This is a max-cushion running shoe disguised as a daily trainer or workhouse shoe. It’s versatile, has a max-cushion feel, a lot of padding, and an unexpected energy return.
Introduction
The Skechers brand isn’t a runners’ favorite, and to be honest, I’ve never looked at Skechers running shoes. With so many experienced runners appraising the Skechers GORUN Ride 11, I had to try them, and I was truly surprised by how good they felt on daily and recovery runs.
I did all types of runs with the Ride 11 and already logged more than 100 km (62 mi) with them.
Stats
Upper
The Skechers Ride 11 features an engineered mesh upper that doesn’t feel to be very breathable and it’s a little bit warm. Contributing to this is the amount of padding that this shoe has. I have max-cushion shoes with less padding than the Ride 11! So, this shoe feels best for colder days, but I had no issues running with them on hot days. It’s just not the best shoe for that.
The toe-box is roomy so wide feet will also get the necessary comfort while running with the Ride 11. The toe-box lining is made of a comfortable fabric, but I’ve seen better ones on top max-cushion shoes (again, this is not a max-cushion shoe). The luxurious comfort we get from this shoe is, in part, due to the plush tongue. It has more padding than the regular daily trainer, but don’t worry because it’s not an extremely padded tongue. I am not a big fan of super padded tongues, but I did enjoy the comfort that I get from this one. Despite not being a gusseted tongue, it nicely wraps and hugs the foot, helping to keep it in place, but also has a loop to fix the laces, so you will get no undesired tongue movement.
The laces are elastic, contributing to the overall comfort, and no matter how much pressure you put on the laces, I don’t think that you feel any lice bite with this shoe!
Moving to the back of the shoe, the heel counter has some rigidity that contributes to the overall fit and it will also give extra support for the ones that need it. The heel collar is very well padded and in fact, all the heel and ankle areas are very well padded. We also get a heel loop, but it’s too low to be helpful (for me at least).
Before closing the upper chapter, I need to mention the insole. The Ride 11 insole is one of the most comfortable insoles I have tried. It reminds me of the Ortholite insole that the Hoka Clifton 8 had (not the 9 though), but is even more comfortable, has patented technology, and is certified by podiatrists.
The Arch-Fit technology means that the insole has great arch support. You can see it and you can feel it, especially if you have low arches. But, if you don’t mind the extra pressure in the arches, you’ll get nice support from this shoe for those days when you feel that you need it. Besides the extra support, this insole also wraps your foot and adds one more layer of cushioning, reducing the impact and distributing that impact energy to the entire insole.
Midsole
The Ride 11 Hyper Burst Ice foam is what this shoe is all about. This is a dual-density EVA foam with a softer inner core that has CO2 injected by a supercritical process.
The midsole feels soft and resilient, and it compresses quite well and decompresses quickly, giving us a good amount of energy return, more than you would expect!
The midsole also features an “H” shape plate that has infused carbon, so… it’s not a carbon plate. This plate is present to add more stability to this high-stack soft foam and also to contribute to quicker transitions. Because of this high-stack soft foam, we might lose some versatility and speed, but the plate is there so that the foot doesn’t sink too much and gives us more agility in our stride.
The foam felt softer after the first 20 km (12 mi) but it also lost some pop. So, the break-in period doesn't seem to improve the foam.
Outsole
The outsole has strategically placed Good Year rubber, with good coverage on the forefoot and the only the needed on the heel.
I am very pleased with this rubber on dry pavement and I did try to find its limits! I will say that it’s on the same level as PumaGrip and Continental. On the wet, it didn't give me the same confidence that I have with PumaGrip, but I never had any issues. It just didn't feel as grippy.
With more than 100 km (62 mi), I see minimal wear on the rubber so I expected it to last up to 800 km (500 mi).
Fit
With this much padding, it's not easy to get a 100% secure lockdown and I didn't manage to get it, even after applying more pressure to the laces. Nevertheless, I got a good lockdown for a daily trainer. No issues here.
The fit is true to size if you consider the shoe length in centimeters, but pay attention to the size equivalence between regions. The US Skechers site states that 45EU = 11US = 29cm. The Portuguese site doesn’t have a size guide and I ordered the 45EU. What I got was 11.5US / 29.5cm, and this is half number above my regular size.
Ride
I was truly surprised by the level of sensations the Ride 11 gave me. I got a high comfort and cushioning level, and a good amount of energy return in every run, no matter the pace. This is indeed a well-balanced shoe for those who prefer comfort over speed.
Even on the slow runs, I felt the foam compressing and decompressing and this is what is giving it the great energy return.
The foam is somewhat dense so the ride is soft, but not the softest you will find. This makes the midsole more versatile and it handles different paces very well, even quicker ones.
This versatility is also due to the carbon-infused plate, that has an ‘H’ format. It’s not a rigid plate and its presence is not noticeable. But my conviction is that if the plate didn’t exist, the forefoot would think too much and with that, the toe-off and turnover would not be that great.
The Ride 11 is a little bit heavier than other daily trainers and you feel it on the ride, but it’s not that noticeable because the weight is very well balanced between the heel and the forefoot.
Now, some things I didn’t like or appreciate.
The comfy insole with its Arch-Fit technology is great if you have medium to high arches and if you appreciate that extra support. But if you have low arches or flat feet, like me, then the Arch-Fit might be too much for you. This doesn’t cause me any issues on my daily runs, but for this review I ran every day with the Ride 11 and, after some days, I was feeling some unpleasant pressure on my arches. Also, in the long runs, that pressure also shows up. But it’s only that, pressure. I felt no hotspots and it didn’t cause me any blisters.
So, with this, the Ride 11 seems to be a great neutral shoe for those who have a small degree of pronation.
Another issue I had with the Ride 11 is that they are too comfortable! I can feel my heel being absorbed by the shoe's softness, especially due to the super comfortable insole, and despite this feeling being great for recovery and daily runs, it’s not what I am looking for on long runs because this softness will tire me after some time.
Value
The Skechers Ride 11 retails for $120 or 145€ and its value strongly relates to the use one gives it.
For a daily trainer, the Ride 11 is not the cheapest. In Europe I can get the Hoka Clifton 9, the New Balance Propel V4, and the Puma Velocity Nitro 2 for less.
But if you see the Ride 11 as a max-cushion shoe, and you can (I have max-cushion shoes with less cushion and padding), then this is a cheap max-cushion shoe.
Verdict
Despite the arch issue, I enjoyed all my runs with the Ride 11. They’re fun, comfortable, bouncy, protective and the price is competitive.
The Skechers GONRUN Ride 11 can be your running shoe for recovery and daily runs. For a 2-shoe rotation, I would add the Adidas Boston 12 to give you a firmer shoe and firmer experience for speed work and races. For a 3-shoe rotation, I would add a plated shoe with comfort to match the Ride 11, like the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 2. I would only add one more shoe to the rotation if you run +25K (16 mi) long runs. And for this, my top pick is the Saucony Triumph 21.
If you need help building your running shoe rotation, check out this post.
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If you're interested in buying the Skechers Ride 11, follow the links below:
- US: Road Runner Sports
- EU: Top4Running - Code "allaboutrunning" for an additional 5% discount.
- UK: SportsShoes.com
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Portuguese-speaking readers, I have this same content in video format here (video below). Visit my YouTube channel.
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