Saucony Ride 17 Review: A Sweet New Ride

What You Need to Know

Intro to the Saucony Ride 17

CHAD: It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Saucony running shoes. The Tempus is one of my all-time favorites, and the Endorphin Speed 2 was a blast from start to finish. So, I was naturally excited when I saw my name listed to get the Ride 17, the newest edition of Sacuony’s workhorse daily trainer. The Ride 16 was well received by those who reviewed it, so I wondered, would the tradition continue?

Here’s the thing, though, the Ride 17 got a complete overhaul from the previous version. I’m not just talking about aesthetics — it’s more than slapping makeup on a pig. The Ride 17 now features a softer PWRRUN+ midsole instead of the firmer PWRRUN we were used to. It has a new engineered mesh upper, too, with a totally revamped set of overlays.

LINDSAY: Like Chad, I’m always excited to try a Saucony shoe. I ran in and loved the entire Endorphin line… two times over. In the Endorphin Speed, specifically, I stacked up miles in three whole pairs (two pairs of V2 and one of V3). That PWRRUN formula is the peanut butter (PB, get it?) to my jelly sandwich.

Anyway, enough about the Endorphin line, we’re here to discuss a Saucony OG: the latest iteration of the Saucony Ride, number 17. You might be asking what we think of the changes and, well, to start, there’s a lot of them.

The biggest change I’ll touch on here is the addition of PWRRUN+ foam, which is the same foam in the Saucony Triumph, but the Ride 17 sits just a bit lower in the heel. Some might say the PWRRUN in shoes like the Shift 3 is firmer, but I mostly just notice the weight difference. This PWRRUN+ is definitely lighter than basic PWRRUN, but not as light, squishy, or bouncy as the PWRRUN PB in the Speed and Pro. Underneath all that midsole controversy, you get a much wider platform compared to the Triumph and previous Ride.

Let’s get into the other changes and more on whether or not they pass the vibe check.

RENALDO: Oh wow, another Saucony episode already?

It’s only been a few months since I gushed about the Saucony Triumph RFG and indulged in the hype around getting my miles in with that comfy little number. Now, I have a chance to do it all over again. That feeling is back, and this time it’s coming from the Saucony Ride 17 — the Boston brand’s newest neutral daily trainer.

I started my Saucony journey with its sister, the Guide. That was back when PWRRUN+ was brand spanking new, and the thought of running 26 miles was the furthest thing from my mind. This review is my first dance with the Ride, and, I’ve gotta say, the early results are good. There’s a lot to be said about this iteration compared to the last that my comrades have touched on as they’ve had more experience with the Ride, but as a first-time test driver, I like to think I’ve got some nuggets to share on this fun, but dorky (in a cute a way), shoe.

What we like about the Saucony Ride 17

CHAD: As Yogi Berra said, or is at least attributed as saying: “It’s like deja vu all over again.” What do I mean by this? After my first run in this shoe, I felt like I had run in it before. It happens from time to time, where shoes from different brands feel very similar in terms of feel on the run. But the shoe I’m talking about is from the same brand: the Saucony Triumph 21, which I reviewed earlier this year.

If you read my review of the Triumph 21, you’ll recall that I very much enjoyed that shoe. The PWRRUN+ was a perfect blend of soft cushioning and responsiveness to help keep the legs turning over for mile after mile. The same can be said about the Ride 17. Overall the ride is smooth, and the transition from heel to toe is nice and balanced. The platform is relatively wide at the midfoot, so for a neutral shoe with a softer foam, it has decent medial and lateral stability. As with the Triumph 21, I really think Saucony did a great job with this shoe. I took it on several runs that had hill strides as part of my workout and felt like I could pick up the pace when needed after several miles of set-it-and-forget-it pacing.

One other thing that I am not positive about but assume, based on feel, is that Saucony re-engineered or re-formulated its outsole rubber. It wasn’t listed on the spec sheet, but I definitely felt far better traction on the road vs. prior models of Saucony shoes.

LINDSAY: Let’s start with the upper, which is a soft fabric paired with a flexible plastic midfoot wrap for a more comfortable lockdown. It ditches the rigidity of the Ride 16 and picks up a comfortable heel collar without sacrificing the structured heel. The Ride 17 has a gusseted tongue that’s mildly padded with a hem that’s stylish enough for daily wear. Saucony’s forefoot is also fairly wide, even in the regular width (but don’t worry, #WideFootFam, this one also comes in Wide).

We talked already about the midsole and new (to the Ride 17) PWRRUN+ foam. I think a lot of people wanted to see that, and Saucony made it happen. You can tell they also added a touch more rocker geometry to the forefoot and rear, but I think there was a bit of a break-in period with this foam. After 30 or so miles, I noticed that my steps got a little softer and more responsive. I also had to tighten up the laces a very tiny bit which is what really brought my attention to it (or maybe the laces just don’t stay tight? See Chad’s comment in the next section).

The outsole is thick and durable. I wish it felt like there was a touch more traction on wetter surfaces, but that’s not to say I was slipping around, no wipeouts in this guy. This outsole really shined on softer surfaces like packed gravel or sandy paths.

RENALDO: Getting right to it, this shoe is comfortable. I never owned the Ride 16, but every Saucony shoe I’ve ever put on has been an absolute delight to wear. With a new engineered mesh upper (look at those buzzwords), the Ride 17 is super light, very breathable, and comfortable to the point you almost forget you even have a shoe on. Obviously, that feeling goes away as you are brought back to reality through the fantastic cushioned feeling with every step and stride while in the shoe.

Saucony decided to go with its newer, softer PWRRUN+ foam to match the Ride 17’s premium contemporaries, and I’m glad it did. It’s a much bouncier, livelier, and, dare I say, “funner” experience on the road. I don’t even care if I’m training, running with Tribe, or just getting a good ol’ walk in. So far, like your favorite pizza spot on a Friday night in July, Saucony delivers.

I’ve taken this shoe out on several different runs of several different vibes. I hit a few personal maintenance runs, a fun run with friends that didn’t go above a 10-minute pace, and a decent long run just to see what the shoe and I could do. Like I said before, this shoe really does deliver on its promises and almost “gives back” to the runner.

What we don’t like about the Saucony Ride 17

CHAD: It isn’t a bad thing per se because I really like the shoe, but I’m not sure what Saucony is doing with its lineup. Truth be told, I would call the Ride 17 the Triumph 21.5 because, by and large, it’s the same darn shoe. I think the changes made to the Ride series will put off a lot of people who use the Ride as their workhouse daily trainer and depend on the firm ride of the PWRRUN foam.

The main differences between the Ride 17 and the Triumph 21 are in the stack height and drop, with the Triumph offering 2 mm more foam in the heel (37 mm vs 35 mm) but the same amount in the forefoot, creating a 10 mm drop in the Triumph instead of 8 mm in the Ride 17. The weights are darn near identical (9.8 oz. for the Triumph 21 and 9.9 oz. in the Ride 17), so overall, it’s really hard to distinguish between them.

My only other gripe with the design of the shoe is that the lacing system always comes a bit loose as you go to tie a knot. It doesn’t matter how many times you pull the laces tight, they loosen once you start tying. Oh, and it may just be a singular quality-control issue, but the first time I went to put the Ride 17 on for a run, the heel tab on my left shoe ripped off on one end.

LINDSAY: I know there are Saucony diehards out there who are stoked about the addition of the PWRRUN+ to this daily trainer, but for me, there’s just nothing super exciting about it. I wouldn’t describe it as plush or bouncy, it just kinda exists. When I put on the Endorphin line, I know I’m going to cruise. But here, the platform is quite wide, and the rocker geometry isn’t very noticeable. It’s like the cruise control is broken, and we’re working for every flat step.

Further, my poor toenails were smooshed in the narrow height of the forefoot (even though the width was fine, there was absolutely no toe wiggling, which I guess could be good for some). The holes for aeration work spectacularly for ventilation… until it rains, that is. The toe area of my socks got absolutely soaked.

I wasn’t going to mention this last one because I, like Chad, thought it was a singular quality-control issue, but I also lost a heel tab almost straight out of the box — the right one instead of the left. Too bad Chad and I aren’t the same shoe size, or we could just trade our tab-less shoes, but then one of us would have two tabs, and the other would have none.

RENALDO: Alright, time to get vain. I don’t like how this shoe looks.

This shoe looks like an attempt to look hip while having an absolute unit of a sole, something most people associate with the shoe of a more “seasoned” individual. Sprinkle in some lackluster colorways, and you get a design that you can feel was a bit phoned in. The upper itself is fine, however, there are a lot of vents in the shoe. Some that make sense, and others that don’t.

Honestly, though, what is the need for a firmer plastic vent running through the center of the upper? It doesn’t bring any support and also makes me speculate that that added material has added some unnecessary weight to the shoe. The Ride 17 sits at a weighty 9.9 oz for a US M9 (my US M11.5 is even heavier), while the Ride 16 was 8.8 oz. You’ll probably immediately notice this upon picking up the shoe, but it could also just be due to the sheer chonkiness of the midsole itself.

The design of the shoe is alright, I guess. I do enjoy the Saucony logo and its placement, but, less can be said for the actual word Saucony enlarged and stamped on the medial side. It’s almost as if Saucony saw what New Balance was doing with the SC Elite V3 just before the New York Marathon and copied their homework, wrong answers and all. Worse, my Tide/Silver colorway just has an abundance of gray, and in a not-very-cute way. And finally, I, too, had pull tab issues. Again.

My first Saucony review was the Saucony Freedom 5. A fine shoe with a fine pull tab that, after a few months, ripped on me one afternoon and has scarred me since. The Saucony Triumph RFG was too beautiful to play with fire like that, so I left the pull tabs alone. After my second run in the Ride 17, I used the pull tab on my left shoe without thinking, and it immediately ripped off. If you’re a style fanatic like myself, I wouldn’t necessarily tell you to skip this shoe on looks alone, but I don’t think this shoe will ever look good, considering the upcoming colorways that I’ve already seen.

Saucony Ride 17 Conclusion

CHAD: It was hard to write a review for the Saucony Ride 17 because I had pretty much already written a review of it when I reviewed the Triumph 21. That said, I think the Ride 17 is a solid shoe that will make a great daily trainer or possibly recovery day shoe depending on how soft you like your recovery day shoe to be. I am just curious to see what direction Saucony takes in 2024 because it seems like big things are in the works.

LINDSAY: Overall, this is a solid upgrade to the Saucony Ride series. The design is sleek and slimmer than its ancestors. It’s very similar to the Triumph, with a slightly lower stack and wider platform. The colorways are also pretty neutral, which is a nice change from some of the eye-catchers out there. It’s a traditional ride that’s softer and bouncier than my beloved Endorphin Shift 3 (which will always hold a place in my heart, see my review if you haven’t read that already), but not the racing foam that is the wow factor of the Endorphin Speed and Pro. It is its own entity, right at the heart of daily trainers, with a fun new twist.

RENALDO: While not a looker, the Ride 17 is a fantastic daily trainer. Anyone who puts this shoe on will feel the quality and the craftsmanship in a shoe like this. It doesn’t need a plate but mixes a massive sole, lots of cushion, and the ability to tackle any workout you throw at it. I would highly recommend this shoe to the novice to serious runner, and at $140, I’d say that it would be a steal for anyone looking to increase their mileage, have some comfort on the more difficult workouts, have a budget for a racer, or just want a comfortable shoe for those nice Fall walks.

Great job, Saucony. But fix those pull tabs, please.

You can pick up the Saucony Ride 17 for $140 on January 1, 2024, at Running Warehouse (featuring free 2-day shipping and 90-day returns) using the buttons below.