Saucony - Endorphin Rift

Easy gravel and non-technical terrain they are fine but the Rift seems to run shorter than the same size in all my other Saucony shoes. My toes are constantly hitting the front of the shoes.

I have well over 200 miles in my pair, including many 20-30 mile runs. They were a bit narrower than the Peregrines, which was already snug for me. I thought it needed at least another eyelet for the laces and the one piece tongue and collar had a bit of a sloppy fit. Cranking the laces a bit and heel lock lacing helped. Cushioning-wise, felt somewhere between the Peregrine and Xodus Ultra 2. Underfoot protection from rocks was adequate. Traction was good and I liked that there was a lot of outsole material since I had a tendency to lose some outsole chunks in the Rifts, Xodus, and Endorphin Edge. Overall, I thought they were solid and I wish there was an update to address some of the common weak areas people pointed out. Currently running in the Nnormal Tomir 2.

I have >200 miles in my Nnormal Tomir 2s, spanning short steep runs to 20 mile runs with >5,000 feet of climbing at altitude. Previously ran in Saucony Xodus Ultra, Endorphin Edge, and Endorphin (g)rift. Traction and durability on the Tomir 2 are great. They are on the firm side, even with the mileage I put on them so far, and lean on fast feeling given my previous shoes. I would want more underfoot cushioning for anything beyond a marathon or 50K. To me, these are medium generalist leaning shoes, great for racking up miles and training. Fit was a touch too narrow at first, I have wide feet. Took around 50 miles for the insole to pack down and the upper to stretch and flex a bit. Fits comfortably snug now. For the long stuff I am using the Mount to Coast T1. Comfortable fit for my toes, good underfoot cushioning, yet light and fast enough that I don't feel like I'm working too hard when running uphill or picking up the pace. I have ~80 miles on them so far, really just a few long runs, they're great. Durability looks good but need to take them out to at least 200 to say more. If these still look good after 300 miles I would switch completely to them and not get another pair of the Tomir 2s.

I found some of the complains pretty valid. The midfoot is a little loosey goosey and the lacing makes a comfortable lock down tricky to achieve. With that said, I quite liked them. Great foam, weight, subtle rocker. Not too tippy in technical terrain. I did the first 65 or so miles of a 100 in them and my feet were in great shape. Oh, and definitely a nice gravel road shoe. I'm actually still using them (\~400 miles) and the upper has held up much better than both pairs of the Peregrines I've had.

I have tried GoreTex and Seal Skinz and found that shoes or socks that have a membrane end up just as wet by the end of the run because my feet get all sweaty and maybe even heavier because they don't drain for shit. As far as brands go, here is a quick review NNormal (Tomir) started falling apart after 30km. Not impressed with fit, look or durability. Hoka: SG4 fantastic shoe, had 3 pair SG 5, never felt stable in my foot ran maybe 20km before I retired them to leisure shoe. Tecton/x V1 and V2 Super comfortable shoes, dog shit in the mud but I love them on the dry days. V3 blew apart in the forefoot after only two runs. I fixed them but they are not super stable either... we see how much I end up using them in the future. Altra: Lone Peak and Olympus...meh OnClouds went straight to goodwill, Saucony: Peregeine / Endorphin Rift again not impressed with durability and no good for mud and wet roots. Speedland: GL-PDX I looove them, just yesterday I was heading up the mtn and caught my foot on some hidden rebar, this would have destroyed the toe on any other pair of shoes that I own and I was sure I would look down and see a hole... nope, not even a mark. I am greatly impressed. They drain well and have nice traction as good or better than Vibram. GS:RAR Initial impression is that they fit well and after some minor adjustments to lugs are comfortable to run in on the treadmill, nothing outside yet as I will use them in the snow with crampons and in the summer. when it is dry. No experience with Norda, I don't like how they look imo Keep in mind that wool insulates even when wet and if you are going in a long run maybe bring a dry pair along for a pit stop ✅ I recommend this over membranes any day. For reference I run in Southwest Norway where we get around 300 days of rain yearly. Happy Trails 🤙🏼

The Saucony Xodus has a pretty high stack, and the PWRRUN PB is definitely a super foam. Version 4 is set to release in a couple of months with significant upgrades over the previous model—most notably, a Vibram outsole ([Saucony Xodus Ultra 4 First Look](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klJoS7fwkJk)) Personally, I’m planning to grab a pair as soon as they drop and use them for all my summer 25 races. My Merrell Agility Peak 5s from last summer have flattened out, so it’s time for an upgrade!

if you are in asics n like asics fit, maybe Fuji n Trabuco also something you should look into. for my light gravel, i have Novablast3 TR, n sometimes also got away with Adizero SL2. but my long distance trail shoes are Torrent2, Speedgoat5, XodusUltra2 n just newly acquired EndorphinRift. among my lineup, SG5 probably overkill for something under 30km. for Salomon, most reviewer would highlight about its narrowness. take note

I have done the same thing and have tried out very many shoes. One of my favorites have been Inov8 TrailFly 300, but in wet conditions it lack grip on hard surfaces. I also like Saucony Endorphin Rift for its midsole but I get blisters on the side of my heels. At the moment the Tecton x3 is my favorite for long runs but the upper lacks support so it is not that good on technical terrain. Brooks Cascadia is such a joy to run but I would not take it past 30k. On Monday the mailman will deliver a couple of new candidates namely The North Face Enduris 4 and the Vectiv Pro 3. Maybe one of them is the holy grail or maybe such a shoe doesn’t exist.

To me they are something in between. I bought them a Tuesday, ran 8 k in them on Wednesday and then on Saturday I started out in them on a 100k. I ended up doing 70k in them before swapping to another pair of shoes. I have 340k on them now and still like them. The midsole is wonderful and they are fast. And they are plenty wide for my feet and that is not that common. But I am not that impressed with the grip on wet rocks. And the worst part for me is that I get blisters on the side of my heels. The minimalistic padding somehow seems to start rubbing after a (long) while. I would like to see the upper a bit more supporting, the padding redesigned and vibram soles.

I like Tecton x3 and Saucony Endorphin Rift though both could use more support in the upper. La Sportive Prodigio Pro are in the mail so I hope they will be perfect

La Sportiva Prodigio Pro has both rebound and grip. Saucony Rift has good grip on softer surfaces and ok grip on harder surfaces. If it is not too technical then Tecton x3 is also a great choice for running comfortably over long distances. In the near future I will be testing SpeedLand GS TMT and as always hope for the holy grail.

It depends on the trail itself. If there is any wet surfaces I go with a Vibram MegaGrip option. For me, Merrell Long Sky 2 Matryx. If no wet surfaces I go for comfort which is the Saucony Endorphin Rift. Either way, it has a rock plate for any technical trails with jagged rocks.

Out here in AZ and I find the Saucony Endorphin Rift to be an amazing shoe! I have been searching long and wide and hope they continue the line

I love them! I have been looking for a solid trail shoe for years and everything came up short until the rift. I wear the same 9.5 I do for all my Saucony shoes and don’t have any of the problem with lockdown, rubbing or blisters. What I like best is I don’t think about them when I’m running - put em on and focus on my run and not my shoe…awesome. I run in southern AZ so deal with a lot of rock and scree -pretty technical at times and need something with enough cushion but not some unstable moon boot where I can’t feel the trail at all. The Rift is great in this regard. I can’t talk much about grip on wet rocks or the peaty trails of the northwest but for a desert shoe, I think it’s fantastic. I hope they come out with an updated version.

I've only put \~50mi on my pair and I'm kind of mixed on them. I agree with others that the mid-sole and weight are nice. Grip is, I believe, the same as all other Saucony trail runners. Generally good enough for most trails, but really not great on wet, slimy rocks. Sizing seems weird. My impression is that they run larger than my other Saucony shoes, but I have lockdown issues and feel like my toes and moving around and hitting the front more than my Xodus Ultra 1's in the same size (as an example). I picked up two pairs for cheap and was planning on using them as my racing shoe, but I'm a little nervous about it now. In my mind I categorized them as analogous to a trail version of the Endorphin Speed and that's fairly accurate although they're obviously a bit heavier and have a less aggressive rocker. My big issue with them is that they rub against the back of my ankle and I've gotten blisters each time I wear them, even when my sock is covering the spot.