The Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 is a whole load of fun!
Skechers – Shoes for the tiny and the elderly?
Skechers only seem to have a presence in the UK for the very old and very young. Since starting running, I’ve never seen a pair of their running shoes on another runner or ever had a pair on my feet. Due to this, I was intrigued to receive the Ride 11 to test. Have the oldies and toddlers been gatekeeping a great secret?
Specs:
My sample was a men’s US size 8.5 which weighed in at 269g (9.48oz)
38mm heel and 32mm forefoot for a 6mm drop.
Price: $120/£135/€134.95
The Upper – There’s a lot of it!
At first, stepping into the Ride 11 is a lot like putting your foot into a giant marshmallow. The upper, and there is a lot of it, is soft, padded and plush. The heel cup is low and doesn’t rise up around the achilles which I found very comfortable. Furthermore, there is a lot of padding around the heel and ankle but it didn’t get in the way or cause rubbing or irritation for me.
The bad
Unfortunately, the sheer amount of material in the upper is a bit of an issue as it is not a cool, breathable shoe. Each run I have taken in it has left me with sweat soaked socks. Looking forward,I think this will be a lot more manageable in the cooler temperatures of autumn and winter.
The size is another issue which I had with the Ride 11. My usual US 8.5 was very, very long. I would recommend trying before you buy to ensure the Skechers size works for you.
The better
Despite these two issues, I found that, with a runners knot in the laces, lockdown was achieved well and the fit was actually very comfortable. This fits in with the general ethos of Skechers that comfort is paramount. On the run, I found that this continued with the shoe causing me no hotspots or rubbing at all. Also, the hugely padded tongue kept any lace pressure from my upper foot. I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the feel of the shoe. Maybe I need to change my preconceptions about a brand, although they could still do some work on the aesthetics of the upper. It ain’t a looker.
Hyper Burst Ice? Hyper Burst Nice!
This is where this shoe comes alive. The Hyper Burst Ice foam and the huge rocker in the shoe are just a joy to run in. This is probably the most fun, easy shoe I’ve run in since the Rebel v2. The midsole gives a real roll through the foot strike and a pop off the toes. Whilst it isn’t a particularly light shoe on the scale, at no point did it feel heavy on foot. The geometry and bounce of the foam make sure of that. I find myself smiling on each run I take in the Ride 11. I don’t run with any fancy pods to measure metrics for efficiency or power and I imagine the readings wouldn’t be too great for those. The foot sinks into the Hyper Burst Ice and I am sure my ground contact time in this shoe would be among the highest of any I own. But sometimes, the metric that matters most is joy. The Ride 11 has that in bunches. It’s a great shoe to run easy runs too fast in.
Is it the shoe for you?
However, this is very much a personal preference. If you are looking for stability, this is probably not a shoe for you. The midsole can be felt squelching from side to side in corners. The carbon infused H plate in the forefoot doesn’t seem to do as much for stability as it does for pop. If you are a person who is looking for a firm platform to push off, keep looking. The Ride 11 does not offer that. It has a super soft, marshmallowy feel to it which may not be to everyone’s taste. For me, it falls somewhere between the Nike ZoomX invincible and the New Balance Rebel v2. Loads of cushion but also a shoe which can pick up the pace and make it feel fun and easy.
This is the polar opposite of the MaxRoad 6. There is just the right amount of foam and the ride is light and smooth. Definitely a case where less is more.
Goodyear grip for a secure ride
The Ride 11 outsole is Goodyear rubber which has not let me down yet despite some downpours and sloppy surfaces appearing on the run. There is a good coverage which leads me to believe that they will last a good long time. There is no visible wear or degradation after my first 70km in the shoe.
The amount of rubber does go some way to adding stability to the midsole foam. It also holds firm to the road. What more does a person need from an outsole?
Running is fun, so is this shoe!
As the first Skechers shoe I every ran in, the Ride 11 made me a convert. At a similar price point to the Rebel, I would imagine that it would offer a lot more durability. The ride is one, for me, which brings pure fun to the run. No matter how I went out the door, I have always come back smiling and looking forward to the next outing. It’s a versatile shoe which feels just as good when making more up-tempo runs as it does when enjoying a gentle bounce on a summer’s evening.
With all of this, the Ride 11 has made me a convert to Skechers. When packing to go away for my holidays this summer, the Ride 11 was the first thing in the case. It’s just a really fun shoe to run in. And, for most of us, running is supposed to be a joyous task. This shoe helps that a lot! If you have never run in a Skechers shoe and want to try something different, grab this. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have.
