Meaghan: The Saucony Ride 7 surprised me – in a good way. We reviewed the Guide 7 a few months ago and it wasn’t my favorite shoe in the world. I had a very different experience with the Ride 7. The fit is near perfect. The toebox is large enough for my wide feet, but it feels snug and secure through the midfoot. The welded overlays mean no stitching or seams to create hot spots, so they’re comfortable right out of the box. The mesh upper offers plenty of ventilation and the Rundry lining helps wick away any extra moisture. This shoe comes with plenty of cushioning. It’s lined heel-to-toe with a power grid foam that’s meant to efficiently distribute pressure and return energy to the runner. I can’t speak to the energy return, but the transition from heel strike to toe-off is definitely smooth. I noticed the cushioning is much stiffer in the heel than in the forefoot, which made for a nice balance; particularly for someone who tends to heel-strike. I also noticed a nice bounce to this shoe. I figured all the cushioning would slow me down, but I had several speedy runs in the Ride 7.
Thomas: The Saucony Ride 7 is a traditional trainer and I was not expecting a lot from the shoe. Usually I feel slightly clunky in this style of trainer. Instead I found myself thoroughly enjoying the runs in the Ride 7. The shoe gives a lot of cushion without feeling like a maximal shoe or feeling sloppy. The feel of the shoe through the stride is surprisingly nimble and smooth with an 8mm drop. At 9.8 oz for my 10.5 shoe the Ride 7 offers lots cushion in the midsole and almost full coverage of blown rubber on the outsole. This shoe is a workhorse. The upper fit my narrow high arched foot perfectly. No hot spots at all. The shoes still look brand new after more than 100 miles.
Meaghan: I wish I had a little more ground feel. I suppose that is a lot to ask from such a well cushioned trainer, but it might be nice to have a slightly smaller drop. I also wish the Ride 7 came in a few more colorways. They offer three options for both the men and women, none of which I love.
Thomas: I had one bad rain run where the insole got wet and slid down folding under my toes and I could not get it to lay right again during the run. Once the shoes dried the issue did not repeat itself. I would like to see some different styling on the upper. I think the shoe would benefit from losing the shiny plastic looking overlays.
Meaghan: The Ride 7 is what I would consider the ultimate marathon trainer. It’s perfect for long runs. Your feet feel just as good on mile 18 as they did on mile 1. Plus, it’s extremely durable. I’ve put around 100 miles on my Ride 7 and there is no sign of wear. At all. I will definitely be keeping this shoe in my summer rotation.
Thomas: Saucony has a real winner here. If I could only have one shoe in my closet this would be the shoe. It feels great and can handle just about any run challenge you could throw at it. Like I said earlier this shoe is a workhorse, durable, light, and responsive. This shoe will be a contender for BITR best in gear 2014. I can recommend this shoe to any runner at any level. I love this shoe.
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Wow! The fact that you wrote this says it all…
“If I could only have one shoe in my closet this would be the shoe.”
It is a very solid shoe, lucky for me I can have more than one.
Thank you for the review! I am looking for my next pair of running shoes.
I hope you like them, enjoy the miles.
so now my only question is: ride 7 or kinvara 5? both reviews were very helpful, and i can’t wait to try them both on. milage ramping up here, so i’m leaning towards to ride 7. any comparison on these two shoes?
I would get them both and rotate. Longer runs and slower runs use the Ride 7 go K5 for speed work and race days.
I have been running in these but there is a seam that is causing a blister on the overlay. It looks like mine are stitched and not welded on. It’s the overlay area where the horizontal above the foam/along the bottom edge of the shoe and the overlay that goes up the shoe to the saucony symbol. Up to 6 miles I’m good but beyond that it irritates and blisters. The toe box is wider than the 6, the shoe fits great – even took out the sockliner and put my foot on it and it fits perfectly – my foot doesn’t go over the liner at all..like it was made for my foot. I seem to be the only one with this issue though. Now I don’t know what I’ll do for a cushioned but lower drop (8mm is as high as I want to go) for my marathon training. Using Merrell’s and Virratta’s for my shorter runs.
Love this site and the reviews!
Good feedback about the irritation. We did not have the same results, and we put a lot of mileage on the shoes. What type of sock are you using? Thanks Alex, glad we can provide the content.
I’ve used Balega HIdden Comfort, Wrightsocks, and my Zensah Compression socks. The Balega’s are thicker but they didn’t help either. I’m open for any suggestions. Is there any other way to lace that might help? I mean that sockliner is the exact right fit for my foot. Amazing…so it’s not too narrow and doesn’t feel too narrow (although this is where I’d get a blister if they were)
Other than that I love these shoes – super comfortable and just fit amazing. I’ve even thought about just carefully cutting the stitching off and cutting a little square of the overlay off in this area.
I typically go with thin synthetic socks like Swiftwick.
I’m torn between The Ride 7 and the NB 890v4’s for marathon training coming up shortly.
Both shoes had really good reviews. What would say the differences are? They both are trainers and have the same stack height.
New to running. Do you recommend this product?
Absolutely!
I have both the Ride 7 and the 890v4 and I love them both for different reasons. The ride 7 is my daily high mileage trainer that are a bit firmer in cushioning and definitely more robust – as they pointed out they feel great mile after mile. The 890v4 are a lighter, more flexible and softer, but aren’t as heavy duty as the Rides. I use the 890v4 for faster days, tempos and longer intervals. I also have the NB 1400v2 for faster intervals, track work and races. They all have their place and this is my ultimate set of trainers! Bottom line the rides are better as daily trainers that you can pack on the miles, the 890v4’s could certainly be daily trainers but I don’t think you would get the miles out of them you would from the Rides. I am basing the durability of each based on many other reviews and by eyeballing the wear on each of mine after @ 50 miles. Hope this helps.
Training for my first Marathon in November. I have 140 miles in on the ride7. I typically wear a size 6 in shoes but got a size 6.5 in the ride to allow for swelling. Since I started running longer miles 14+ I’ve noticed my toes hurt – like they are hitting the edge. When I kick my foot back I have a thumb length from my big toe to the edge of the shoe. Should I go up to a 7? I’m afraid the 7 will be too big and slip at the heal or should I try a different shoe?
I would try the 7 on and see how it feels. My foot has expanded over time and I have also gone up an additional size.
I am trainning for a marathon and i expect to do it in 4 hrs this is a good shoe or its for more large and slow races ?
also im a big guy so it supose to help me with the impact
Yes this would be a fine choice for you.
Hey Thomas, I’ve been running on Saucony Triumphs since back in our Caliber days, and decided it’s time to move to a little less shoe. Doing my research I came across Believe In The Run and all this great info. Your review confirmed that Ride 7 will be my next shoe. Thanks! Good to see you’re still running and providing this great service! Hope you are well and best of luck with BRM!
Thanks Brian, Glad to hear you are still getting your runs in. Let me know if you are ever running in Baltimore.
Hey Thomas, I have been running in the Ride7 for last 6 months and absolutely love it. I have also run a full marathon and couple of half marathons in this and over a total of 600 kms. I now need to change this pair, but Saucony shoes are not available in India where I live. Could you please recommend any alternative in either Nike or Adidas which are very easily available. Thanks.
Hi Sid,
While I have not tried it myself, the Nike Lunar knit 3 is getting a lot of love. I tried on the adidas boost ultra and enjoyed the way it felt. The Puma Ignite is a good shoe, they gotta be in India right?
Hello Thomas how are you?Until now im running with K-Swiss blade max trail which i also wear them in my daily work.They were very much supportive to all kinds of surfaces and i run them in races too..After almost one year it has lost half of the bottom rubber..It seems reasonable to me cause of the daily use in my work and some serius training plus the races so i believe i ve used them in more than 500 km..Would you suggest me the ride7 to be the next all arround shoe? Im gonna continue using the blades only for trail running until they are worn out..I’m very satisfied with K-Swiss!!Until now its the best shoe i ever had!They still are very supportive but feel a bit heavy when i race with them…
Hi Zachos, I am unfamiliar with the K-Swiss shoes. It would be hard for me to compare. The Ride has good rubber coverage on the outsole. My guess is that it would be a fine choice for your activities.