Velocity Nitro 5 vs Ride 19

At £110, the Velocity Nitro 5 is one of the cheaper daily trainers from a major brand, and that price is a big part of its appeal. It's a neutral running shoe for everyday miles: easy runs, steady efforts and the odd pickup in pace. Puma has dropped the heel-to-toe drop to 8mm from the 9.7mm of the Velocity Nitro 4 and added a little stack, but reviewers mostly describe it as a modest update rather than a new shoe.

Grip and stability are where testers agree. The PumaGrip outsole holds on wet roads and towpaths better than most trainers, and the ride stays planted. Cushioning is where they split. One reviewer found the Nitrofoam soft and forgiving, others felt the forefoot went thin on longer runs. If you want more bounce for faster days, Puma's Deviate Pure Nitro costs £40 more. As a dependable, grippy daily training shoe at a fair price, we'd call it a good buy, not a class leader.

The Saucony Ride 19 is a do-everything neutral daily trainer, the kind of running shoe you reach for on most days of the week without thinking twice. It is not a max-cushion cruiser and it is not a speed shoe. It sits right in the middle, and that is the point. PWRRUN+ foam gives you a lively, slightly bouncy ride that soaks up easy miles but still has enough life to pick up the pace when you want to. With a 36mm heel stack and an 8mm drop it is protective without feeling tall or vague underfoot, and at 255g it stays light enough that it never feels like a chore. In our view this is one of the safest recommendations in the daily training shoe category: versatile, durable and honest about what it is. If you want a single shoe that covers easy runs, steady runs and the odd long run, the Ride 19 earns its place. It is a natural step on from the Ride 18.