ASICS - GLIDERIDE MAX 2

Take a look at the new glideride max 2 from asics. Lots of stack, good rocker and a new upper that mimics the SB2. I grabbed one thinking maybe an easy day shoe and find it a great daily and long shoe as well.

I just bought the ASICS glide ride max 2. It has a fairly large rocker in the fore foot. Tall dual foam midsole with a plastic plate between the layers. It’s not mushy soft, but has a huge depth of cushion. To me it feels stable/neutral.

I have the 22’s. Walking the heel feels loose, but running it is fine for me. Also, it fits me true to size. It’s not my favorite shoe. I like the 1080’s better, the asics glide ride max 2 better as well. The 22 is stable and well cushioned, but feels a bit stodgy. Like even bigger and heavier than it already is.

Asics Megablast and Superblast are sub favourites and for good reason. At a lower price point, the Asics GlideRide Max 2 (and 1 on discount) is overlooked. Great shoe, very similar in (firm) cushion to the SB2, but with a plate and strong rocker. Nice turnover when you settle into a pace, even for 30km+ long runs during marathon blocks. Others swear by the Puma MagMax Nitro 2 for long runs.

An alternative to the Superblast are the GlideRide Max 2. Very similar upper and firm (protective) cushioning. But the GRM2 is a much smaller feeling shoe with a strong rocker. Pretty stable too. Especially for moderate paces, I find them a lot easier to turnover than the Superblast (which feels like a much larger shoe, due to larger heel volume and being less rockered).

Big fan of these and agreeing with your observations. I'm approaching 250km on mine, since getting them around the start of the year. In my marathon block I've taken them all the way up to 30km and they absolutely vanish underfoot as you settle into a rhythm. They are on the firm side and energy return is mediocre, while also being plated, so this shoe isn't for everyone/every use case. But for their purpose, imho, they are phenomenal. Price is a little higher, but then again I like these significantly more than my Novablast, for example.

Honestly, for a 3h half, I'd use the Superblast you got. They are exceptional shoes for heavier runners. Especially when you tire out, you'll appreciate the stability and protective cushioning. In contrast, a softer shoe typically demand more from your stabilising muscles. On tired legs, with your form going out the window, that's not a winning combination. As a heavier runner, you also risk a shoe bottoming out after some time, if the cushioning isn't enduring enough. Imho, softer cushioning is very tempting, but can be deceiving. E.g.: * My Neo Vista 2 feels like a leather couch, but it demands focus to not roll an ankle in a tight turn. The shock absorption is fantastic, but it's a better shoe for easy days than for the tired end of a race, pushing. * One of my other long run shoes is the Asics GlideRide Max 2. It's a pretty firm ride, very similar to the Superblast. After a few runs on softer shoes, it feels initially harsher to run in, but as I settle into a pace, that goes away. I need to work a lot less to keep my form clean and my stabilising muscles remain reasonably fresh. Recently did a 30km long run for marathon prep and my legs felt as fresh as they could be after a long steady effort.

I have all of these shoes and agree with you 💯. Glideride max2 is a hidden gem. Puma magmax nitro 2'is great for the price. And yeah megablast is just a fantastic shoe. You can't go wrong with any of these.

For me, my daily trainer is my recovery shoe. It's usually a shoe that I bought for something else or got on sale or a distance trainer that is about used up. Nothing special. Just getting in some miles. (Waverider 28, Vomero 17, Triumph 20) I have a lighter, generally firmer shoe for interval day (VO2 max) (Hyperion Max, Noosa Tri) I use a plusher shoe with more rocker for tempo/threshold day (Hyperion Max 2) Long run is a comfy, very plush shoe with decent energy return. (Balos, Glideride Max 2) At least that's the thought.

I have the Glideride Max 2. It is not soft. It does have a huge depth of cushion. I could probably run with someone on my back and not bottom them out. Maybe even after jumping off the roof of my garage. It has a large forefoot rocker and a lot of toe spring. In general, it's pretty stable and surprisingly light for the stack height.

I understand. The 2's are actually pretty different than the original Glideride Max. They are not soft in comparison to most shoes. Much firmer than the Vomero 17 for example. Of the ridiculous number of shoes that I run in they feel the most similar to the Mizuno Waverider 28. I do like them better than the waveriders. The midsole foam is more responsive.

Don't get me wrong. It's a good shoe. I ran 8 miles in them this morning. Very nice.

Superblast 2 and glideride max 2 are my current shoes

It’s not just that you’re taking the measurement too literally, it’s that you’re taking one single measurement (done by a machine, which may or may not match your perception of the same aspect of the shoe, especially within context of a stride), and ignoring the multitude of other things that factor into the rise of the shoe. You’re completely ignoring the massive rocker and toe spring-which facilitate turnover in a big way. The way the foam (of the same measured softness) feels within the stride of a heavily rockered, extremely stiff shoe vs a traditional shoe is totally different. And almost irrelevant. You don’t have to buy this shoe, and not everyone even likes or gets along with shoes with such a stiff and significant rocker/toe spring. But if you do, that’s the part of this shoe that drives the ride. Not the foam softness. It’s much more comparable to endorphin shift, glycerin max or a higher stack evo ride than the SL2. If you’re happy with the SL2 and there’s no arguing it’s a great all rounder for the price, then stick with that. This is a very different experience. Even with the same foam softness.

I love this shoe as someone that can’t do the 10m drop. It’s like a recovery lite ride. It rolls so well and stays out of your way. I’m a very light older female and don’t always want a huge hunk of foam. My favorite shoe is the Neo zen 1 so this shoe goes nicely with it in my rotation.

Glideride Max 2. This shoe is both a recovery a lateral stability ( not a stability shoe with stability structures) and it has such a nice rocker and bounce I really feel like it’s two shoes in one. Nobody talks about this shoe but it’s worth a try. If you want a dedicated tempo, Asics has the hyperspeed. It’s a low stack close to the ground type running shoe.

People sleep on two amazing ASICS shoes: Noosa Tri 16 and Glideride max all because ASICS tend to send reviewers the Novablast and the Nimbus. I personally like Noosa better than the Novablast (even though I enjoy Novablast 5 too) and Glideride Max much better than the Nimbus. The third great Asics shoe nobody talks about is Hyperspeed 4/5. I do not own this shoe because I think it's time Asics made those with a race foam so it'll be an Adios 9 killer.

ASICS is really creating so many “rotation killer” shoes. Like the Mega/Superblast, the Glideride Max 2, and now the Magic Speed 5

It’s a rotation killer for people with >2 shoes in their rotation. It can handle all the bases from recovery to aerobic really well. It’s not a one shoe rotation shoe like the megablast, but pair the Glideride max with something like the magic speed and even people who like big shoe rotations might just opt for 2-3 shoes because of how many bases the Glideride covers. I’ve really enjoyed the Glideride recently, and I highly recommend it

People sleep on this shoe, but the Glideride Max 2 is phenomenal, better than the nimbus in my opinion

Hey yall, I’ve put a solid 100 miles into this shoe in 3 months, so I feel I got a good enough feel for this shoe to give a good review. Photos 1-3 were taken around 70 miles, last photo shows wear after 100 miles. About Me: I am a 17M 6’2 145-150lb (188cm, 65-67kg) high school cross country/track and field athlete with D1/2 college aspirations. Typically I run 50 miles per week (80 km). My PRs are as follows: 1:59 for the 800, 4:27 1600, 16:03 XC 5k. My foot strike varies on how I’m feeling, sometimes I’ll get an energetic forefoot strike going on a good day, but most of the time I’m heel/midfoot striker. Current Rotation: Easy days: Glideride Max 2s. Aerobic/long runs: Megablasts. Daily Trainer: Velocity Nitro 4. Intervals: Fast-R 3. Use case: I purchased these guys for 20% off at my local running store to replace my Asics Nimbus 27 for easy/recovery runs. Typical run in these shoes is around 5 miles plus strides. Easy pace is 8:30-7:45 per mile, and strides usually <4 minutes a mile pace. Farthest I’ve taken these shoes is a 9 mile aerobic run. Upper: This is a well done upper, ASICS did a great job with this. It has ample cushioning in the heel and younger, but a nice, thinner upper material that hasn’t caused any rubbing or discomforts for me. The fit is great, less roomy than the Nimbus but still plenty, more vertical room though. I used a runners loop, but that’s standard for me as I tend to get heel slip in all of my running shoes. In summary, the upper is lightweight while still being very comfortable. Also the laces in these are great! Nice length, plenty for a runners loop, and they aren’t soft and stretchy, ASICS sometimes struggles on this front but they got some good laces here. Midsole: The FF Blast Max/+ combination works great! The FF Blast + is definitely tuned firmer than it is in the nimbus, but it’s not brick like. You get most of the squish from the FF Blast Max, which combined with the EVA plate and firmer EVA bottom midsole layer, creates a firmer feeling ride. What makes the ride of this shoe so good is the combination of the firmer foam with a smooth rocker that allow you to, as the name suggests, glide across the pavement. It makes keeping a nice turnover easy, and keeps easy running nice and relaxed as you don’t have to worry about keeping your rate, like I felt in the Nimbus(more on that later). It does take a run or two to get fully used to the rocker,it’s very noticeable, as my first run I took a lot faster in these than I normally go for my easy runs, but as I got used to it I learned to control it. Once you get acclimated to it, the shoe just disappears on foot and it doesn’t feel like you are falling of a cliff or anything. In summary, this shoe has a great smooth rocker to keep you gliding along and ticking away easy miles with a firmer midsole feel. This shoe is more “geometry focused” than “midsole focused” as the midsole itself is nothing special, it does not provide any crazy bounce, just a predictable and reliable underfoot feel that never lets you down (but not in a boring Brooks Ghost typa way). Outsole: No problems with the outsole so far. It’s been reliable across all surfaces, grass, gravel, and wet, but this shoe mostly is used on sidewalk and asphalt. I’d say the Nimbus has more bite to the outsole, but no problems or early wear with this so far. Why I believe this is better than the Nimbus: Disclaimer, I have not run or tried out the new Nimbus 28, so I cannot offer comparisons to that shoe. Yowana described this as a “high mileage version of the nimbus” or something along those lines and I agree with him. It works great for your easy days on tired legs, helping your legs keep a nice rate without the pillowy soft squish that really only absorbs impact and doesn’t give much back. The Nimbus was an enjoyable easy day shoe for me, but sometimes felt too bulky and the foam too soft without much rebound to it. The Glideride gives you more assistance and doesn’t drag you down. However where I believe the nimbus shines is in true recovery efforts, as it’ll keep you slow, and the soft cushion is nice sometimes. But due to the ride and how lightweight the Glideride is, I much prefer it for my easy days. Additionally the Glideride is much more versatile, as I can take this up for my Aerobic paces but I prefer the Megablast for that. Pros: \-Reliable ride that will always deliver on your easy runs and help you keep a solid pace on account of its light weight and rocker \-Super smooth ride, the heel bevel, rocker, and EVA plate help you glide down the pavement and tick down the miles. \-More versatile than other easy day shoes. This thing can handle aerobic paces quite nicely, especially compared to its competition like the Nimbus, Triumph, and even the Glizzy Max. \-No compromises on the upper or outsole, both are very reliable and well made. \-A lot lighter than its competitors, that contributes a lot to its versatility and fun factor. Cons: \-Midsole could be a bit firm and uninspiring for some. If you want a super bouncy shoe with an exciting underfoot feel for your daily runs, go buy the RAD UFO or smthn like that. \-The rocker may alienate some runners, it is a little controlling and may not agree with some runners \-Not ideal for faster paces. This is no EVO SL, this shoe tops off at aerobic, zone 3, pace, I wouldn’t take this for tempos or workouts. \-Pricing may be a bit high. 170 USD at retail puts it close with shoes like the Superblast and other high tech trainers that some runners would be tempted to fork over the extra 30-50 bucks for that extra tech. 170 is too high for a zone 2 king, that puts this shoe up against the Endorphin Speed 5 and other shoes that offer more tech at the same price point. Even below 170, there’s the Endorphin Azura and EVO SL offering more versatile packages and a full race foam midsole, no dual density with EVA. Conclusion: The Glideride Max 2 is a great choice for runners looking for a shoe for clipping away at easy paced miles, especially if you are doing higher mileage. I believe this shoe is criminally underrated, as it provides a unique firmer (while not being a brick like the Saucony Triumph) but nicely rockered ride for easy running. I struggle to find any major cons for this shoe, It’s just overall great and reliable!

I’ve done sprints, strides, and wickets on the track, and it’s felt serviceable for that purpose. Pretty good for a easy day shoe, it’s lightweight which makes it not too hard to turnover