Saucony Ride 16 Introduction

The PWRRUN midsole cushioning and soft mesh upper are unchanged and could be considered the strengths of this shoe.

It is a daily, neutral cushioned trainer that is versatile enough for nearly any run – possibly even speedier runs for beginners.

While it’s probably not THE softest daily trainer on the market, it seems to strike a good balance between soft cushion and firm underfoot.

Saucony Ride 16 First Impressions

Upon opening the box, my first thought was about the vibrant colors and how well they worked together. Picking up the shoe, it felt lightweight and looked like something I wanted to run in immediately.

Putting on the shoe for the first time was a little bit of a process. It was not very easy to slip my foot into the shoe. It’s a little narrow for my liking. Once the foot is in, though, there’s an initial plushiness that seems to wrap around your foot, especially from the midfoot back to the heel. You could also feel the initial bounce from the midsole.

My first runs with the shoe was on a double run day. In the morning, a 6 miler at a steady pace and a 10 miler in the evening at an easier pace. Both runs felt great and cemented the fact that a break-in period is unnecessary. These are shoes you can put to any run right out of the box.

Saucony Ride 16 Upper

The upper is where it’s a combination of the best of times and worst of times. The upper is made of a very breathable mesh. My feet felt great in both hot and cooler weather.

The tongue is attached and is padded, adding to the plush feel of the shoe.

The laces have a system where the laces feed through some of the outer parts of the typical lace holes. It helps add to the lock down feel of the upper.

I suspect that some combination of the plushiness of the tongue and the lace system is why it wasn’t always easy for me to slip my foot into the shoe. I got used to it after several runs but switching between different shoes made it a notable difference. That being said, it’s a minor inconvenience and the lock down in the midfoot back towards the heel and ankle more than make up for this.

The other issue I had is in the forefoot. The forefoot is a little wide and I felt like my foot had a little too much room there for my liking.

If you have slightly wider feet, this might work really for you. If you have narrower feet, this is a shoe you’re probably looking to try on in store as opposed to purchasing online.

The last thing I mention with the upper is some of the aesthetics. There is some suede throughout the heel and ankle collar that I think adds some cool details. Are they unnecessary? Probably. But I think it’s worth the aesthetic looks.

Saucony Ride 16 Sole Unit

As a neutral cushioned shoe, it really does a great job of giving enough softness but not too plush to allow you to pick up the pace a bit while running in it. It doesn’t have a “rocker” type ride to it yet it seems to work naturally with your gait.

Inside the shoe is a sock liner that is very plush. In fact, it’s made with the same PWRRUN material which is what makes it so soft but not to soft that you’re feeling like sinking into it.

The outsole is comprised of XT-900 rubber. It has great traction even on muddy sidewalks and rainy conditions. The rubber is strategically placed to ensure that traction is maximized while still saving on weight. After 70+ miles, little wear was seen. I have confidence that these are shoes that will make it over 400 miles.

Saucony Ride 16 Conclusions

The Saucony Ride 16 is a great daily trainer that combines the best of cushioning and firmness to help you run as far as you want with comfort and tempo. For the beginner runner, this is a do-everything type of shoe.

For the experienced runner, this shoe will do everything for you outside of those really speedy sessions.

You barely know that the shoe is there during long runs, easy runs, and tempo runs. You just… run! That’s probably the best compliment you can give this shoe.

Even with some of the little things like the wider forefoot and the difficulty slipping it on, this shoe will remain in my rotation for long or easy runs for sure and occasionally for tempo runs if I’m wanting some extra comfort.