Saucony Ride 6 shoe review......

Saucony Ride 6

About four weeks ago I received the Saucony Ride 6 courtesy of Onlineshoes and Saucony in order to do a review of the shoes.  To give you a little background, I started running in the Saucony Ride 2's years ago.  Since then, I've run in the Ride 3, 4 and 5's as well.  The Ride really has been a staple in my running arsenal.  Ive run three of my four marathons in the Ride and my plan is to run in them for marathon #5 coming up in November.  Needless to say, I was very excited to try out the Saucony Ride 6's.

Cutouts to reduce weight

First impression is that they are really nice looking.  I like the black, white, red color combinations.  I do have to admit that the Ride does not come in really bright colors like the Kinvara's but that not really the most important part when choosing a shoe - I need comfort!

The shoe itself is lighter and Saucony also incorporated the power grid into the shoes with this version.  This allows for a lighter shoe but also allows it to maintain its cushion better than the pro grid.  It's the lightest Ride Saucony has made to date with a weight of 9.9 oz(men size 9).  I wear an 8.5 running shoe and these fit true to size.  I've worn an 8.5 in every Saucony Ride I've owned and there's been lots of them - so many I don't even know how many(at least 10 pairs).  The Ride is so comfortable!

The last two versions(5 and 6) of the Ride have changed to a lower 8mm drop from a traditional 12mm drop.  Initially, I was really concerned about this but over time, I've grown to love the lower drop since I'm now used to them.  I like the lower drop and I can tell its helped me become more of a mid foot striker.  While I do tend to land mid foot typically, the reason I like the 8mm drop is that when I get tired, I tend to move back to a heel strike.  The higher drop helps keep my feet and legs comfortable as well as the nice cushion it provides for long distances.

While I also like the drop of the Kinvara 4, which is a 4mm drop, I keep these mostly for shorter and faster distances of under 13.1.  The Ride gives me what I need for the marathon distance.

There are three things I look for in a running shoe.  The first is for my heel to stay in place when running.  The Ride 6, while not narrow and also not wide, provides the perfect fit in regards to the heel.  It just feels right and does not move around when running.  Saucony has also incorporated a new HydraMAX collar lining which is very comfortable around the foot.

The second is an open toe box.  This has a very comfortable toe box with plenty of room for my toes to move.  This is a must for me and I've got to have it.  If you've run in the Ride 3's, those tended to have a fairly snug toe box but Saucony went back to more room in all later editions thankfully.

The third item is the mid foot.  I like the upper to be snug around my foot so it feels like the shoe is wrapped around my foot.  While the upper is really comfortable, I'd like to see Saucony start to move the upper closer to the Kinvara.  It's not that I'm looking for a minimalist shoe in the Ride(I'd prefer it stay at 8mm drop) but it seems that could be the place to start to reduce the weight of the shoe even further while maintaining the excellent cushion, drop and slight support these provide(the Ride is a neutral shoe)

The flat laces stay tied

I also like the flat laces, which are not new to the Ride 6, but happy to see they kept them with this version.  Once you tie them, they remain tied.

Another thing I love about the shoes is the sole of the Ride 6 as they have incorporated the triangle pattern similar to the Kinvara 4's in the mid-foot landing area.  Of course, the Ride shoes do not give quite the response the Kinvara does, given the additional cushion, but it does promote a mid foot strike and I can tell that this feature, along with the lower drop, is helping to make me a more efficient runner.

The sole also has a couple areas on the heel and forefoot to provide some additional smoothness in the shoe so you don't feel the pounding as much.  Saucony calls it their SRC(Super Rebound Compound) Impact Zone.  I call it a softer landing when I heal strike.

Since I've received the Ride 6's, I've run in them ten times from distances of 3-16 miles and have put 75 miles on them already.  I've also run on cement, asphalt, and crushed limestone as well as just racing in them for the Crim 10 miler this past Saturday.  They have performed flawlessly and I'd expect nothing less from my "go-to" brand.  The more I run in them, the more comfortable they become as has been the case with all the Ride versions I've owned.  As I said, the Ride has been my "go-to" shoe for anything over 13 miles and the Ride 6 version is the best they have made to date.  I can't wait to run my next marathon in them.

If you are interested in checking out the Saucony Ride 6, go to Onlineshoes to choose your pair.

You can find their Facebook page, HERE.

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Thanks to Onlineshoes and Saucony for the opportunity to review the latest version of the Ride.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

* Note - I received a pair of Saucony Ride 6 shoes from Saucony and OnlineShoes in exchange for this review.  All opinions on this blog post are my own and I was not paid or required to give a particular opinion on the product.