Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure Review: RAV’d up 4 Adventure

What You Need To Know

Introduction to Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure

SAM: My wife and I need a new car. She currently drives a 2007 Toyota Corolla that she bought the first day we hung out over fourteen years ago. It has more miles on it than the distance to the moon, several interior panels that stubbornly refuse to stay put, and big blotches of primer where I repaired dents but hit a wall (not unlike the wall that caused those same dents) while trying to paint match. It’s been there through five moves, our wedding, grad school, and two kids. At this point, it’s basically a member of the family, and man, are we tired of it. Still, it won’t die. As long as it’s sticking around with us, we have a hard time mustering up the inclination to go find something else.

When Matt and I reviewed the Reebok Floatride Energy 4 Adventure, he asked at the outset if we could get ourselves interested in a normal, albeit versatile, running shoe with no fancy tech and a really reasonable price point. I think by the end, we both agreed that we could. What he was talking about, it seems, was a sort of 2007 Toyota Corolla of running shoes — something that will stick with you day after day and not drain your wallet. Most of Reebok’s Floatride series fits nicely into this category. Matt and I thought the Energy 4 Adventure was right there as well — even if it wasn’t too great on trails (at all).

But the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure might just shift that around. It’s still based around the TPU Floatride platform but shares little else with its road sibling, the Floatride Energy 5. In fact, there isn’t much the same when compared to last year’s model either. So maybe the Floatride Energy 5 Adventure has moved on from the Corolla comparison. Maybe now it’s more of a RAV 4.

MELISSA: I don’t think I’ve worn a Reebok shoe since back in the Pump days. Of course I had a pair, but now I’m afraid I’ve given away my age by sharing this. Anyway, I was excited to try Floatride Energy 5 Adventure and also see what Reebok’s been up to. The shoe is versatile and intended to be used as a hybrid road-to-trail shoe. Let’s dive right in.

What we like about the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure

SAM: The Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure is almost a wholly new shoe from last year’s version. While the upper shares a shape and some tooling with the Energy 4 Adventure, here it’s made of Cordura re/cor. The fit tracks mostly with last year’s, but it has more reinforcement around the heel and a very padded tongue. The tongue, especially, is a drastic departure from the thin strip of fabric under the laces in the Energy 4 Adventure. It’s very comfy and helps to create a snug midfoot fit with no lace bite. The Cordura upper, paired with the proven durability of the Floatride midsole, is what gives this shoe its longevity.

Fortunately, even as it may be a potentially long-lived Toyota of running shoes, it’s going to look really good on foot through all those miles. The toebox design recalls topographic lines, and there is other scattered topographic detailing throughout the shoe — notably on the outsole and in some of the layovers. The neon yellow Reebok logo wrapping the heel pairs nicely with the off-white and brown of the rest of the shoe.

Following the regular Reebok Floatride 5, this shoe has a little more of the Floatride TPU midsole underfoot than the last iteration. While actual midsole dimensions weren’t offered by Reebok, it feels very similar to the road version, which had 27mm of stack in the heel and 14mm in the forefoot. Those few extra millimeters make this a shoe for even moderate to long efforts. I did a 14-mile run on pavement and trail and finished feeling fresh. The X-shaped midfoot plate offers some protection and slightly upgraded stability but stays mostly out of the way.

Finally, in the biggest improvement from the previous version, the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure finally has a reasonable trail outsole. In fact, this might be one of the better hybrid outsoles I’ve tested. There’s enough grip for days on all kinds of terrain and a smooth turnover of pavement. The lugs are still small, but I found that they handled loose dry terrain well and did just fine on wet rocks and roots.

MELISSA: I was even more excited to try Floatride Energy 5 Adventure after unboxing this beauty — it’s sleek, elegantly designed, and appears ready to withstand wear and tear on the trails. The upper is made with at least 30% recycled materials, which is awesome. Overall, I love the look and colorway, so let’s get to the miles.

I’ve mentioned in prior reviews that my least favorite sound is the ‘clippity clop’ of big trail lugs on a hard surface. Unfortunately, most of my runs involve portions of concrete and asphalt. What I love about the Floatride Energy 5 Adventure is that its smaller lugs feel great on both trails and hard surfaces. This makes it just about the perfect shoe for my current running routine — most runs are from my front door to a nearby trail network that’s very smooth and runnable. I sometimes extend my mileage by running surrounding streets and paved bike trails. The Floatride Energy 5 Adventure has the versatility to complement this.

Reebok’s budget trail buster is relatively lightweight, even if it’s not the lightest out there. I feel that the midsole cushion is enough to keep me comfortable for medium to long runs. The upper has a nice balance of security, breathability, and flexibility. There’s a midfoot X-shaped torsion plate that provides flexibility over uneven surfaces, which can be good, but also a challenge. I’ll go more into this in the next section.

The look and feel of this one remind me of Nike’s Pegasus Trail 4. For me, it provides a very similar experience, so if you’re a fan of that shoe, you’ll likely enjoy this one too.

What we don’t like about the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure

SAM: I think it might be time to finally talk about the naming conventions in this shoe line. The overlong mouthful that was Reebok Floatride Energy 4 Adventure earned a pass due to that fun naming pun, second in punny trail shoe names only to the Hoka Tecton X. But this year, five shoes in, pun-free, and with a build that is almost wholly different from the Floatride Energy 5 in all things but the midsole, we need a shorter name. When I tell someone what’s on my feet, I can watch them zone out in real time right around when I get to “Energy” in the title.

As for the shoe itself, I found that it started to feel much better on foot after about a 15-20-mile break-in period that allowed the upper to loosen and the midsole to soften. While the fit improved after this period, the shoe can feel a little constricting in the midfoot because of the extra plush tongue and a little loose in the heels. Runner’s loops and several lacing adjustments helped.

The insole on this shoe has a weird medial extension that hits my high arches right behind the ball of my big toe. It’s uncomfortable, mainly in casual wear, but I can see it being a real issue with someone with lower arches.

And although I might be a fan of this new outsole on trails, its durability with lots of road use is suspect. I have serious shaving on the lateral edges of the shoe after around 40-50 miles of mixed-use. The lugs are small, and the pavement is hungry. This could shorten the lifespan of the shoe if you deploy it on roads often.

MELISSA: I can appreciate the hybrid capabilities of the Floatride Energy 5 Adventure and love that I can run comfortably on both trails and roads. However, I would only trust the grip so much. It’s great on easy, smooth trails, but I wouldn’t wear it for a cruise through the Santa Barbara front country. Aggressive trails call for more aggressive tread.

I also noticed the heel area was a bit loose, causing some extra instability and near-ankle rolls. However, the heel lock lacing technique made it no longer an issue. But despite the heel fix, I still felt a bit of instability due to the flexibility of the midfoot torsion plate. I imagine this will take some getting used to.

Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure Conclusion

SAM: I had a serious “oh no” moment when I saw the initial press release for the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure (I’m seriously tired of typing out that whole name). It was listed at $130, which brings the shoe right to the absolute edge of “budget runner” and into competition with the Brooks Cascadia 17, Altra Superior 6 and Lone Peak 7, Nike Wildhorse 8, and Saucony Peregrine 13. Honestly, I think the Energy 5 Adventure isn’t all that far off performance-wise from some of those, but its real strength is as an affordable and beautiful road-to-trail shoe that will always be pretty close to what you need when you need it. A Toyota RAV 4 of shoes, you could say. It shouldn’t compete with those other shoes because it’s not made to.

Fortunately, the Floatride Energy 5 Adventure is listed right now on Reebok’s website at $120, and Reebok will often have sales to take it lower than that. I know it’s only $10, but $120 just feels like the line where a shoe ceases to be budget. So, the conclusion of our review from last year’s model stands — this is a great (and I think, underrated) option for road-to-trail use or as a do-it-all travel shoe that won’t break the bank and will look really good if you have to wear it around town. And this version can actually handle some real trail use. Even with its budget pricing, you’ll probably still get a heap of miles out of it.

MELISSA: The Floatride Energy 5 Adventure is a solid daily trainer that is great both on and off-road. It’s designed with a solid upper, cushioned midsole, and an outsole with smaller lugs that should maintain grip on most trails. Best of all, it’s reasonably priced at $120.

You can pick up the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Adventure for $120 from Reebok using the buttons below.