Wave Rider 30 vs Winflo 12

For years the Wave Rider was the firm, slightly old-fashioned daily trainer that Mizuno fans loved and everyone else walked past. Version 30 is built to change that. Heel stack climbs from 37.5mm on the Wave Rider 29 to 42.8mm, the foam is much softer, and weight only creeps up to 266g. Most of the reviews we read call it a big step up. Fordy Runs rates it above the latest Saucony Ride and Pegasus. RTINGS is the cooler voice: its lab found plenty of protection and stability but little energy coming back, and it scored the shoe well below the others. Both readings hold up. It's a soft, stable daily training shoe for easy miles and long runs. It copes with steadier efforts, though it won't feel quick. At £140 RRP it sits beside the Ghost and Cumulus. Loyal Rider fans who liked the old ground feel may miss it.

At £99.99 the Winflo 12 is one of the cheapest ways into a high-stack Nike running shoe, and it's a very different shoe from the Winflo 11. Nike piled on foam, taking the heel to 40.9mm and the forefoot to 30.3mm with a 10.6mm drop. The result is a soft, stable daily training shoe for easy miles and long runs. It isn't built for speed, and at 305g it's heavy, which is the complaint that keeps coming up. RunRepeat rated it highly, mostly for how much protection you get for the money. Fordy Runs was cooler, calling it a decent budget shoe but pointing serious runners to the Vomero 18, which costs £45 more at RRP. We sit somewhere between the two. If your budget stops around £100 and most of your running is steady, it makes a lot of sense. If you want a shoe that can also handle tempo work, pick something lighter.