Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 Review: Plush
By David Salas
The Skechers GO RUN Ride series has been the primary daily trainer line for the company. The Ride series has also been the official training shoe for their athlete Edward Cheserek. The shoe is a highly cushioned neutral running shoe that gives a touch of responsiveness at toe off. This model introduces HYPERBURST ICE midsole and a carbon infused plate in the forefoot.
Skechers GO RUN Ride 11Price: $119.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 9.8 oz, 278g (men's size 9), 7.6 oz, 215g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 38mm heel // 32 mm forefoot
Drop: 6mm
Classification: Daily Training Shoe
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
David: The Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 is a neutral training shoe that offers a softer ride and a bouncy forefoot. The shoe runs best at daily training paces but has some bounce for slight uptempo efforts as well. The shoe uses a thick full contact outsole and forefoot plate to help stabilize the foam and help with performance. The overall experience is surprisingly plush and will cater to those that like softer offerings.
Nathan: The Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 is a very soft neutral training shoe that has Skechers new HYPER BURST ICE midsole. This new midsole is put on top of a rockered platform consistent with previous versions but gets a very new running experience due to the different midsole feel. It is designed to last with a durable and thick outsole made for high mileage, but the runner will need to be ready for the softer platform.
SIMILAR SHOES: On Cloudsurfer
PAST MODEL: Skechers Go Run Ride 10
FIT
David: The Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 fits true to size in men's 9.5. The engineered mesh material is surprisingly plush and soft. The material is breathable enough for both daily and longer efforts, though leans on the thicker end. The upper has some stretch to it, though holds its structure decently well. There is a heel counter and light reinforcement throughout the upper both medially and laterally. The tongue is heavily padded and allows you to lock the shoe down tightly without biting or irritation. The width is normal throughout in the heel, midfoot, and forefoot. No area is excessively narrow or wide. The heel collar is also heavily padded. The shoe feels more like a premium daily trainer through the upper design. Those that like soft and plush uppers will find this quite agreeable.
Nathan: The GO RUN Ride 11 fits overall true to size with a bit narrow and lower volume toe box, particularly near the beginning of the forefoot. It sports a moderately breathable, yet thicker, engineered mesh upper. The heel has a more rigid heel counter and but is quite padded, as is the non-gusseted tongue. The rest of the upper has some minor reinforcements but overall is quite simple. Despite being true to size, I found the early part of the toe box (near where your big toe joint is) to be quite tight and varying lacing strategies couldn't loosen it enough for me. I did not have any issues with slipping or instability in the upper itself. If you like a thicker upper and don't mind a bit of snugness near the forefoot, you will find this to be just fine.
PERFORMANCE
David: The Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 is an interesting training shoe. The shoe is surprisingly soft upon stepping into it. Early on I felt I had to get some road miles in before feeling comfortable on dirt. The midsole did break in a little and I got used to the ride. The shoe does still use the HYPERARC configuration with a balanced rocker profile. The heel bevel is very central, but rounded enough to feel it transition you through the midfoot quickly. The carbon infused forefoot plate does seem to stabilize the forefoot a little bit and add some propulsion when pushing off. The shoe operates best at daily paces but does have a decent amount of bounce for slight uptempo efforts. Weighing 9.8 ounces in Men's size 9, this is consistent with my experience.
The traction underfoot is pretty good and uses GOODYEAR rubber. The soft nature of the shoe does take some proprioception and ground feel away. With that said the shoe did do better in gravel and dirt once I got more miles in the shoe. This is a plush neutral offering for those that like softer rides. I normally don't like having too much plate involvement in training shoes, though I feel a full length plate might actually be better for this model. The shoe does feel a tad unstable through heel and midfoot with a more stable forefoot transition. With these noted the Ride 11 is still a solid training shoe for those wanting a softer experience.
Nathan: Sometimes a company will implement a new foam and it is hard to tell there is a difference. That isn't the case here. HYPER BURST ICE is very soft and does have a bit of bounce. This foam is constructed on their traditional rocker surface (HYPERARC), which to me feels a bit off. The midfoot of this shoe carries a heavy amount of foam, with a large and centralized heel bevel. This was where I personally had issues. The softer foam would compress quite a bit in the heel and it would feel like I had to get up onto the midfoot before moving forward on a nice, balanced forefoot rocker. During each run in this shoe, I would feel awkward for the first mile or so before getting into a better rhythm. For those who remember, this feels more like their M-strike shaping of old than HYPERARC. Practically this means that it felt better landing more forward on the shoe and that the midfoot felt heavier comparatively.
Moving forward, there is a really nice foreoot rocker with some flexibility despite the forefoot H-plate that is inserted. The new foam was most appreciated during toe-off, as it felt cushioned and springy in combination with the balanced rocker. In terms of what it was best for, I appreciated it for daily training. Anything slower and it felt awkward in the heel-to-midfoot transition. Faster paces were okay and helped by the bouncier forefoot, but eventually, the weight was the limiting factor for true workouts. Overall, this shoe is so soft that I couldn't get a lot of ground feel (more on this later), and is best for people who want that very plush sensation and don't mind not feeling connected to the ground.
STABILITY
David: The Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 is definitely not a stability shoe. The HYPERBURST ICE is a very soft and compliant foam. The shoe does have some elements that help with stabilizing it, though it still runs very neutral. The full contact outsole and forefoot plate seem to help with giving the shoe a little rigidity longitudinally and medial/laterally. The plush upper and soft foam though create a shoe that operates best on road surfaces. Once you get used the ride there is some versatility for gravel and dirt, though this shoe really makes you work the intrinsic muscles of the foot and hip.
Nathan: The GO RUN Ride 11 is a moderately unstable neutral shoe. The foam is very soft and compliant, and the lack of structure to counteract this was notable. There is minimal sole flaring, the waist narrows a bit in the midfoot, and the plate is isolated to the forefoot. The only thing helping, which they should definitely keep, is the thicker, full-contact outsole. I typically do not need stability built into my shoes, but there have been a few shoes where rearfoot instability have led to regular irritation of my foot and stabilizing muscle of the ankle. Those shoes were the Endorphin Speed 1/2 and now the GO RUN Ride 11. I would get sharp pains through the arch of my foot for the first mile until I would adjust my running and then afterward would get soreness on the outside of my ankles. I say this because if you did fine in the Endorphin Speed 1/2, you may do just fine in this model. However, it is also worth considering your specific needs for structure, particularly in the heel, before getting this shoe for a daily trainer.
Thoughts as a DPT: Proprioception: A Balancing Act
By David Salas
There are a lot of things that go into our biomechanics. One of the big things is proprioception. Proprioception is essentially our joints awareness of where it is in space. All of our joints have these special nerve endings that provide feedback for our brain to help with decision making and adjusting. One of the things our proprioceptors feed off of most is contact and touch. When we are firmly grounded we can feel our surroundings and make accurate decisions easier. When we add a foam underneath us (in some cases a balance pad) this makes us work much harder at the foot/ankle, knee, and hip. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as highly cushioned foams can actually help some with force attenuation.
With this in mind it is important to look into what helps with improving connectivity of the joint, surface, and brain connection. In a shoe this means making that initial contact those early stance phases as smooth as possible so we can make accurate decisions as we transfer into the forefoot. Some things that anecdotally can help with this include posterior lateral heel bevels, sidewalls, and sole flaring. Even if our foot does what it wants in a shoe, having something physical it touches can still help with a sense of guidance and change the interaction moving into the forefoot. With a shoe as soft as the Skechers GO RUN Ride 11, it is of the utmost importance to look into the little things to enhance a smooth experience through the rearfoot and midfoot.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: The Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 is solid training shoe for those that like softer offerings. I do feel it could benefit from a little more stability through the heel and midfoot. This could either be done by extending the plate, or by integrating more sidewalls into the midsole/upper integration to help with some guidance.
Nathan: I think this shoe has a lot of potential and I enjoy the overall foam feel. As David said, the biggest issue is stability and the second is forefoot space. For stability, you could take a page out of the Endorphin Speed book and add winglet plates into the midfoot and heel. Otherwise widening the midfoot and adding some sidewalls could help as well. Finally, I'd open of the early phase of the toe box to accommodate more foot types.
WHO THIS SHOE IS FOR
David: The Skechers GO RUN Ride 11 is a neutral daily training shoe for those who want a softer ride with a little bounce through the forefoot. The HYPER BURST ICE is definitely the softest foam offered from Skechers so far. The shoe has a balanced rocker profile and a thick outsole underfoot. I find this best at daily paces or slight uptempo paces. I definitely lean more towards road running in this shoe, but it does have some versatility into gravel and well-groomed dirt. This is a soft mileage workhorse.
Nathan: We often talk about how shoe rotations may contribute to injury prevention. If you're someone who really enjoys soft, plush shoes, this could be one shoe to add to your rotation. It would fill a space with very soft foam, and a unique rearfoot geometry that may alter your loading a bit. Then you could pair it with something more traditional like an New Balance 880, Brooks Ghost, or Saucony Ride. Those models have more of a flat rocker in comparison and are firmer. This would give varied loading to your body when running. That said, you have to be able to handle how soft this shoe is.
My take: if you like HYPER BURST overall and want that in a plush package, maybe wait until they refine the geometry a bit so that you can get an even better version.
GRADING
David
Fit: B+/A- (Good fit throughout with moderate dimensions. Upper is plush. I do feel sidewall integration could help with some stability and forward guidance.)
Performance: B+ (A soft training shoe with balanced transitions. A little off with turns or multi terrain. It does have some uptempo potential.)
Stability: C+/B- (HYPERBURST ICE is very soft. The forefoot seems to stabilize it decently, though the heel and midfoot are far from stable. Better sidewalls, a full length plate, or even a posterior lateral bevel could help with that transition.)
DPT/Footwear Science: B (A decent progression of the training line with a much softer foam. Some work can still be done with the rearfoot.)
Personal: B (This certainly is not a bad shoe. I actually quite enjoy it. I really only use it on roads though due to the instability.)
Overall: B (A good training shoe for those wanting a soft and plush experience and don't mind sacrificing some stability)
Nathan
Fit: B (Too narrow in toe box (vamp near the MTP joints), a bit thick, otherwise good)
Performance: B (Heavy in midfoot and odd heel for some, very nice toe off)
Stability: C (A bit unstable, particularly in the heel or midfoot)
DPT/Footwear Science: C (Components are there, but they missed the mark on how to best integrate this very soft foam. Could be special in the future)
Personal: D+ (Soreness on runs obviously makes it hard to grade well. But I do enjoy the foam feel and look forward to trying again, or maybe just getting stronger myself)
Overall: C+
SHOP | SUPPORT DORSkechers GO RUN Ride 11Price: $119.95 at Running Warehouse
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