Ride 18 vs Ride 19

The Saucony Ride 18 is a do-everything daily training shoe, the kind of neutral road runner you buy once and reach for on most days of the week. It is not trying to be fast, plated or exotic. It is trying to soak up your easy miles, your commute jogs and your steady long runs without drama, and it does that well. At 266g in a UK men's sample with an 8mm drop, it sits right in the middle of the daily-trainer class: cushioned enough to feel protective, not so soft that it wallows. The ride is smooth and predictable rather than exciting, with a rocker that keeps you rolling forward at conversational pace. At £130 RRP it is priced fairly for the category. If you want one honest, comfortable neutral trainer for the bulk of your week, the Ride 18 is an easy shoe to recommend. For genuine pace work you will want something snappier, like the Nike Pegasus 42 or a dedicated tempo shoe.

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.