Saucony Tempus ($160)
Introduction
Sam: The Tempus is a light “stability” trainer that upends the usual, tired and often over prescriptive approaches to stability. No posts, no plastic pieces, no over firm foam or overbuilt upper here. Saucony simply used a moderately firm PWRRUN EVA foam to create an external guidance frame running along most of the outer sidewalls and under foot at the outsole but just along the outer edges except at the medial midfoot where it becomes a pad of support at the road.
Diagram: Saucony China
They then filled the frame with PEBA expanded beads PWRRUN PB foam with its responsive rebound. In a neat twist, they kept the PB as the entire midsole at the heel laterally and to a lesser extent medially to provide a soft and rebounding landing.
PB foam as used in Saucony’s Endorphin Speed and Pro and in their new Endorphin Edge is lighter than EVA while providing strong energy return and as a result the high stacked 36.5 heel / 28.5 mm forefoot Tempus weighs a mere 9.03 oz / 266g (US9).
Carrying forward the support and light theme, the upper is thin, dense engineered mesh reminiscent of trail shoe uppers with a single stout overlay on both sides tied into the laces
The Tempus is for sure intriguing, potentially bridging several worlds: support trainer, neutral trainer, high stack max cushion, and super foam powered ride. Let’s see what our testers thought, noting that most as a rule steer clear of “support/stability” type shoes.
Pros:
Good weight/cushion ratio: Renee/Sam/Beto/Ryan/Joost/Derek
Smooth and comfortable ride: Renee/Sam/Beto/Ryan/Joost/Derek
Versatile: Sam/Joost/Derek
Easy riding, unobtrusive and adaptive support, for all runner types & not just “pronators”: Sam/Ryan/Joost/Michael
Firmer EVA frame gently but cleary guides and “hugs” in direction of travel:Sam/Beto
PEBA core softens landings and provides some toe off rebound: Sam/Beto
Recycled upper content is very high: Sam/Ryan/Joost
Shoe feels light on foot: Beto
Firmer EVA guides the foot naturally with a smooth roll forward sensation and a nice rebound from the PWRRUN PB: Beto/Derek
Breathable upper and nice balance between comfort and performance lockdown: Beto, Michael
Good for most types of paces and runs: Joost, Michael/Derek
Cons:
Price: Renee/Sam/Joost/Derek
A bit less vertical medial sidewall would perfect ride for more neutral runners: Sam/Joost/Michael
Bit firmer feel than expected: Beto
Takes a bit of break-in / getting used to: Ryan/Sam/Joost/Michael
Relatively slow ride transition, could use more forefoot snap and pop: Ryan/Sam/Joost
Confusing place in the Saucony lineup (beefed up Kinvara? Toned down Guide?): Joost
Stats
Estimated Weight: men's 9.03 oz / 266g (US9) / women's oz / g (US8)
Samples:
men’s 8.78 oz / 249g (US8.5) 10.4oz / 295g (US12.5) 269g / 9.49 oz (US10) 9.24oz / 262g (US9.5)
women’s 7.83 oz / 221g (US8)
Stack Height: men’s mm 36.5 heel / 28.5 mm forefoot, 8mm drop
Available June 28, 2022. $160
