Salomon Sense Ride 4 Review: Adventure Shoe Beast
Title: Roofnest Condor Review
I want to talk a little bit about the Salomon Sense Ride 4 Review: Adventure Shoe Beast. This article is not a complete review, but more just some general impressions and how I felt about it as a trail runner and overall adventure shoe.
So I was a big fan of the Salomon Sense Ride 3 and I put 450 miles on that shoe and really loved it. I went everywhere in it: through my neighborhood and local trails in Maryland, all through the west and climbed mountains in them. It just kind of went everywhere and did everything. Run, hike, travel. You name it. And it held together REALLY well. My thoughts about that shoe are here: https://youtu.be/FEvIRF9Hn_o
I also liked that I got good value for money with the Sense Ride 3. As a teacher on a limited budget, I just need to pay anywhere from $100-120 for shoes that I know are going to get me six to nine months worth of running/adventure, hopefully longer. Initially on the trail, I really loved the Sense Ride 4. It felt pretty light and nimble compared to the Sense Ride 3. At 10.5 ounces per shoe (297 grams), this was apparent, especially when contrasting it to the Sense Ride 3 and its weight: 11.2 oz / 316 g. It doesn’t look like much of a difference but it was noticeable.
Here is what else I noticed with the the Sense Ride 4: I felt the rocks underfoot in ways that I did not with the Sense Ride 3. The ground felt closer. So here is the tradeoff: go fast and light and feel a little more underfoot, or find a shoe with more underfoot (hello, Hoka). Within that first hundred miles, I ended up liking the shoe for reasons that I didn’t expect (more on this in the next paragraph). To be clear, I had to scrap it as a trail runner just because my knees started to bother me because I’m an old guy, 55 years old, and I really can’t afford to run in a shoe that doesn’t provide more protection in terms of cushion.
The Sense Ride 4 ended up as a great all-around lightweight hiker for me. With 300+ miles of hiking in and around my local neighborhood and Maryland, all through the west (Utah and Colorado), I’ve had few issues, other than normal wear and tear associated with how the shoes wear on my feet (shoes I wear tend to wear out first in the heel). As a road trip travel shoe with where there is camping, hiking, biking, and general touristy things, the easy on and off with the lacing system is a champ, especially if you feel the need to move between sandals, shoes, and bare feet with minimal hassle.
Overall, for me, the the Sense Ride 4 is a great travel and general outdoor shoe…and not a great trail running shoe. Thanks for reading until the end.
Title: Salomon Sense Ride 4 Review: Adventure Shoe Beast
