Salomon Sense Ride - a review?
30.8.2018
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Manuel Wenk
Get out of the city. Take a deep breath. I leave the tarmac behind me and venture out on my first trail run. The Morteratsch glacier in front of me, the Sense Ride from Salomon on my feet. This is an attempt at a review with a slight lack of oxygen.
I'm in the Engadin and have arranged to go trail running with the 2012 British Olympic athlete Julia Bleasdale. More on this shortly in the "Patrick does sport with ..." section. At the same time, I'm testing the "Sense Ride" from Salomon.
When is a trail a trail?
Simply put, a trail run is a run away from tarmac roads. According to this definition, jogging on a forest path is considered trail running. At home, I usually run on tarmac, gravel or forest paths. But that doesn't mean I consider myself a trail runner. On the contrary. I would even say that I have never run a real trail to this day. So if you are an ultra runner who regularly runs 100 or more kilometres in the high mountains, you won't learn anything new here. Maybe you'll just go for a run in the meantime? For everyone else: Let's get going.
Must ... breathe ...
Running at almost 2000 metres above sea level feels strange somehow. It's easier at the start than in the lowlands. Must be the lower air resistance! I get a bit euphoric after just a few metres and feel like I can fly. "Today I'm going to break all my PBs and on a trail to boot," I say, my head buzzing with oxygen. And then the air in my lungs suddenly becomes thin. Bang! Stop and breathe.
Eat sleep work repeat
So the whole thing again from the beginning. Only slowly. And don't forget to breathe. And concentrate on your Salomon Sense Ride, Patrick. After all, that's why you're here. You're here to test a trail running shoe and then write a review. Not set personal best times or anything else. Got it? My brain is obviously getting enough oxygen again and is giving me hell. I try to concentrate on my shoes, but I just can't manage it. How do they feel, are they stable, do they provide support? But something is constantly distracting me. Right now it's nature. It's almost kitschy and beautiful here. The trail winds its way up the mountain through small woods and suddenly you have a clear view of the Morteratsch glacier. Wow.
Must ... concentrate ...
I force my thoughts back to the shoes. They are red. "Fuck you ..., there's only half of the glacier left!" My thoughts wander again. But the sight is also really awesome. You can see exactly where the glacier used to be and where it is today. This year's record summer will certainly accelerate the whole melting process even more. If it continues like this, and it probably will, the Morteratsch glacier will disappear in a few years. And not only that. I keep walking. Shoes Patrick, shoes. My brain is pushing again. What significance do shoes have compared to millennia-old ice that simply disappears into thin air in a few years? Exactly. So dear brain, hold your breath and leave me alone. I just want to walk and take in the moment. In the meantime, it's raining and a spicy scent fills my nose. Pine and rosemary.
Was there something?
There are those moments when you're running where you no longer feel yourself in the best sense of the word. Now is one of those moments. Everything is right. I've found my pace, I'm running regularly, I'm wide awake and yet in a trance. Up, down, over stones and roots, on and on. My brain? On standby. I'm in the flow. It feels like an eternity and objectively measured it takes exactly 30 minutes and 24 seconds or 5.2 kilometres. Just the blink of an eye. Then I'm back where I started from.
Conclusion
So, the shoes. Let me put it this way: a good referee is on the pitch, but you don't notice him. He does his job inconspicuously. It's the same with the Sense Ride Trailrunner from Salomon. As I mentioned at the beginning, it was my first time on a real trail. It was wet and slippery. I ran over stones, roots, through mud, up and down. And I felt safe at all times, I never slipped, twisted my ankle or anything else. In short: I didn't feel like I had shoes on my feet. But they were there and did their job.
The people at Salomon know what they're doing. And not just since yesterday. If the price is right, and in my opinion it is, I can't think of any reason not to buy this shoe.
Just one negative thing at the end. Salomon's patented "Quicklace" lacing system is a bit annoying. Maybe it's my lack of fine motor skills, who knows. It looks so easy in the video. For me, however, it's a constant fiddling and fiddling when putting on and taking off my shoes. Simple laces would be perfectly adequate for me. Thank you.
Specifications
- Target group: men
- Weight: 275 grams per shoe
- Spring: 8 millimetres
- Waterproof: no
- Midsole/midsole: EVA
- Outsole: Contagrip®
- Material: mesh
The entire Salomon range at Galaxus
P.S. Back in the lowlands, I continue running and test the "Advanced Skin 12" backpack from Salomon.
The review will follow shortly. Not missing anything? Breathe in, breathe out and follow my author profile.
Header image: Trail running in the Alps
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
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