Article by John Tribbia and Michael Ellenberger
Salomon Running Aero Volt ($150)
Introduction
The Salomon Aero Volt is a lightweight daily trainer that is designed for both easy paces and fast paces. It is made with a unique mesh construction that provides breathability and a plush, comfortable fit. The shoe also features Energy Foam cushioning, which Salomon designed to provide a soft and responsive ride.
Pros:
Lightweight and bouncy: John, Michael
Upper material is as breathable as it gets: Michael
Versatile for long, short, fast, slow: John
Predicted durability: Michael
Cons:
Laces are exceptionally long and get in the way: John, Michael
Sloppier fit with bunched tongue: John, Michael
Stats
Weight: men's 7.5 oz / 213g (US9) :: women's 6.56 oz / 186g
Stack Height: men’s 32mm heel / 24mm forefoot ( 8mm drop spec)
$150 Available now.
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
John: The fit of the Aero Volt is true to size. The upper uses a SensiFit construction, which wraps around the foot and provides support and lockdown without being too constricting. The laces are really long. Like really long. I don’t really know why they needed so much lace, but I ended up cutting them shorter. They are thin and non-abrasive, which does help to prevent blisters.
The laces are long and come close to dragging on the ground even after tucking them into the front lacing. I trimmed them down.
The tongue of the Aero Volt is padded at the top but not gusseted. I noticed the tongue didn’t stay in place very well and the thin mesh upper material at the base of the tongue was constantly bunching. Overall, with my slightly narrow foot I find the fit of the Aero Volt to be a reasonably snug, comfortable fit. The shoe is really light weight and it is almost confusing that this would be considered a daily trainer. In my first run, I tried an uphill varied pace run and felt like it performed really well at any pace.
Michael: I similarly found the Aero Volt true-to-size in my US 8.5; if you’re between sizes, I’d likely go down, owing to the upper/lacing bunching “issue” that John identified. I didn’t find it quite problematic, but aesthetically it can look a little silly to have the eyelets and tongue close together, especially with the extra long laces pouring out the sides. I didn’t take the step of cutting mine down (yet!), but did tuck them in. It’s hardly a deal-breaker, but it is one of those why-wasn’t-this-caught-earlier things.
The upper itself, though, is awesome - super thin, but still structured. It reminds me of the old Nike Lanang or Mamba spikes of my high-school and college days (I don’t know if the same material is still being used; I think Flyknit and Vaporweave have taken its place in the spikes).
If you went puddle-hopping (which our current drought has prevented me from doing), I think you’d drain awfully fast. For warm or hot runs, these perform superbly. With a thin and light pair of socks, you won’t be bothered by the hottest of days. Awesome.
Midsole
John: The Salomon Aero Volt midsole is a lightweight, responsive foam that provides a comfortable and cushioned ride. The foam is made of a proprietary blend of EVA and Olefin, which gives it a unique feel that is both soft and supportive. The Aero Volt midsole seems durable, as I have put over 100 miles on the shoes with no significant drop in performance. The midsole design suggests it is designed for runners who want a lightweight and responsive shoe that provides a comfortable ride. The foam is very responsive, and it provides a lot of energy return. This makes the Aero Volt a great choice for runners who want to go fast and far. I especially like the efficiency and rebound for uphill road running in the Aero.
Michael: Salomon calls this, simply enough, “Energy Foam” and… it’s good! Not as bland as the name might suggest, I really enjoy this as an up-tempo trainer - even without a plate, I think you could cross this comfortably against a Saucony Endorphin Speed or (an even better competitor) Adidas Adizero SL. Like John mentioned, I also think the durability here is going to be exceptional - my pair looked darn near brand new after 60 miles, between midsole and outsole, and if anything they had softened slightly, like a nice pair of jeans, to become even more springy. With the plethora of options we’ve got, I’m not sure I’d turn to these for specific workouts, but for long and/or progressive runs, I think it’s a great call.
Outsole
John: The Salomon Aero Volt outsole is made of Contagrip, which is a durable and grippy rubber that is perfect for a variety of surfaces. The Contagrip outsole provides excellent traction on wet and dry surfaces on the road. Performance on hard packed gravel trails was decent as well. The outsole is also very flexible, which allows it to move with the foot and provide a comfortable ride. Overall it is a no frills, lightweight outsole that helps to keep the shoe feeling light and agile.
Michael: As I mentioned above (and John covered here), there’s nothing to complain about on the outsole here. I didn’t really get a chance to test these in any conditions other than (a) dry and (b) treadmill, but they performed excellently in both. I expect, based on past experiences, that they’ll be perfectly adequate in rainy weather, too. In winter, I’d expect the upper would be more problematic than the outsole.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
John: The Aero Volt has a smooth and comfortable ride. The cushioning absorbs the impact of your foot strike well, and the neutral support does a good job of keeping my foot in place. The shoe also has a flexible midsole with average stack that helps to promote a natural gait. The Aero Volt is an excellent every day, any mileage, any speed, versatile road trainer that can handle some light trail use. While the fit isn’t perfectly dialed and lace length is a bit extreme, I am impressed with comfort and breathability. The midsole offers a solid balance of cushion/absorption while feeling firm, responsive and non abusive on any surface. If you are looking for a do it all lightweight road shoe, look no further.
John’s Score: 9.1 /10
Ride: 9 - Cushioned, predictable, and smooth
Fit: 9 - I like the toe box fit but those long laces are a downer
Value: 9 - Versatile and comfortable all around.
Style: 9 - Sleek look and love the colors
Traction: 9.5 - Nothing to complain about for a road shoe
Smiles Score: 😊😊😊😊
Michael: I’m coming down basically exactly the same as John here, as I have very few negative things to say about the Aero Volt, besides some (largely cosmetic) issues with the lacing.
Salomon has slowly but surely been improving their road-shoe-offerings, and in my opinion, the Volt is the best option yet - it’s a reasonable enough stack to make it an everyday or even recovery day shoe, but it has sufficient pop that you can (and I did) touch marathon pace without much issue.
The standout feature here is the upper, which is extremely thin and breathable, but locks your foot in as well as anything else.
There’s really not a lot to complain about here - Salomon is churning out shoes as good (or better!) than the competition, and I’ll be keeping the Aero Volt on my feet throughout the summer.
Michael: 9.1/10
Smiles Score: 😊😊😊😊
Comparisons
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Salomon S/Lab Phantasm (RTR Review) and Phantasm CF (RTR Review)
John: The Aero Volt is closer in weight to the first Phantasm, but is in the middle of the two. The CF is the most structured and more energetic of the shoes, but the Aero Volt comes very close in comparison. I think the two Phantasms are more for racing efforts, whereas I would take the Aero Volt on daily training runs and would even hop in a 5K or 10K road race. Overall, the Aero Volt is more versatile than the two and I’d prefer it over the Phantasms because I appreciate the Aero Volt smoother ride more than the others.
Adidas Adizero SL (RTR Review)
Michael: This is the shoe that immediately came to mind - an unplated, sort of fast-leaning daily trainer. And as much as I enjoyed the SL… I’d take the Salomon! Yes, the lacing is a little wonkier, but the upper on the Volt is superior, and the ride is a little softer and less plastic-y (for lack of a better term) than I found on the Adidas. Both shoes have supreme durability, which is plenty welcome. You can’t really go wrong, but I’d take the Salomon.
New Balance FuelCell Propel v3
Michael: The NB has a plate, but is a lower-price, sort of entry-level “medium paced” trainer (I don’t know what exactly to call these shoes; it’s not for workouts, but it’s not like the FreshFoam More, either). Anyway - both are good! And for the prices ($110 for the NB, $150 for the Salomon), I think the shoes scale reasonably - the Volt feels like a slightly more premium product, with a firmer but similarly cushioned ride to the Propel. I tend to enjoy firmer shoes for all but recovery runs, and so I’d take the Salomon, but again - two great options!
The Salomon Aero Volt is available now at our partners
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Tester Profiles
John Tribbia (5' 6", 130lbs) is a former sponsored mountain/trail runner who has run with La Sportiva, Brooks/Fleet Feet, Pearl Izumi, and Salomon. Even though he competes less frequently these days, you can still find John enjoying the daily grind of running on any surface, though his favorite terrain is 30-40% grade climbs. He has won races such as America's Uphill, Imogene Pass Run, and the US Skyrunner Vertical Kilometer Series; and he's held several FKTs on several iconic mountains in Boulder, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah. If you follow him on Strava, you'll notice he runs at varying paces between 5 minutes/mile to 12 minutes/mile before the break of dawn almost every day.
Michael is a patent attorney and graduate of Northwestern University Law School. Prior to law school, he competed collegiately at Washington University in St. Louis (10,000m PR of 30:21). Michael’s PRs include a 67:43 half-marathon (Chicago Half-Marathon) and 2:22:18 marathon from the 2022 Chicago Marathon. Michael continues to race on the roads, and is chasing a sub-2:20 marathon and potential OTQ in the future.
Samples were provided at no charge for review purposes.RoadTrail Run has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased via shopping links in this article. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content. The opinions herein are entirely the authors'.
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1 comment:
Hi,
Great review, as usual! Was expecting to see Topo Cyclone 2 in comparisons 😁. How these compares with Cyclone 2? Any thoughts?
Cheers
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