Saucony Ride 17 Preview: Full Redesign, Softer Foam

In a world of max stacks of soft foams, Saucony has held firm, quite literally, with their Ride series of shoes. Currently on its 16th iteration, the Ride has served as the brand's simple, no-frills daily trainer with a firm and consistent ride. However, version 17 looks to bring new life to the Ride, offering a different foam compound, refreshed design system and experience. 

Saucony Ride 17 Overview & Release Date

The Ride is Saucony's classic daily trainer. To this point, it's been moderately cushioned, simple, reliable and conservative. Said less nicely, it's their boring shoe. For the last few editions, it's used Saucony's PWRRUN foam, an EVA-based compound that's firm and durable. All that is set to change in version 17.

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The Ride 17 is fully redesigned for 2024. It has a full-length PWRRUN+ midsole, the same compound found in the Triumph. According to our shoe dealer source, it has a heel stack of 35mm and a forefoot of 27mm for an 8mm drop—the same as version 16. The weight comes in at 8.4 ounces.

The Ride 17 will be released in early 2024 alongside the refreshed Guide 17. Sign up below, and we'll let you know as soon as we have an official date from Saucony.

Saucony Ride 17 Midsole

The Saucony Ride and Guide series have both used the brand's EVA-based PWRRUN foam over the past few versions of the shoes. In the 17, the Ride is getting a revamped midsole, borrowing the PWRRUN+ from the Triumph 20 and 21. This will give the shoe a softer, bouncier feel, closer to what the Novablast series from Asics offers.

PWRRUN+ is a beaded TPU compound that's lighter with greater energy return than standard EVA. In the Triumph series, the PWRRUN+ midsole provides a plush and fun running experience that's comfortable and cushioned while also being nimble enough for faster, uptempo work. The formulation in the Ride 17 should have a similar feel with a lower stack height.

Based on the new foam, the Ride 17 should have a softer, more cushioned feel than previous versions of the shoe. If you're turned off by the soft foam and are looking for that firmer, moderately stacked shoe, you may want to consider the Saucony Kinvara 14, which uses the same EVA-based PWRRUN foam as the Ride 16. You could also consider the Adidas Adizero SL, which uses a primary bed of Lightstrike foam in the midsole, an EVA that feels similar to the Saucony PWRRUN.

Saucony Ride 17 Upper & Fit

The Saucony Ride 17 has an engineered mesh upper with moderate padding around the heel area. Saucony shoes tend to run a little narrow, so expect a snug fit through the midfoot and toe-box. The previous version of the shoe comes in a dedicated wide width, so we expect version 17 to have a version for wider-footed runners as well.

As a daily trainer, the Ride balances comfort and speed. In the upper, we see this approach manifest with padding and structure that adds weight but offers support. Version 16 has a padded heel and rear area, with a structured heel counter around the back. The Ride 17 looks to continue this approach.

Saucony Ride 17 Design

The Saucony Ride 17 evolves the design language of the series. The new design treatment reminds us of the Nike Pegasus 37, which uses a similar color blocking layout and midsole foam contouring. The sculpting of the foam on the Ride 17 is smoother and simpler than the Ride 16, giving the shoe a cleaner look.

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Saucony Ride 17 vs Guide 17

Historically, the Saucony Guide was the stability version of the neutral ride, with the Guide providing extra support on the sides of the shoes. Previous versions of the Saucony Ride and Guide were nearly identical, as shown below. In version 16, both used the firm PWRRUN EVA foam and had the same design language.

Version 17 sees the shoes drift apart, visually and functionally. The Ride 17 is becoming the soft daily trainer in the same vein as the Asics Novablast, and its design language is more modern and streamlined because of that. Meanwhile, the Guide borrows from the Hoka max cushioned aesthetic. It has a tall bed of PWRRUN EVA foam sculpted similar to the Hoka Bondi.

The Ride and Guide have different upper designs in this latest iteration, parting from version 16 where the shoes shared the same upper. The Guide also has a more aggressive rocker paired with its firmer foam. All of these changes position the Guide 17 as the firm and stable training option and the Ride 17 as the soft, neutral shoe for everyday running. 

Final Thoughts on the Saucony Ride 17

The Ride 17 remains Saucony's workhorse everyday running shoe, but it won't have the same identity as years previous. Fully refreshed for 2024, the Saucony Ride 17 looks to be a competitive new entrant in the soft daily trainer category. Competing with shoes like the Asics Novablast and Saucony's own Triumph, it's a departure from the line's historical position as the traditional, firm running shoe. The softer midsole foam is a move to the modernize the line, as the industry shifts toward soft and bouncy foams as the default in everyday running shoes. 

Runners who prefer firm daily trainers may want to explore options like the Adidas Adizero SL, Saucony Kinvara or Saucony Endorphin Shift 3, while fans of softer shoes will embrace the new Ride. With a lower stack but same foam as the Triumph, the Ride 17 will also be a good option for runners who miss the performance and feel of the old Ultraboost series, whose Boost foam is the same beaded TPU as Saucony's PWRRUN+.

If you're looking for your next daily trainer and don't want to wait for the Ride 17 to release, head over to our running shoe matcher tool. We'll match you with the best running shoe for you based on your answer to five questions.