Salomon Sense Ride 4

Aggressive, sticky sole that is too narrow and too clickly.

I'd like to say I put these through their paces, but I feel they put me through the paces instead. After wearing around the house for several days to break in and try to get comfortable, I finally took them out for a run. And it did not go well.

I had hoped these would loosen up and get more comfortable, but they did not. After 2.5 miles, I wanted to take them off.

I'm a 9 in all my other Salomons, but I found an 8.5 was actually a better length for me in these. A 9 was a much better fit in width, but they were almost an inch too long. The 8.5's gave me 1/2" of toe clearance, which is what I prefer. So, that's what I went with. 

The insole is comfy, but I feel like the arch started too early (too close to the ball of my foot) which was quite uncomfortable after a mile or so. The toe box is wide enough, but not tall enough, my toes touched the top easily and rubbed when ascending.

The fabric breathes extremely well. In fact I had a hard time keeping my feet warm on a brisk 40-degree day. Even wearing around the house I found my feet were a little chilly and had to go back to some cozy slippers to warm up! On a warm day or long run, this breathability would be welcome.

I like my heel to sit in my shoe pretty snugly without much movement, and these did not provide that fit. I could feel my heel move up and down in the shoe with each step. This might have been fixable with a heel lock lace, but the lacing system really didn't seem to support this configuration, so I didn't even attempt.

I'm a huge fan of Salomon soles; they are grippy and don't wear out terribly fast. These live up to my expectations and gripped well in both snow and mud. These also feature the quick lace system that I found works well and has not failed me yet. However, as I mentioned, it really doesn't allow for a different lace like the heel lock, so it is limiting. Salomon tongues usually have a neat tuck pocket to put the quick laces into. On the Sense Rides, the pocket is held tightly by the laces, so there is little room to tuck and I ended up with some loops. I'm a little concerned I could catch these on limbs or debris.

The last odd issue with these shoes is the clicking. From what I can tell, the stiff rubber coating on the fabric bends in to some degree, then sort of pops out creating an odd clicking when pushing off with toes bent. It was odd, but livable. That stiff rubber should help the durability of the shoes, but it also looks like it will begin rubbing off after not too long.

But with tight fit that never loosened up, the uncomfortable arch, and the movement in the heel, the clicking was just one too many problems with these shoes. Overall I just cannot recommend the Sense Ride 4. If you have narrow feet and a steep arch you may be ok with these, but if you, like I find Salomons Ultra X series comfy, you likely won't enjoy these.

Background

I have a vast array of shoes and go through them quickly enough to always be on the lookout for another pair.