Top 5 Stable Neutral Running Shoes Of 2021
Josh reviews his top 5 stable neutral running shoes of 2021, the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v11, Saucony Triumph 19, Brooks Glycerin 19, Mizuno Wave Rider 25 and Hoka One One Clifton 8 to help you make informed decisions about your running shoe selection.
With improvements to set them ahead of the pack in comparison to their predecessors, the versatility to pick up the pace when the road is calling and the cushioning to provide protection for longer runs or daily training, they are among the best running shoes of the year for neutral foot types. Available in multiple widths, they accomodate a broader spectrum of runners to make it easy to find your ideal fit.
Check out the review with full transcript below.
Hey guys, Josh here from Sportitude Running and today is a slightly different shoe review. We're going to be talking about the top 5 stable neutral shoes for 2021.
To give you a bit of an idea of how we came to these five options, it can basically be broken down into a couple of different categories or criteria.
- They have to be neutral
- They have to be a cushioned shoe
- They have to be versatile
While we are still talking about cushioned shoes, they can be used for some shorter quicker runs.
The other key factor which comes into the fitting of the five shoes is they have to be available in widths because that is such an important factor when it comes to fitting a running shoe.
It kind of frustrates you from time to time when we're down on the shop floor and we're going to fit someone and the shoe is too narrow or it's too wide. We have really nowhere to go with that specific shoe in front of us.
The running shoes in our top 5 stable neutral list are cushioned, stable neutral, versatile and come in widths. In no particular order we're going to jump into this shoe review, but before we do I want to talk about what a neutral foot type is.
Runner Profile
When a supinated foot type or a high arched foot type is standing on a flat surface, there is quite a bit of space between the arch and the ground. For that runner that comes down through their transition, a lot of the pressure will be on the lateral side of their foot. A supinated foot type in theory can run in a neutral shoe.
From time to time the minority of your stable neutral category may be suitable for a runner with a flatter foot type that has an arch that is relatively close to the ground.
However, when this runner comes through the gait transition everything stays pretty centralised so they don't have a bias towards that medial side and obviously they don't have a bias towards that supinated side. A lot of the force and pressure goes through the mid part of the foot before the foot gets ready to engage and toe-off.
While there are two slightly different static positions that we classify as neutral foot types, it's more to do with the functionality of movement through the foot that would then justify when we would look at a stable neutral shoe.
Regarding how all the shoes fell into my top 5 selections, I've taken into consideration where they were with their predecessor and where they are now. Straight off the bat I’m going to talk about two shoes that have had a mild update from their predecessor.
New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v11
You're probably wondering why the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v11 falls into this this top 5 category, because there's not much change from where it was with the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v10 to the version 11. That is very true. The midsole breakdown is exactly the same and it's the same stack height. We're talking a 30mm heel to 22mm forefoot with the 8mm offset in both the men's and women's model.
However, there are a couple of tweaks in the upper. I need to talk about this because while change is inevitable in this industry, it's not something that every brand has to act on every 12 months. It's A-OK when a brand gets something right to only ever make those micro changes and with regards to this shoe it was all in the upper.
There’s a bit of a tweak with that Hypoknit through the forefoot and a change with the heel counter. While this is controversial with what I'm about to say, I personally didn't think they nailed the heel counter in New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v11.
In the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v12 which is coming out in a couple of months time, they have executed the heel counter to perfection.
While this shoe sits in the top 5, there are a couple of imperfections with it and it’s mainly to do with the heel counter. Again, as a neutral shoe it is very light and has a rocker element to the forefoot.
Being a bit lighter than some of the others in the top 5 stable neutral shoes, you can use it for some shorter quicker runs and almost those tempo, progressive runs. When you want to feel the element of protection the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v11 has been an absolute go-to over the last 12 months.
Saucony Triumph 19
The other shoe that's had a minor change from one to the next is the Saucony Triumph 19. This shoe has almost changed my interpretation of what Saucony can do in this space.
The Sauocny Triumph 17 was a bit of a miss in my opinion. The Saucony Triumph 18 had some good improvements but the upper wasn't quite right. However, this shoe has been an absolute winner down here on the shop floor at Sportitude Running.
The reason being is they have really dialled in the upper. They've executed the heel counter to perfection, putting in the right amount of foam at the back and making it lighter from its previous version which is great.
They have only ever so slightly tinkered the fit and feel underneath the foot. It’s more to do with the sockliner of this shoe. It's still the same midsole, you have your 32.5mm heel and your 24.5mm forefoot for a variance of 8mm.
PWRRUN+ has been a real blessing for Saucony regarding their cushioning systems. They have had great success with a couple of their tempo shoes but the Saucony Triumph 19 is extremely stable. A lot of runners will lean on this shoe when they want confidence underneath their foot.
In terms of the scale of weight it's very light up top and you have a little bit more weight underneath the foot so you get that really good grounded feel but with an element of protection. The Saucony Triumph 19 has easily found its way into our top 5 for this year so far.
Brooks Glycerin 19
The other shoe I'd like to talk about again has had a micro change from its previous version to the next. However, they've had a change across all three components being the outsole, midsole and the upper. I'm talking none other than the Brooks Glycerin 19.
Brooks Glycerin has had a number of years of success now. When you're going back 10 years there was a bit of discussion around whether this shoe should stay or go. Brooks worked on executing the finer points of what a neutral shoe should be all about.
Once they landed on the Brooks Glycerin 11 they really got it right. They changed quite a lot of the componentry with a full ground outsole and changes in the cushioning system.
From there it's only got better every single year. Of course they're going to make a change from one season to the next which may not agree with you the runner, however in terms of their overall performance they've always made those progressive moves.
Regarding this shoe, we have a 10mm offset, 26mm in the heel and 16mm in the forefoot. That's the same in both the men's and women's model.
The new cushioning system was probably the biggest call out with this shoe. DNA Loft has been a great asset and they've made a couple of minor adjustments with the execution in the sense that they made it marginally softer from its previous version.
On that first step in you get a bit more comfort. However, when you're starting to put the miles in out the road you’re getting a little bit more protection underneath the body on that pretty generous 10mm offset.
It's been hard to go past this shoe as a really honest, versatile shoe for a lot of mileage runners out there.
The other thing which I like to say with pretty much every Brooks running shoe I review, I can't remember the last time they didn't get this heel collar right. They are absolutely nailing that fit and feel on the foot.
On the first step in you get the perfect amount of foam in the back so you don't feel like your foot is being suffocated, or the other extreme is where you feel like you're lacking some support and integrity. It has an internal heel counter with a nice amount of memory foam and the materials they use are very much premium.
The other thing too which I like about the Brooks Glycerin 19 is they offer a little bit more a bit more of a lockdown through the saddle area of your arch. The gusseted tongue works really well, it sits on top of your navicular and you get the perfect amount of support up top which is fantastic.
Mizuno Wave Rider 25
The other shoe which I'm going to talk about right now is one that I think has probably had the biggest and best update from all the top 5 stable neutral shoes. It's a bit controversial because my last shoe I really liked.
I hold in my hand the Mizuno Wave Rider 25. With all due respect to Mizuno they are an extremely conservative brand. I say that with all due respect because sometimes when a brand knows what they are and who and who they are talking to, they make minor adjustments from one year to the next.
We're not going to rewind the clock and talk about the Mizuno Wave Rider 17 because for those of you that know what I'm talking about, you've probably spilled your hot coffee in your lap already. That shoe was an absolute miss and Mizuno even admitted it. They went too light, too minimalistic and they lost the integrity of what this running shoe was all about.
Fast forward a few years now to what I hold in my hand. The Mizuno Wave Rider 25 is exactly what I would expect from this shoe. In terms of the engineering breakdown you've got the combination of Mizuno Enerzy foam in conjunction with that TPU wave plate underneath the foot.
They have the Mizuno Wave Sky which sits above it but being a slightly lighter shoe, this shoe is again very versatile. You can use it for your quicker runs, you can use it for your shorter runs and your progressive runs and it protects the body quite well.
The midsole delivers a 36mm heel and a 24mm forefoot. Out of the whole range we're talking about, this one here is at a 12mm offset which is pretty generous. 10 years ago 12mm was considered perfectly normal.
In today's space 12mm is kind of the minority, not a lot of shoes sit above 10mm. The majority of them now are down in those single figures, but Mizuno has stuck with it and kept running with that 12mm offset. For them it's working but who knows if it's going to stay for the Mizuno Wave Rider 26 and beyond. However, with this running shoe it does work incredibly well.
The other thing I'd like to call out is that is Mizuno have always been renowned for getting heel counters right. I said the same thing with the Brooks Glycerin a minute ago, however there is more support around the heel counter in the Mizuno Wave Rider 25 in terms of the plastic covers a little bit more area around your calcaneus. Again, they’ve pretty much nailed the amount of foam at the back so you get a really good step-in feel.
Regarding the upper and the breathability I can't fault this shoe. I think it has been an absolute gem for this season. Mizuno nailed it with the Wave Rider 25 which is fantastic.
The other biggest update was when they went from the Mizuno Wave Rider 23 to the Mizuno Wave Rider 24. They went full ground contact and the same thing goes for the Mizuno Wave Rider 25.
You can see there is rubber which is on offer the whole way through the gait cycle. There is obviously some cutaways with the decoupled flex groove and those horizontal flex grooves to provide a little bit more of a seamless toe-off.
Hoka One One Clifton 8
Last but not least my favourite out of the top 5, the Hoka One One Clifton 8. I don't want you at home to take my word for it because everyone is uniquely different when it comes to running and you need to keep that in mind.
However, the running shoe that I keep coming back to pretty much since the Clifton 6 has been the Hoka One One Clifton franchise. Again, all due respect to Hoka, but they had a couple of misses there with the Clifton 3 and Clifton 4. The Hoka One One Clifton 5 was starting to get back on to where they should be, but the Clifton 6, Clifton 7 and now the Clifton 8 they have absolutely nailed this shoe.
The biggest change with Clifton 8 from the Clifton 7 and Clifton 6 was the configuration of the midsole and outsole.
You can see where the red outsole sits and the blue midsole underneath the shoe. The real change is in the flex grooves through the forefoot. They're trying to provide a more consistent wear underneath the shoe.
A slight concern potentially or a little bit of a bug was that the Cliftons did wear out pretty quickly and the outsole starts to wear down to the midsole a little bit earlier than what I would personally like.
I'm a good two-thirds way through the life on my Hoka One One Clifton 8 and I’m really enjoying them. The flex grooves, the consistency of roll and feel has been there from the first kilometre right through to where it sits right now about 250km in.
The other thing too the Clifton series is renowned for is that rocker sole through the forefoot. It is a slightly earlier Meta Rocker, not like your Hoka One One Bondi which has that rocker that sits more towards the metatarsal region. This is pitched back a bit further and it's not too intrusive on the forefoot. It doesn't feel that unfamiliar if you're coming from any of the other shoes in our top 5.
It's really effortless, smooth and seamless ride underneath the body. I've used this shoe from everything from my easy runs right through to my quicker tempo sessions if I want to feel a bit protected. Also, when you get out the door and you start to feel pretty good and you'll decide there on the spot that you're running a progressive run, Cliftons have been fantastic.
Again, it has a subtle change with that little tweak to the heel counter region where you get a little push and pull away from the Achilles which was evident in Clifton 7 and they brought it over in the Clifton 8 as well. It’s a new successful engineering component. I love the heel counter and the collar.
This shoe has been an absolute gem to run in over the last six months for myself, the runners here that obviously work with us and the customers that come in and give us the feedback as well.
The Wrap Up
In summary, obviously these 5 stable neutral running shoes are what I have found to be the easiest to fit on the shop floor. As we touched on in the intro, a lot of it's to do with the versatility, the updates and where they've come from their previous versions and also the fact that they are available in widths.
It’s a big one for me for a good running shoe, whether it be neutral, stable neutral or supportive. When brands believe in their engineering, they back it and they'll make it available in widths.
Again, touching on the fact that this is my opinion on how I see the market over the last 6 to 12 months. If I have happened to miss a shoe out of this review that you firmly believe in and that you love contact our Sportitude shoe experts and let us know because if you love it, there is nothing wrong with that, that is fantastic. Someone else out there will probably agree with you.
Please subscribe to the Sportitude YouTube channel if you haven't already done so to stay notified and we'll keep pumping out these shoe reviews for you the running community all over the world.
If you want to know a little bit more information about these shoes I have done individual reviews on each and every one of them where I've gone into the outsole, midsole and the upper in more detail and the links to those videos are down below.
Until next time stay safe, be kind to one another and we will see you on the road take care.
New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v11
Saucony Triumph 19
Brooks Glycerin 19
Mizuno Wave Rider 25
Hoka One One Clifton 8
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