gr.)
Weight
120 US$
MSRP
8 mm
Heel Drop
Family
May / 2018
Release Date
Previous model
WHO IS IT FOR
The Saucony Ride ISO is pointed at neutral runners who want a neutral trainer that offers an efficient platform to run both speed work and long runs on.

The ISO fit of the upper with the EVERUN topsole gets runners some of the best technology from Saucony without breaking the bank.

I’ve been enjoying Saucony shoes more and more over the years as they’ve been adding new ways to lighten the shoes, improve upper comfort, and decrease energy loss in the ride.

The Ride ISO follows this trend from Saucony and offers a competitive choice for runners looking for a shoe that emphasises those characteristics.

This Ride ISO shoe comes in at 9.7 ounces with an 8mm heel to toe offset and a $120 MSRP with a focus on providing a dynamic and efficient fit for neutral runners.

Similar shoes are the the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35 with a 10mm drop, 10 oz weight and a similar price with a different take on the lacing system.

The Asics GEL Cumulus 20 with a 10mm drop, 10.05 oz weight, and similar price with added cushioning, and the ON Cloudflyer with a 7mm drop, 8.9 ounce weight, and premium $160 price for added durability and comfort.

Saucony Ride ISO General Info

Sometimes in a line of shoes, the manufacturer makes a drastic enough change to the line that warrants a new name that drops the number of shoes that came before it.

Saucony Ride ISO - Lateral Side

Saucony Ride ISO – Lateral Side

Saucony did just that with the Ride ISO, where it’s secretly the Ride 11 with ISO fit, but Saucony felt the addition of their ISO fit technology was a big enough change that it was less of an iteration on the Ride line and more of a new branch that needs a new name.

The Ride ISO still offers what the Ride line of shoes is known for: a balanced mix of weight, comfort, and durability at a reasonable price, but this time it adds in a focus on fit.

It’s still worth comparing the Ride ISO to the RIde 10 to see where it’s coming from.

The Ride 10 was a little lighter at 9.5 ounces versus the new 9.7 ounces, but this is most likely due to the addition of the ISO fit system and slightly adjusted outsole pattern.

The offset is still the same, the EVERUN topsole is the same, and the Triflex outsole design is also the same. This makes it hard to decide if it’s worth paying MSRP for the new Ride ISO over paying the reduced price of the older Ride 10.

Saucony Ride ISO - Medial Side

Saucony Ride ISO – Medial Side

My first time lacing up in the Ride ISO was great, where I could feel the upper comfortably fit to my foot, the same way I was used to with the Fredom ISO.

The shoe also has the look of a modern trainer with light use of colors and fades without highlighted sections or flashy overlays.

Took these shoes out on a 10 mile run and the good first impressions continued through that run and I was ready to finish the 50 miles of testing in these shoes to learn more.

Saucony Ride ISO Sole Unit

Nearly all shoes are quickly identifiable by their outsole design. Nike often uses a waffle pattern, Adidas uses a blob-web (not the technical term), New Balance has warped hexagons, Asics uses patches around a “guidance line” and Saucony uses a TRI-FLEX pattern.

Saucony Ride ISO - Pair

Saucony Ride ISO – Pair

This pattern is in my opinion, one of the best for a smooth heel to toe transition (maybe behind the Nike Free shoes).

The numerous groves that run laterally under the midfoot in a zig-zag pattern give the shoe ample rubber coverage without restricting movement that much.

Makes sense that Saucony kept this design, with just a few small tweaks. The type of rubber used is also pretty similar to past models, where they use a cushioned blown rubber in low wear areas and a harder durable rubber in high wear areas.

Above the outsole is the PWRFOAM foam that has little documentation on it, even from Saucony (I checked their glossary of terms and found EVA+, FORM2U, POWERGRID, and REACT2U foams, just now POWERFOAM).

I’ll guess that it’s similar to their POWERGRID foam since they both seem to distribute pressure well for a smooth and comfortable shoe.

Above the PWRFOAM is their EVERUN topsole which is a thin layer of a few millimeters of their famous and strong performing TPU foam.

EVERUN is one of a small group of foams that have outstanding benefits, which include better energy return, improved cushioning, long lasting durability, and low performance deviations in different temperatures.

But, EVERUN is expensive, so they only give you a little of it, unlike the Freedom ISO which has a full EVERUN midsole and has a much higher price tag.

All these foams in the Ride ISO makes for a lightly plush shoe that doesn’t take away too much energy while still providing neutral support.

Saucony Ride ISO Upper Info

First, Saucony has some neat color schemes (as of this review men’s selection is: blue+white, black with fades, grey/blue+ViZiRed, White Noise, and the women’s selection is blue/navy/purple, black with fades, violet/black/aqua, and also white noise).

Saucony Ride ISO - Lateral Side

Saucony Ride ISO – Lateral Side


Even without these color schemes, the shoes would still look great since saucony only uses printed overlays and has nothing sticking out, even around the heel counter.

Most of this slim support structure is attributed to the ISO fit technology that I keep mentioning without fully explaining.

ISOFIT is a Saucony specific marketing term to describe in general the features that keep your feet in the shoe in a comfortable way.

Thee features include a tongue that attaches to both sides of the inside of the shoe which means there’s reduced pressure from the lacing system and the tongue stays centered.

The easiest to see feature of the ISO fit system are the flat fingers that run up the edges of the shoe for the laces to loop into the top of.

This spreads out the lace pressure to wider areas that flex with the shoe, which gives the ISO fit system the dynamic fit that Saucony developed.

The Ride ISO completes the comfortable upper with breathable mesh around the toebox, and reinforced fabric around the back half of the foot. Both types of fabric share the upper with thin film overlays for structure and added durability.

My hope is that the thin breathable mesh around the toebox doesn’t deteriorate as quickly if there’s some overlayed film around the high wear areas since this is the standard mode of shoe failure for me after 400-600 miles in shoes like this.

But, my 50 miles of testing found that the shoes at least look good for now. One last point about the upper is the design of the heel which is moderately stable compared to other lightweight and cushioned trainers.

The heel counter is totally internal to the design, where there’s no plastic band wrapping around it (like the Saucony Hurricane or Freedom ISO lines).

Saucony Ride ISO - Heel

Saucony Ride ISO – Heel

The heel feels comfortable and never caused any rubbing or problems for me on long runs past 10 miles (16km). A smart use of reflective material up the back of the shoe makes this shoe even easier to use as a daily trainer if you ever take them out at night.

Saucony Ride ISO Conclusions

I last ran in the Saucony Ride shoes when they were called the Saucony Ride 9s and really liked them back then, so the addition of EVERUN and ISOFIT makes it even easier to recommend to any neutral runners who want a responsive and long lasting shoe.

They are on the plusher side of cushioning, so be aware if you’re used to stiffer shoes or shoes with less foam. These shoes will live up to what Saucony promises, which is a comfortable ride ride in fit and in cushioning.

We purchased a pair of Saucony Ride ISO from runningwarehouse using our own money. This did not influence the outcome of this review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.

Saucony Ride ISO Price Comparison

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