Price: $160
Weight: 10.7 oz (M), 9.1 oz (W)
Type: Trail
a trail shoeor: All-weather trail running
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Forget turning back the next time your favorite trail floods, or detouring when your usual route is mostly puddles. In its newest version, Salomon gives the Sense Ride a fully protective Gore-Tex construction that lets you traverse terrain that would normally have your feet soaked and spirits soggy. Using a new Gore-Tex waterproof membrane that is bonded to the upper mesh, the Sense Ride GTX keeps you feeling dry and fast for more puddle-splashing and mud-splattering wherever your runs take you.
The Sense Ride pairs its weatherized upper with quick-pull lacing to match. The durable cord-like laces loosen and tighten on an adjustable cinch that locks in a secure fit, and then easily stores inside a pocket on the shoe’s tongue. The design not only keeps your laces from dragging through the mud, but also saves you from trips and snags on the trails. According to our testers, the pulley-lace system and the Gore-Tex upper made the Sense Ride a top pick for running when the weather is bad and the trails are worse. “This is the best trail shoe I have ever owned,” one tester raved. “[It has] incredible traction in wet conditions and terrific water resistance.”
With light cushioning and good flexibility, the Sense Ride stays true to its name, offering an on-foot experience connecting you to the trail. But while the shoe provides excellent ground-feel, the sole delivers protection when you need it. A rugged outsole shields against rocks and trail debris, while the tread of diamond-shaped lugs digs in deep for optimal traction.
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Traction Pioneer
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Exceptional grip.
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Salomon S/Lab Ultra
All-over protection.
$180 | Salomon
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A bouncy, soft ride.
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Trail Dancer
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Forefoot Height: Very Low | 11.5 mm.
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Underfoot Protection
Trail shoes will usually cost you a few extra ounces for added durability, and the Sense Ride is no exception. However, our testers didn’t think the shoe felt bulky despite having a little more weight on foot. The lightly cushioned and more flexible midsole offers a well-protected ride for fine-tuned control and feeling the trail. While our data from the RW Shoe Lab indicated that the Sense Ride does have minimal cushion with an especially firm heel, it offered just enough protection underfoot for rocky terrain. “While the cushioning is just average, it’s enough for Health - Injuries,” one tester remarked. “I never felt any sharp rocks coming through.”
Grippy Lugs
Several tester’s picked the shoe’s traction as their favorite thing about the Sense Ride, and one look at the outsole will tell you why. Multi-directional lugs in a chevron pattern target the shoe’s forefoot and heel for grip that digs in when you land, and holds firm when you toe off. Even when our testers sloshed through mud, rain-soaked leaves, and slippery rocks. “I was caught in multiple rainstorms [in the Sense Ride] and never once did I lose traction,” one tester reported. “The lugs provided plenty of grip, even while getting adventurous through some deep mud and creek beds.”
Waterproof Membrane Upper
Waterproofing and weatherizing shoes is a tall order to fill, but Salomon nails it here with its Gore-Tex upper. Instead of using a booty-like design that sacrifices breathability and impacts the fit, Salomon is utilizing the new waterproof membrane that is attached directly to the mesh. The result is it feels just like a non-GTX version, but the protective layer sheds more than just water. Our testers found that the shoe performed in a variety of slick and slimy conditions, and kept them blister-free—even for races as long as 50 miles. “The Gore-Tex protection is great!” raved one tester. “I even found myself taking the sloppier direct lines when trails were wet because I was confident I wouldn't end up soaked.”
The only issue some testers had was in regard to lacing. While the cinched, quick-pull design delivered a secure fit, a few testers found that the leftover lacing was too long, making it difficult to store in the shoe’s tongue-pocket.
All the Stats You Need!
Men’s
- A Guide to Trail Running for Beginners
- Nutrition - Weight Loss
- Heel Height: Very Low | 19.6 mm
- We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article
- Nimble for sprinters
- Runner’s World Shoe Awards 2024 - Trail Shoes
- The Best Trail Running Gear
- Salomon S/Lab Ultra
- Energy Return: Least
Women’s
- a bygone version of the daily
- Weight: Very Light | 6.3 oz
- Heel Height: Very Low | 18.2 mm
- We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article
- Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
- Runner’s World Shoe Awards 2024 - Trail Shoes
- The Best Trail Running Gear
- Salomon S/Lab Ultra
- Energy Return: Least
We put each shoe through real-world usage and a battery of mechanical tests in our lab to provide you with objective—and exclusive—data. In addition to a shoe’s weight, we measure sole thickness (everything that sits between your foot and the road), how well the foam cushions your stride, and the flexibility of the forefoot. All this is taken into account in our reviews of each shoe.
The 12 Best Lights for Running in the Dark Runner’s World since 2017. She started as an intern ghostwriting The Warmup, Health & Injuries RW newsletter. Now, she tests and reviews anything you might find on runners’ feet-from crew socks and compression boots to carbon-plated super shoes.
A lifelong runner and shoe geek, Morgan has been chasing the perfect pair of kicks since she joined her grade school cross-country team. Since then, she ran as a Division I walk-on for the cross-country and track & field teams at the University of Delaware, where she studied English and Biology. She has one full marathon under her belt, and has raced more halfs and 5Ks than she can count.
