Article by Sam Winebaum
Salomon Aero Glide 3 ($160)
Introduction
The Aero Glide 3 is a very light, unplated max cushion road trainer. Its key features are a new eTPU based Energy Foam EVO midsole and an upper with no internal stitching. At a stack height of 40mm heel / 32mm forefoot, it is a lot of protective and fun to run yet stable shoe at a weight well under 9 oz.
We recently attended The Running Event and 2025 shoes with eTPU and TPEE foams are clearly the future as these foams are very light compared to EVA and have considerably more energetic rides. In fact, even the former state of the art PEBA type foams pale in comparison to these new foams as we have now tested several such foam shoes such as the upcomingMizuno Mystery 01 as well as many new trail running shoes.
Salomon will expand its use to other models including its trail runners including the upcoming Pulsar and we expect S/Lab shoes as well.
The Aero Glide is joined by the Aero Blaze, with the same foam and with a slightly lower stack and height and by “gravel” versions of both with trail suitable outsoles. Please read on for my full review.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Light at about 8.75 oz / 248g US9 for its substance: max stack height 40mm heel, broad stable platform
Versatile: any pace, any distance handled with lots of spunk, comfort and more than adequate support
Deep and energetic state of the art eTPU cushioning
Light, comfortable upper: smooth fitting innovative seamless interior
Roomy and easy fitting: not an old school Salomon upper
Cons:
Wet traction is below average
- Tongue could wrap better ( there is no gusset) and be more padded for lower volume foot lockdown, thicker socks help
Most comparable shoes
Mizuno Mystery Shoe 01
Topo Specter 2
ASICS Novablast 5
Stats
Sample Weight: men’s 8.5 oz / 242g US8.5
Stack Height: men’s 40 mm heel / 32 mm forefoot ( 8mm drop)
Platform Width: 90 mm heel / 75 mm midfoot / mm 105 forefoot
Available now Europe, February 15, 2025 US
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
The upper is an engineered mesh with an unusual construction as it is essentially assembled from the outside instead of from the inside with internal stitching.
There are no internal potentially irritating seams at the achilles collar with the toe bumper being entirely external.
The mesh is soft and pliable and is of moderate thickness. Its grid pattern should provide good breathability.
The fit is smooth and comfortable with good rear lockdown in a semi rigid heel counter with the stiffening elements external not internal as one usually sees with internal plastic cups and such.
The inside out construction is noticed at both the lightly but adequately padded achilles collars but especially at the toe box. Given the soft pliable mesh up front which has a bit of stretch, I would call the toe box beyond average in volume with no pressures from the external toe bumper noted.
The tongue is also soft and pliable with some padding. It has no gusset. I think it could be more substantial either by adding a gusset, a leatherette type thin material to wrap the foot or be more firmly padded. I have a medium to narrow foot and had to cinch down quite tightly to get a solid midfoot lockdown which led to some lace pressure. I don’t think higher volume feet will experience this as much. All of this said the tongue is literally my only negative for the shoe.
The fit is true to size for me with more than average volume overall.
Midsole & Platform
The midsole is Salomon’s new Energy Foam EVO, a supercritical eTPU foam.
Stacked high at 40mm heel, 32mm forefoot on a broad 90mm heel, the platform tapers to 75mm at midfoot and then broadens to 105mm at the forefoot. When one also takes into consideration the rising rear Active Chassis midsole side walls which help stabilize without getting in the way of transitions, and the deep central cavity well surrounded by rubber on all sides we have a carefully balanced geometry which has assures stable landings, a relatively quick transition, and a quite agile toe off with a snappy if plateless flex. The shoe is and feels light on the run as a result.
The foam feels very energetic in a more responsive snappier way than a bouncy one. This is not an overly soft foam or one with any mushiness or sinking feeling. It is highly shock vibration absorbing and in combination with rest of the geometry makes for a very versatile platform and ride.
Outsole
The outsole is Salomon’s always excellent Contagrip and rings the entire underfoot platform and its central cavity. The black rubber is quite firm adding to the shoe’s response while the center front light gray area is also Contagrip that appears slightly softer. I expect durability to be excellent.
The outsole has good grip on dry surfaces and below average on wet surfaces I think due to the relatively smooth center rubber which lacks the grip profile (and is slightly softer) than the outer black rubber.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
With the all new Aero Glide 3 jumps Salomon into the front pack of light and versatile road trainers with new state of the art eTPU/ TPEE foams here with its Energy Foam EVO midsole. We will soon forget "classic" PEBA and EVA blends with these new super pleasing and fast and light foams.
The Aero’s midsole and geometry delivers a versatile, and energetic ride. I ran the Glide for recovery runs, daily runs and for moderate uptempo efforts. They felt best at faster daily training paces.
My only recommendation for improvement is for more midfoot wrap/tongue substance over the very top of the foot to avoid having to over tighten (and get some lace bite) for my narrow to medium volume feet.
The lightness of the shoe, given how much stack and platform width it has, its energetic springiness, deep cushion, sense of stability (without getting in the way of my more neutral stride) and smooth fit are the Aero Glide's highlights for me.
It’s a fun shoe to run and can handle all distances and paces. It never goes too far in the direction of accentuating sheer fun over practicality and versatility. It is a top choice for a thoroughly modern daily trainer and yes, while $160 it is also a good value due to its many uses, even for racing if you prefer a plateless shoe and need a touch of rear stability.
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Sam's Score 9.5 / 10
Minor deductions for tongue area and wet grip.
3 Comparisons
Sample Weight: men’s 8.5 oz / 242g US8.5
Stack Height: men’s 40 mm heel / 32 mm forefoot ( 8mm drop)
Platform Width: 90 mm heel / 75 mm midfoot / mm 105 forefoot
Mizuno Mystery Shoe 01 (RTR Review)
About 0.4 oz lighter with the same heel height and a slightly higher forefoot, the Mizuno also has an eTPU midsole that is softer and bouncier than the Salomon’s. It is more “fun”, and is likely faster but is less stable due to its more minimal heel area construction and overall softness. The upper is more precise in fit and lower volume and I expect higher volume feet will be happier in the Salomon. The Aero Glide 3 is not quite as exciting but is a more versatile shoe and is more suitable as an overall single daily trainer.
ASICS Novablast 5 (RTR Review)
Exactly the same weight on a slightly higher platform, the Nova is the OG “fun” shoe. Its midsole composition is not revealed by ASICS but for sure is light and energetic with a foam feel closer to the Mizuno than the Salomon whose midsole is steadier and slightly denser and more stable in feel.
The volume and fit of the Novablast light and thin upper is comparable to the Salomon with its hold not quite as secure for me and with similar midfoot hold issues. As with the Mystery 01 the Salomon is a more versatile steadier shoe for a wider variety of run types.
New Balance Rebel v4 (RTR Review)
A very popular 2024 shoe, the Rebel has an 80% EVA / 20% PEBA midsole which is somewhat firmer and less energetic than the Salomon’s if stable. Its ride is now dated in comparison to the Salomon’s. The Rebel is 1.2 oz lighter but sits on a lower platform (firmer riding) with both a wider heel landing and forefoot take off. As such I find , despite the weight difference, it is more ponderous to turn over at all but faster paces making it less versatile. Its thin upper’s volume is similar to the Salomon’s and as with the Salomon is true to size.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
The Salomon Aero Glide 3 is available now Europe, US February 15, 2025
Tester Profiles
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2024 Sam’s 52th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:40 range if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
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9 comments:
Hi Sam.
Do you see the Aero Glide 3 as a decent long run shoe, and a shoe that could be fine for a 4½ hour marathon?
How do you see it comparing to the Triumph 23?
Hi Sam - do you see the Aero Glide 3 as being a decent long run shoe, and a shoe protective enough for a 4 ½ hour marathon?
How do you see it comparing to the new Triumph 23?
Thanks Sam!! Great to see Salomon making some excellent progress and improvements with their line. Hoping that you all can do a single complete breakdown of their 2025 offerings, and where/who they best fit. Definitely one of the more confusing lineups (Glide, Blaze, Defy, Aero, Spectur, Pulsar, trail, gravel, road...way too much perhaps).
Thank you Sam ;)
Salmon's website says the AeroGlide 3 midsole is "energyFOAM evo: A super foam composition delivering a super dynamic experience. Made from a PEBA and EVA mix.". I don't understand how that is fundamentally different from the EVA Peba blend in say the Rebel V4, unless the proportions are different?
Salomon said themselves during TRE that it's a TPU foam using a steamed process.
Many thanks for this review. I wondered how these compared to the Asics Superblast 2 please? It sounds from your review like these may be faster...?
Sorry for late reply. The proportion of EVA and PEBA definitely can affect the ride and the weight. We were told by Salomon that the Aero Glide 3 has a expanded bead eTPU foam. Sam, Editor.
Hi Buck, sorry for the late reply. Given low weight, decent stability and big stack I think a fine marathon choice and a far lighter one, about 2 oz lighter on a similar stack height.
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