Salomon Sense Ride 5 Trail Running Shoe Review
An in-depth review of the Salomon Sense Ride 5 shoe for trail runners
September 19, 2024
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The Salomon Sense Ride 5 is one of our favorite cushioned trail running shoes we’ve tested because of its comfort and versatility, especially for narrow feet. At the same price as some of our other favorites, this is also one of the best bang-for-your-buck trail running shoes.
They are up there with the Hoka Speedgoat 5s as one of the best day-to-day trail runners we’ve tested. Like the Speedgoats, they excel on everything from short to mid-length runs, smooth to technical trails, and the road to trail. No matter the distance or terrain, the Sense Rides have not let us down.
After testing these shoes on rocky mountain trails, muddy forested trails, and in snow, ice, sleet, and dusty paths, we continue to be impressed with the Salomon Sense Ride’s traction and comfort overall.
Our Verdict
The Salomon Sense Ride 5 is among the least expensive trail running shoes we tested, retailing at $140 — but they perform as well as many more expensive shoes. After testing many iterations of this shoe, we continue to love the overall stable feeling of the upper and the generously cushioned yet bouncy midsole they’re built on. These shoes do just about everything well — from rocky technical trails to muddy rolling trails, from short trail runs to long days in the woods and mountains — and come in a lightweight package that pushes you to run farther.
Perhaps our biggest concern is that they can fit quite narrow. Some of our testers felt their toes had been squished a bit by the end of a long trail run. If you have a narrow to medium foot, this won’t be an issue. But if you have a wide foot, these probably aren’t the best option. (Check out our picks for best trail shoes for wide feet in our Best Men’s Trail Running Shoes and Best Women’s Trail Running Shoes guides.)
While the Sense Rides run more narrow than many shoes we tested, we don’t think they’re too narrow for average-width feet. Many people love these shoes, and there are many positive customer and media reviews to back up our findings. This is why the Salomon Sense Ride 5 has earned our pick for Best Affordable Men’s Trail Running Shoe and Best Women’s Trail Shoe for Narrow Feet in our guides.
Men's
Women's
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Specs
Price: $140
Weight: 8.7 oz (per shoe)
Heel to Toe Drop: 8.3 mm
Stack Height: 29.6 mm / 21.3 mm (heel/toe)
Closure Type: Quicklace single pull
Cushioning: Moderate
Rock plate? Yes
Comparison table
| TRAIL RUNNING SHOE | WEIGHT MEN'S | WEIGHT WOMEN'S | CUSHION | HEEL DROP | STACK HEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salomon Sense Ride 5 Men's Women's |
10.1 oz | 8.7 oz | moderate | 8 mm | 29.6-21.3 mm |
| Hoka Speedgoat 6 Men's Women's |
9.8 oz | 8.2 oz | maximum | 5 mm | 35 - 40 mm |
| Altra Lone Peak 8 Men's Women's |
10.7 oz | 9.15 oz | moderate | 0 mm | 25 mm |
| Salomon Speedcross 6 Men's Women's |
10.5 oz | 9.2 oz | moderate | 10 mm | 32 - 22 mm |
| La Sportiva Bushido III Men's Women's |
10.5 oz | 8.8 oz | moderate | 6 mm | 13 - 19 mm |
Related: read our most up-to-date review of the Hoka Speedgoat 6.
What we liked
Comfort
Versatility
Price
Great for day-to-day use
Lightweight
Little-to-no break-in time
Traction
What could be better
Sizing can be tricky
Runs narrow
Laces are divisive
While the Salomon Sense Rides are more narrow than other trail running shoes, we found they are great on just about any surface and are a great value for the price.
Features
To test the Salomon Sense Rides, we put hundreds of miles on these shoes—including in a trail race where one of our testers earned a podium spot. They ventured across varied terrains and trail conditions, from snow to mud to dusty dirt, from technical mountain trails to rolling hills. Here is what we found..
Comfort
These shoes feel comfortable right out of the box; no break-in period was required for our testers. However, if you’re accustomed to different trail running shoes, such as zero-drop Altras, you may need to ease into these shoes over a few runs.
The cushioning in these shoes is awesome, with the Ortholite™ insole and the SenseFit™ system to cradle your foot from midfoot to heel.
Traction/Outsole
The Sense Ride 5 also offers great traction with Salomon’s proprietary Contagrip MA outsole material. We’ve tested these shoes in all sorts of varied trail conditions and found they have great grip without the lugs feeling too aggressive or cumbersome.
With running shoes, choosing to design with proprietary materials (rather than a name-brand material like Vibram, which HOKA uses) keeps the shoe’s cost down. In this case, that decision doesn’t feel like a compromise, as the grip is on par with other shoes’ outsoles.
The tread comprises many small 3.5mm lugs, and while they don’t dig deep in mud or snow, our testers have found the shoes suited for most trail conditions.
Salomon’s proprietary Contragrip outsole and the 3.5mm lugs provide excellent grip and traction on just about any trail surface.
Road-to-trail ability
The Sense Ride shoes work better as road-to-trail shoes than other trail shoes we’ve tested, for example, Scarpa Spin shoes. While some trail runners are too lugged to take on pavement comfortably, the Sense Ride performs well enough as a road running shoe when you’re between trails. While we don’t recommend these solely as a road running shoe (check out our Best Road Running Shoes guide for those recommendations!), one of our testers has used them frequently to run from her house to the nearest trail, which includes two miles of road to get there.
Lacing on the Salomon Sense Ride 5s uses the Salomon Quicklace system.
Lacing
The Sense Rides feature Salomon’s Quicklace™ single-pull system. This system consists of a thin cord laced as regular shoelaces, with a slider to tighten the laces. The slider and excess lace tuck into the tongue's top so they don’t bounce around while you run.
Although it took some adjustment, the Salomon Quicklace single-pull system (also found on the Salomon Speedcross) can be convenient. We like that we don’t have to worry about our laces getting caught by anything because they are safely tucked away in the lace pocket. One of our testers noticed her Quicklace slider tab kept popping out of the pocket, but attributes that to not tucking it away carefully.
Outside of that, our laces stayed put for all the times we were off the beaten path. With Teflon coating, the Salomon Quicklace is durable. Not everyone loves them, but one of our testers thought they worked better than traditional laces. Another tester felt no strong preference between Quicklace and traditional laces.
Related: For an interesting comparison, check out our review of the same-laced and similar-cushioned Salomon Speedcross 6 shoe.
Tongue
The tongue of the Sense Ride 5 wraps around your entire foot and attaches below the insoles with soft elastic material. The tongue material is cushioned with a stiff foam to prevent feeling the thin cord laces on the top of your feet.
Weight
One of our favorite things about this trail shoe is how light they are. Weighing 10.1 oz per men’s shoe and 8.7 oz per women’s shoe, the Sense Rides are on the light end, especially for the grip and stability they provide.
Author Sam Schild testing the Salomon Sense Rides on a rocky, technical trail in the mountains.
Uppers
The uppers on the Salomon Sense Ride 5 are made of one continuous mesh layer—no seams and stitching. The mesh is extremely breathable and provides very good drainage for tromping through wet terrain.
One tester had an issue with the mesh fraying early on in a previous model, but the updated Sense Rides seem to have improved their durability. Another tester confirmed fraying is not an issue with this model.
With Energy Surge midsole foam and Contragrip MA outsole, these shoes offer cushion, energy return, and excellent traction.
Midsole & Cushioning
The Sense Rides is a moderately cushioned shoe with nearly 30 mm of stack in the heel, but they don’t feel too high off the ground. It’s a good balance between comfort, stability, and agility.
The Sense Ride 5 uses Salomon’s Energy Surge foam to provide moderate cushioning that allows for a responsive stride. In other words, you get enough cushion to feel comfortable and recover, without sacrificing energy return or agility on the trail.
After a few weeks of testing, one of our testers noticed the midsole seems to be compressing down a lot but staying in good overall shape. For the lower-than-average price and overall comfort of this shoe, we think this is a good sign.
Related: read our full review of the La Sportiva Jackal II for comparison.
Other shoes to Consider
Brooks Cascadia 18
Price: $140
Weight: 11.1 oz (men’s), 10.1 oz (women’s)
Heel-to-toe drop: 8 mm
Stack height: 20 / 12 (heel/toe)
Closure type: Lace-up
Rock plate? Yes
Cushioning: Moderate
Ideal use: Trail-to-road running, basic trail running
What we liked: Versatility, quality for price
What we didn't like: Not many features
Winner of our Best Crossover Trail Running Shoe in our Best Women’s Trail Running Shoe guide, the Brooks Cascadia 18 handles most trail conditions quite well and is comfortable when you have to switch to the road. When compared directly to the Salomon Sense Rides, we think this shoe is less grippy and better suited for road-to-trail.
We particularly appreciate the Cascadia’s durability, especially at the soles, and for its excellent value. It costs the same as the Salomon Sense Rides and the Saucony Peregrine (another more affordable favorite) at $140.
Brooks Cascadia 18
Men's
Women's
Altra Lone Peak 8
Price: $140
Weight: 10.7 oz (men’s), 9.2 oz (women’s)
Heel-to-toe drop: 0 mm
Stack height: 25 mm / 25 mm (heel/toe)
Closure type: Lace-up
Cushioning: Moderate
Rock plate? Yes
Cushioning: Moderate
Ideal use: Long, technical trail runs
What we liked: Comfort, no blisters, toe box
What we didn't like: Durability
The Altra Lone Peak is one of our favorite trail running shoes for long distances, especially for fans of zero-drop shoes. This is why it earned Best Trail Running Shoe for Long Distance Running in our Best Women’s Trail Running Shoe guide.
The toe box of the Lone Peak is spacious so feet can spread naturally during long days on the trail. This design also tends to be more comfortable for folks with wider feet. It’s also a favorite for hikers, backpackers, thru-hikers, and anyone out for a long trail run.
If you’re looking for a more minimalist trail running shoe with a wider toe box, and prefer zero-drop, this shoe costs the same as the Salomon Sense Ride 5 (as well as the Brooks Cascadia and Saucony Peregrine) and is a great option.
Related: read our full review of the Altra Lone Peak 8s.
Altra Lone Peak 8
Men's
Women's
Saucony Peregrine 14
Price: $140
Weight: 9.4 oz (men’s) 8.5 oz (women’s)
Heel-to-toe drop: 4 mm
Stack height: 28 mm / 24 mm (heel/toe)
Closure type: Laces
Cushioning: Moderate
Rock plate? Yes
What we liked: Value for price, cushion, support, traction
What we didn't like: Narrow fit can be limiting for folks
The Saucony Peregrine 14 earned Best Affordable Trail Runners in our Best Women’s Trail Running Shoe guide. For cushion, support, traction, and use as an everyday trainer, this shoe offers great value for the $140 price.
While perhaps not as grippy as the Salomon Sense Ride 5s, this shoe is a mid-drop option that weighs slightly less than the Sense Rides. It also has a more narrow fit. Between this and the Sense Rides, we’d recommend trying both on and seeing which feels best, as they’re very similar shoes with similar capabilities.
Read our full review of Saucony Peregrine 14 for more details.
Saucony Peregrine 14
Men's
Women's
Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3
Price: $150
Weight: 10.2 oz (men’s), 8.3 oz (women’s)
Heel-to-toe drop: 5 mm
Stack height: 35 mm / 30 mm (heel/toe)
Closure type: Laces
Cushioning: Maximum
Rock plate? No
What we liked: Wide toe box, comfortable, well-cushioned, stable feel
What we didn’t like: Not the best on technical terrain
If you prefer a wider fit, the Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3 is the winner of our Best Wide Trail Shoes in our Best Men’s Trail Running Shoes guide. With more cushion, this shoe is also very comfortable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer as much traction as the Sense Rides.
We recommend this shoe to those building up to longer trail runs, as they are roomy, comfortable, and handle a variety of terrains. Thru-hikers tend to like these shoes for the same reasons. And like the Brooks Cascadia 18, they crossover to the roads well, too.
Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3
Men's
Women's
How we tested
Our testers took the Salomon Sense Ride 5s on just about any terrain and trail condition you can imagine. We put hundreds of miles on these shoes in snow, sleet, ice, mud, rocks, and dusty trails. One of our testers even raced in the Salomon Sense Rides and earned a podium spot, so we weren’t messing around here.
We also compared our findings to other media and customer reviews online, ensuring we didn’t miss anything. Additionally, we compared our findings to our testing notes from previous versions of this shoe so we could track how the shoe has updated.
About The Authors / Why you should trust us
Becca Downs
Becca Downs ran D1 cross country and track for Indiana University—Purdue University of Indianapolis (IUPUI) and continued racing everything from elite miles to an ultramarathon in her post-collegiate years. She earned a USATF Level 1 certification and coached boys and girls high school cross country and track in Indianapolis for four years. Becca then joined the IUPUI women’s distance coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach in 2020-2021.
She geeks out on trail running, track and field, and cries every time she watches a marathon (they’re just so beautiful!). After notching a few small FKTs under her belt in 2020, she was diagnosed with hip arthritis and now channels her passion for running into coaching, writing, creating training plans for her friends, hiking, and running when her hip allows it.
You can read more of Becca's work at her website or on her author page.
Sam Schild
Sam Schild is a thru-hiker, trail runner, cyclist, and mountain athlete based in Colorado. He’s been a runner since he was a child when he ran 5 days a week as cardiovascular training for soccer. As he grew older, he stopped playing team sports and focused on running and cycling.
After moving to Colorado a decade ago, he started trail running on the local trails. Since then, he has completed countless ultra-distance self-supported trail runs on trails throughout the American Southwest. He has thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, and the Colorado Trail twice, always in trail runners.
You can read more about Sam on his author page or his website.
