Asics EvoRide Running Shoe Review

Fresh off the shelves for 2020, Josh jumps into the Asics EvoRide running shoe – your speedy and lightweight running shoe for tempo runs, session runs and even race day.

Engineered for neutral foot types, the Asics EvoRide features a jacquard mesh upper to sweep away heat as you quicken the pace, and locks your feet in with a deep internal heel counter that’s padded without being excessively plush.

FlyteFoam Propel technology runs the entire length of this fast trainer, creating a snappy toe-off and lively running sensation to shave seconds off your PB. The rocker sole takes the load off your lower limbs, ensuring transitions are smooth and effortless as you glide into your next stride.

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hello guys, Josh here from Sportitude and today we’re going to do a shoe review on the brand new Asics EvoRide.

It is a new shoe that has just landed in the first quarter of 2020. It’s targeting a runner that’s got a neutral foot type and is looking for a lightweight trainer that has a really plush, really effortless feel on the forefoot when you toe-off.

Like all my shoe reviews we like to talk all things outsole, move onto the midsole then discuss the upper and also profile which runner could potentially be considering this shoe to add into their running shoe rotation. Without further ado let’s get stuck in.

Outsole

When we’re profiling the sole of this shoe, we’ve got what Asics are calling their GuideSole technology. We’ve seen that over the last 6 - 8 weeks rolled out to the marketplace in the GlideRide. That shoe is more of a high mileage, max cushioned feeling shoe.

The EvoRide on the other hand does have that unique feel regarding that rocker sole technology through the forefoot, but it is on a lighter package. It is targeting someone that has a higher cadence, turning over their feet a bit quicker and potentially hitting the ground more midfoot and forefoot with a considerable amount of force.

It’s important to split the two. The GlideRide is a great shoe with the rocker sole but it is really designed for someone looking for increased plushness on a nice, easy effortless run for a neutral foot type. The EvoRide is more for your speed sessions, as something lighter that is going to cater for you.

You can see when we’re looking at the outsole of the EvoRide you’ve got full ground contact. The great thing about this shoe is that through the forefoot it doesn’t have the EVA speedboard which the GlideRide has, which makes it quite stiff.

The stiffness comes from the outsole and how it’s glued to the midsole of this shoe. The profile of the shoe does curl up and it is a little stiffer through that forefoot, which is great for that midfoot runner that’s looking for an effortless toe-off.

The outsole offers plenty of purchase through the forefoot region. The entry point happens to be midfoot. You’ve got a nice piece of outsole protecting the midsole. If you happen to be a forefoot runner, again there is a nice surface area through there.

Like other Asics shoes they do cater for a heel striker as well with harder wearing rubber on the back of the heel. However, to put it really simply if you’re a heel striker and you’re looking for a quicker shoe there may be better shoes out there for you.

Midsole

Moving up to the midsole. There’s no call out with Gel cushioning in this shoe. They’ve gone with full-length FlyteFoam Propel technology which is their patented midsole technology that they’ve run in a number of shoes now. They’ve really started to call it out in the last 6 months.

FlyteFoam Propel cradles the foot, giving plenty of plushness and cushioning but like its namesake ‘Propel’ it has a really propulsive feel. When you’re going through midstance to toe-off in this shoe, not only do you get that effortless roll with that rocker technology through the forefoot, but you get a really nice bounce and pop out of that midsole through that forefoot.

It is a unique feel. When we’ve tried this shoe on people’s feet in the store, you don’t really get a true understanding of how this shoe can perform by literally putting your foot in it and standing or walking around the store. It isn't going to do enough.

You need to get on the treadmill and run a minute to understand what this shoe is all about. Because of that rocker sole, that propulsion through the forefoot, the whole concept is to take the load off the metatarsal heads and take stress off the calf and Achilles. If you’re toeing off a lot easier, it’s going to take a lot of extra load off that lower part of your lower limbs.

Upper

Let’s move along to the upper. They’ve got jacquard mesh technology. There is nothing new and unique about it. Asics have used the jacquard mesh for a number of years now in a lot of their top end running shoes.

What we find in the back half of this shoe is that the heel counter is internal. It’s nice and stable. I really like the fit of this shoe.

It’s certainly deep enough to cater for an orthotic. If you have an aggressive wedge though it may not work that well. You need to be cautious when you put your orthotic in this shoe. If you feel a bit of movement at the back even with a heel lock lace, I don’t think it’d be appropriate. Be cautious about what your heel wedge is doing and seek some advice from your podiatrist before purchasing this shoe.

Getting back to the heel counter. It’s internal, it’s deep and it has a great lining around the inside. I want to give Brooks a bit of kudos because they we’re probably in my opinion the first brand a few years ago to really nail that fit on the inside of the collar and it’s like other brands have caught up.

I’m not saying Asics haven’t made comfortable shoes on the lining around the inside. Although Brooks in my opinion have been the market leader in that space, this shoe is a very comfortable shoe.

On the inside there is just the right amount of padding, so you put your foot in and feel that security around the back of your heel and Achilles. It isn’t too foamy in the sense you don’t feel like your heel is being suffocated by the amount of foam and certainly you don’t feel like there is not enough support, so great execution on the heel counter.

As you’re coming through to the midfoot, we’ve got a traditional lacing system. The tongue isn’t gusseted to the shoe so you don’t have that restrictive feel which some shoes do have. Asics have provided a little extra depth and play by doing that, so they’re catering for a runner that has a slightly higher arch. Therefore, you don’t want to lock down the tongue too much or it’ll restrict the amount of pitch you get through your arch as you’re sitting there in a static position inside the shoe.

The jacquard mesh does most of it’s work through the forefoot. It’s a nice stable fitting shoe. Asics engineers have identified the type of runner that is going to be using this shoe is someone that’s going to have a higher cadence. They’re going to hit the ground with a little more speed and force, thus the velocity of movement through their gait cycle is going to be a little bit higher than your traditional high mileage shoes.

Therefore, you need to have great execution in the upper and in its strength. If you’re someone that moves faster through their gait cycle, you don’t want it to be slopping around on top. It’ll create too much stress and load on that foot, ankles, shin, knees and hips. You’ve got to be careful with how you execute the upper, and they’ve nailed it inside the EvoRide. It’s a strong fit and feel on top.

Widths

What I’m going to do now is talk about the widths inside this shoe. We’re talking D in the men’s and B in the ladies’. That usually rings true for most brands when they execute a new model. They’ll usually only do it in a standard width first, dip their toe in the water and test the market.

If it’s going to be a successful shoe, then they might go back to the drawing board and execute more widths in their next versions of that shoe. Initially in the first year it’s standard widths.

Foot Type

Let’s talk about the foot type that could consider the EvoRide. As we touched on earlier, it is a neutral shoe and it is a fast shoe. It’s light and designed for tempo runs, session runs and potentially race day.

It’s a neutral concept. There’s no additional arch support or GuideRails or dynamic support that sits on the medial side. If you are a heel striker and you have a really pronounced midstance overpronation, I’d put a big question mark on this shoe and it wouldn’t be one we’d feel comfortable selling you on the shop floor, so just be cautious about that.

We’re looking at a neutral foot type. There is essentially two static position with a neutral runner that we look at. The traditional off the shelf neutral foot type has a higher arch, plenty of real estate between the meat of the foot and the ground and the navicular sits up a little bit higher. Generally speaking for a runner that does midfoot strike, a lot of the pressure is going to be on the lateral side so we’re talking more of a supinator or under pronated foot type.

However, there is the runner that has a neutral or static position that doesn’t tend to overpronate. That is where I sit at the moment. I do experience light overpronation but personally that looks similar to what my foot posture is when I’m standing. I flatten out through the arch, but I don’t have much tibia rotation through my shins as I go through my gait cycle.

When we’re profiling that runner in store, we are conscious of where they are hitting the ground and what is happening through that stance phase. We don’t want to see too much collapse through the arch, it’ll just put too much stress on your foot inside the EvoRide.

Offset and Weight

Let's talk about some subtle specs regarding the EvoRide. We’ve got a 5mm offset with 28mm in the heel and 23mm in the forefoot. That is the same for the men’s and the women’s.

The weight of this shoe is great. It’s not the lightest shoe on the market by any means. The ladies’ size 7 comes in at 203 grams and the men’s size 9 sits at 230g. That’s with our scales. If you jump on the Asics website there might be some discrepancy with what I just said, or your kitchen scales at home might give you a different read.

However, it wouldn’t be too far off with what the actual weight of the shoes are. They are a very lightweight shoe.

There you have it guys, that is the Asics EvoRide. A cracking little shoe. I’ve really been looking forward to this one hitting the market.

I’ve done some running and testing in this shoe. I was lucky enough to get the first prototype roughly about 12 months ago to put some clicks in it. They made some subtle changes with how they’ve executed the outsole and it’s come up an absolute peach.

It is a fantastic shoe that’s great for a neutral runner. It’s great for the runner that wants an effortless toe-off and feel through the forefoot and really likes a bit of cushioning underneath the foot too.

If you have any questions on this video, please contact our Sportitude shoe experts.  If you haven’t subscribed to the Sportitude YouTube channel, please do so to be first in first served on all things latest and greatest in the running shoe world.

Until next time, happy running. We’ll see you soon.