One of the first reviews that I wrote here on Runblogger was for the Saucony Ride 6. I liked that shoe because it gave me a tool to use in training that I didn’t have to think much about. It was basic in almost every way – basic cushion, basic ride, basic fit. This good experience led me to take a special interest in the newer Saucony Ride 7 model, and I was excited when Runningshoes.com sent me a review sample to try out.

(Disclosure: the shoe reviewed here was provided free-of-charge for review purposes).

Specs

We’ll start with the specs (via Saucony):
Weight: 9.4oz (Based on men’s size 9)
Stack heights: 26mm (heel); 18mm (toe)
Heel-to-toe drop: 8mm

Appearance

My first impression of the Ride 7 was that it was a great looking shoe. Some traditional trainers are so plain-jane that they’re just boring. Shoes don’t have to look fancy – I barely look at my feet when running – but there’s something special about slipping on an attractive shoe and lacing them up before heading out the door. The Ride 6 model in the blue colorway looked good, but these Ride 7s in a deep orange are awesome!

Fit

Upon first slip on of the Ride 7, I thought that they ran a little small. I’m typically a 10.5 in nearly all shoes that I wear (minus things like the Adidas Energy Boost), including the Ride 6, so I was surprised that my toes couldn’t wiggle much in the Ride 7s of the same size. I wasn’t terribly concerned with this matter, as I had a similar experience with the Virrata 2, and the stretchy inner “bootie” seemed to break in with more wear. To support this notion, the Ride 7 did seem to break in a little bit as I put more miles on, but I still found that there wasn’t a lot of room for my toes to move up and down, though they did tend to splay just fine. However, each time I put on the Ride 7, my feet felt cramped and somewhat claustrophobic, hurting my overall experience going into each run. Going up a half size in the Ride 7 might be warranted.

Cushioning and Durability

The cushioning was something that did not disappoint me in these shoes. Like the Ride 6, they were well-cushioned without being squishy. Durability also appears to be excellent. The outsole on the shoe has been changed up to incorporate more rubber (much like the Saucony Type A series), yet the weight has not increased from version 6 to version 7. I wore these shoes on several longer (read: 18+ miles) runs and my feet felt great. Furthermore, they showed almost no wear and tear on the outside. Some people are looking for shoes that can really handle the test of time and mileage, and it seems that these are really appropriate for lots of miles, both for the body and the shoe.

Sockliner Issue

One of my major complaints about this shoe (and I almost never judge a shoe by this) was the insole (or sockliner). I found myself heading into a hot, humid 20 miler with the stock insole and having some terrible foot cramps halfway into it. I understand that my feet probably sweat more than most people and I did them no favors by running in Texas weather, but the insole completely slipped around inside the shoe and even folded on itself. This left my feet in pain for a couple days after the run and I had to pull the insoles out of the Ride 5 for all future runs because the original was completely shot. See the attached photo for evidence.

Conclusion

Overall, the Ride 7 is a great traditional, neutral trainer that seems to be well built. It did a nice job of keeping my foot locked down while giving lots of cushion and holding up well to lots of miles. Unfortunately, I did not like the way that the shoe fit in the toes (likely solved by sizing up) and didn’t appreciate the way the sockliner was completely shot after one humid run. I’m pretty disappointed in the shoe since I liked the Ride 6 so much, but I will definitely find myself spending some easy miles in them going forward since this is certainly their forte.

The Saucony Ride 7 is available for purchase from Runningshoes.com.

Let me say that again.

I love the Pearl Izumi EM Road N0.

Not since the Saucony Grid Type A5 have I had such a positive experience with a running shoe. The reason? Because this shoe replicates the fit and ride of the A5 better than any shoe I have run in since the A5 came out (including the recently released A6). It’s simply outstanding.

My biggest fear with the Pearl Izumi N0 is that using the number 0 in the name will scare some people off. This is not a zero drop shoe. I also think Pearl Izumi made a mistake in using their “dynamic offset” (whatever that means) terminology in describing the construction of this shoe. No need to complicate a shoe that is beautifully simple and purely functional.

(Disclosure: the shoes reviewed here were provided free-of-charge for review purposes by Runningshoes.com).

Sole Construction

Let’s start by describing what the Pearl Izumi N0 is. It’s a racing flat. It’s a simple shoe built for running fast. PI claims that it has a drop of 1mm at initial contact, and 4.5mm at mid-stance. I don’t find that information all that helpful. Unlike the Pearl Izumi Road N1 which has some unusual geometry built into the insole, the N0 is pretty much a straight-up 6mm drop shoe. I measure stack at about 22mm in the heel, 16mm in the forefoot. It weighs only 6.0oz in men’s size 9.

The sole of the PI N0 is firm yet flexible, very similar to the Saucony A5. It does not have the stiffness of some other racing flats – I don’t think there are any plates in the sole to stiffen it up for example. And that makes it a bit more versatile than your average racing flat. I could easily see racing up to the half-marathon in these.

The sole provides full ground contact – no cutouts. There’s a bit of rubber under the heel, a bit more under the medial forefoot, but the rest is pretty much exposed midsole. Forefoot strikers might rip it up a bit, my pair looks pretty good still after 30 miles.

Upper Construction

Like the sole, the upper of the PI N0 is wonderfully simple. A double-layer mesh makes up most of the upper, and there are a few welded overlays for added support. There is a flexible heel counter, and internally the lining feels soft (have not attempted a sockless run yet). The insole is thin and seems to be of uniform width.

What really makes this shoe for me is the fit. Almost perfect on my foot, maybe only the slightest tad snugger than the A5 was, but the fit is far better on me than the A6. It feels as if the shoe was designed specifically for my foot shape.

Performance

I’ve put about 30 miles on the N0’s so far, and have pretty much reserved them for workouts where I intend to include a bit of speed. I also used them in a 5K last weekend, my first road 5K in well over a year. They have performed brilliantly on all occasions, and they felt great in the race. The sole is responsive without being overly stiff.  I managed a sub-20 5K in them, which was my goal heading into the race, and they are probably going to be my 5K racer for the foreseeable future (unless the A6 upper breaks in a bit). I can’t say I’d want much more from a racing flat.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a racing flat suited to distances from the 5K to the half-marathon, the Pearl Izumi EM Road N0 might be my top rec as of writing this post. It has been a fantastic shoe for me so far.

The Pearl Izumi EM Road N0 is available for purchase in the red colorway shown above and the black colorway below at Runningshoes.com. MSRP is $100.

Saucony Kinvara 5

Really hoping v5 returns the Kinvara to its pre-v4 glory…

Merrell Bare Access Ultra

Zero drop but with 12mm of softer midsole cushion. This one sounds appealing to me as I’ve always found the Bare Access a bit firm for running (love it for causal wear).

Merrell AllOut Flash

Sub 5 oz, 6mm drop cushioned road shoe on what looks like the Merrell Barefoot last. Kind of a Merrell racing flat? Intrigued…

Brooks PureGrit 3

A bit beefier, outsole a bit luggier, good looking shoe.

I received a review pair of the Mizuno Ferus from Runningshoes.com about a month ago (Disclosure: these were provided free of charge for review purposes). Given that I had previously worn a size 10 in the Mizuno Cursoris, I asked Runningshoes.com to send me the same size. I figured that the same size should work for another shoe in the Mizuno Evo collection. I was wrong. The first pair of Ferus that I received fit huge! There was no way I was going to attempt running in them. So, they were sent back in exchange for a 9.5. I can’t remember ever having dropped down to a 9.5 in any shoe (I more often size up to 10.5), but the new pair fit great and off I went.

For my first run in the Ferus I decided to head out on a hilly route to my daughter’s school. I was wary of the memory foam sockliner, but the route was all on asphalt road so I though a bit of softness might be warranted – I opted to leave them in. It was also an unseasonably hot day, and since the shoes felt good walking around sockless, I decided to run the 5.5 miles sans socks. Big mistake. There was blood, much blood:

On the plus side, the shoes performed great. My initial concern over the sockliner was unwarranted – it turns out that a thin memory foam sockliner paired with a thin, firm, zero drop sole (14mm heel, 14mm forefoot) makes for a great ride on the road. Just enough softness to take the edge off. And, if you want a firmer ride with good ground feel you can just take the insole out or swap it with something thinner and firmer.

Now, I should point out the obvious – the Mizuno Ferus is a trail shoe. However, though it has a luggy sole, the lugs are low and flat and this shoe works perfectly well on asphalt and cement surfaces. In fact, most of the 30 or so miles I have put on them so far were on roads, with only 2-3 miles total running on trail and crushed rock. I did also hike up and down Mt. Pisgah in VT in them, and so far traction and rock protection has been fine.

Since I’m mostly a road runner with the occasional mile stretch of trail included on some of my frequent routes, I value a shoe that can handle multiple surfaces well. The Mizuno Ferus fits that bill perfectly. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I think this shoe might be a better choice than the Mizuno Cursoris for road running given durability concerns about the sole of the latter. The Ferus sole is more amply covered by rubber, and wear on my pair is minimal so far despite the road miles.

The upper of the Ferus is a soft, breathable mesh – very comfortable against the foot. The mesh has a bit of stretchiness to it, though not as much as the forefoot mesh of the Cursoris, and extensive welded overlays on the Ferus hold the foot well. I also like that there is a welded overlay along the margin between the sole and the upper given how prone this area is to blowing out in trail shoes. The uppers on my pair are holding up well so far.

I’ve enjoyed the Ferus so much that I’ve actually been wearing it regularly as a casual shoe. It has a very roomy, paddle-shaped toebox and this combined with the low-profile sole make it super comfortable for all day wear.

If I had to compare the Mizuno Ferus to another shoe on the market, the closest competitors would probably be the Merrell Ascend Glove and the Inov-8 Trailroc 235. All three are lightweight (Ferus is 7.9oz in men’s size 9), zero drop, have roomy toexboxes, provide decent protection despite relatively thin soles, and all are fun to run in. I have some concerns about upper durability of the Trailroc 235, so I’d probably rank that one 3rd among the three shoes. Comparing the Ascend Glove and the Ferus, I’d say that the Ferus offers a slightly cushier ride (thanks largely to the insole) and is more comfortable on the road. The Ascend Glove forefoot has a less paddle-like appearance. Both are great shoes.

All in all I have to say that the Mizuno Ferus has been quite a pleasant surprise. If you’re in the market for a low-profile, zero drop road-to-trail shoe it’s definitely worth a look!

Oh, and about the blood – socks solved that problem on subsequent runs :)

Big thanks to Runningshoes.com for providing the sample reviewed here – you can purchase the Mizuno Ferus over at their website.

New Balance Minimus Trail Zero v2 (MT00v2)

I really don’t understand why New Balance chose to call this shoe the Minimus Trail V2 as it bears absolutely no resemblance to the MT00v1. About the only thing it shares in common with its predecessor is a zero drop sole. The v2 is luggier, beefier, and Bryon Powell at iRunFar reports that the Mimimus last is gone in favor of NB’s PL4 last. Given that the last is gone, I’m not even sure why this shoe is part of the Minimus collection…

I wasn’t a big fan of the MT00 v1 since my pair fell apart after minimal mileage and I didn’t find it protective enough for anything but the most well groomed trails, so the change doesn’t upset me much. That being said, my feeling is they should have gone with a totally new model name for this shoe.

On a side note, New Balance also moved another popular trail shoe, the MT110, from the Minimus last to the PL4 last, and the MT110v2 appears to be a radically changed (not to mention much uglier) shoe from v1. Much of the commentary following Powell’s iRunFar roundup focuses on the MT110v2, with many trail runners expressing displeasure with the direction the shoe is taking – read more about it here.

New Balance 980 Fresh Foam

Lot’s of discussion about “software” and “safe design” in the video introducing New Balance’s new 980 Fresh Foam shoe. As far as I can tell, the story here is ample, soft cushioning, which seems to follow a trend across the board among manufacturers to add new, ultrasoft shoes to their lineups.

New Balance 890 v4

The New Balance 890 is a shoe that I have not tried myself, but I consistently hear good things about it. It’s a lightweight, 7-8mm drop shoe that is probably in the same category as shoes like the Brooks Launch, Mizuno Sayonara, and Asics Gel Lyte 33. The v4 is on a new last (NB PL8), and there appear to be extensive updates to both the upper and sole.

Today, Runningshoes.com posted a video preview of a new addition to the Pearl Izumi E-Motion line, the EM Road N0 (see below). The N0 is a zero drop shoe, and looks very much like a racing flat – my kind of shoe!

For more 2014 shoe previews, visit the Runningshoes.com YouTube channel.

For more, visit the Runningshoes.com YouTube page.

Saucony Virrata

Saucony Grid Type A6

Saucony Peregrine 4

Saucony Mirage 4