Satisfy TheROCKER: First Look & Thoughts

My Other Ride is TheROCKER

After a teaser length that rivaled late stage Scorcese films, Satisfy has finally given us a full unveil of its first-ever trail shoe, TheROCKER.

The Paris-based brand, known for its boutique approach to performance running, has long focused on the apparel side of the sport. But with TheROCKER, it looks to gain a foothold in an already crowded market.

They pulled no punches with the shoe, relying on some of the most talented mercenaries in the market to nail down the design, while incorporating enough aspects to keep the shoe true to the spirit of Satisfy (yes, they managed to incorporate MothTech).

We still have plenty of time until the shoe releases in July 2025. But for now, let’s take a look at what the shoe is all about.

Behind the Design of Satisfy’s TheROCKER

There’s a lot going on with this shoe, but the most important thing to know is that the foundational design for the shoe is taken from old-school RC cars. Satisfy founder Brice Partouche has an affinity for the rough and tumble fringes of American culture; drill down and you’ll find the hobbyist niche of RC racing. As in, remote controlled race cars. 

Brice loves the stuff. So much so, that he has a dedicated side hobby customizing his own cars. For chrissakes, the man somehow managed to pull off a Vibram rubber tire collab with a tire tread that replicates the outsole of TheROCKER. I can confirm this all to be true. When we were in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, we swung by the Satisfy offices. Inside, there are entire floor-ceiling-cabinets filled with vintage RC cars. I mean, an RC version of TheROCKER actually exists.

 

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To see this vision from conception to production, Satisfy worked with designer Erik Arlen, the founder and creative director of FOARMS, a “global design office focusing on the sports and lifestyle industries.” Past clients include Salomon (S/Lab Ultra Glide) and Arc’teryx (basically the entire trail line right now). Looking at those models, it’s easy to see the through-line. Clean design, premium components, and technical performance, all in one package.

We had a chance to interview Arlen at The Running Event this past December (where Satisfy’s presence dominated the floor), and here’s what we learned.

TheROCKER Details

We already mentioned it, so we may as well jump into the outsole of TheROCKER, which takes direct inspiration from the tire tread found on off-roading RC vehicles. Instead of the standard chevron lugs you’ll find on almost any trail shoe, TheROCKER employs a spaced-out nub approach to traction, which Satisfy is calling Vibram TuneLug. Conical pods with plateaued contact points create enough space to shed mud, while the flat end shape gives grip on rock and wet surfaces. 

The whole outsole utilizes Vibram Megagrip with Litebase outsole, which has been the top-tier rubber in the game for the past several years, balancing grip and durability better than anyone else. It’s a no-brainer that they went with this and we have no doubts that the grip will be adequate.

Moving onto the Euforia Super Foam midsole, the composition is an EVA/PEBA blend that looks to provide a balance of performance and stability. Full PEBA– while incredibly bouncy and light– is much too soft without a plate, so the EVA mix gives it the resilience and form that you need on trails. We’ve seen this blend in plenty of other shoes, from Hoka to New Balance, and it works if done right. In terms of the actual midsole form, Satisfy used a 3D-printed compression mold to give it texture and form.

The last is somewhat interesting, going from a D footsize in the heel to an E in the forefoot. The goal here, of course, is to provide a more narrow fit for a better lockdown in the heel, while opening it up a bit in the forefoot for a bit more room on race day.

The Rippy 66 upper (as Satisfy is calling it), is made from a single monomesh sheet of Nylon 66, an abrasion resistant thermoplastic that offers a high degree of flexibility. A pure coincidence, but the name plays nicely into the American road trip nostalgia of Route 66. In short, it’s a ripstop-style material that should hold up nicely over repeated use. Inside the upper is a premium microfiber lining made in Japan.

In terms of the design, Satisfy founder Brice Partouche brought some inspiration to the table, including The Velvet Underground & Nico’s iconic Andy Warhol banana album cover. The swooping banana-like overlay is a nod to that album; the fact that it has tracks titled “Run Run Run” and “European Son” is a nice bow that ties the whole thing together (we’ll just ignore the major theme in “Heroin”). Offset sawtooth-style lacing with reflective threads finishes off the upper.

Not available in Warhol banana yellow

Oh, and then there’s the MothTech, which is the insole punched with strategically placed micro-perforations to provide extra ventilation and breathing room. The heel segment features raised bumps for extra foot hold.

The first release of the shoe will come in the limited-edition RC car packaging and will include a peel-off decal sheet as well as individual shoe covers with Satisfy branding. Note that this custom packaging will only come with the initial launch, slated for July 1.

Initial colorways include Falcon (Satisfy’s signature earth tone which we’ve seen more recently in the Hoka Mafate Speed 4 Lite STSFY), Antique White, and Shadow. Two other colorways will launch around designated trail racing events. 

The shoe will retail for $280 USD.

Our Thoughts on the Satisfy TheROCKER

Look, Satisfy has built its reputation on providing high-end apparel at high-end price points. Its quality and construction matches its mission, so if this shoe isn’t a slam-dunk out of the gate, then they’re risking their reputation. Simply put– it’s a high risk, high reward proposition. 

Luckily, they’ve put the right people in charge. Erik Arlen and FOARMS are experienced in trail footwear and have a track record of delivering excellent products that hit all the right aesthetic notes while still managing to elevate performance. That’s a tough balance, but they’ve done it with Arc’teryx as they get serious about footwear and they’ve done it with the Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide, which is probably the best Salomon trail shoe right now.

Obviously we can’t say how this shoe performs until it’s on our feet, but we’ve seen it in person, have held it in our hands, and it looks like everything is in its right place. The outsole is intriguing and bordering on gimmicky, so that’s the one area in which we’re a bit tentative, but we’ll see how it performs in the wild. On paper, it looks solid.

The story is great, the packaging is out of this world, and no matter how this shoe performs we can almost guarantee that it will sell out immediately if the recent run on the Hoka Mafate Speed 4 Lite supply (and its corresponding resale numbers on StockX) are any indication.

At $280, it’s almost priced a bit lower than we’d imagine (especially since the Norda x Satisfy 001 sold at $370 for no reason whatsoever). But hey, we’ll take it. It’s right in line with the standard version of the Norda 001, as well as other small-scale providers like Speedland. That said, we’re sure we can consider Satisfy a purely boutique, independent running brand after they secured €11 million in Series B private equity funding this past fall. It’s not Nike or Adidas, but at this point they’re legitimately a big player in the game.

All that to say, we’re excited to test the shoe and see how it performs. If nothing else, it’ll look good and pair well with a MothTech tee. 

We can rock out to that.

Satisfy’s TheROCKER will release on July 1, 2025 for $280 at satisfy.com and select global retailers.