Article by Sam Winebaum
Saucony Triumph 23 ($160)
Introduction
The Triumph is Saucony’s more easy going, plush and softer traditional geometry daily road trainer.
For its 23d edition, the most significant change is a big drop in weight of 1.32 oz / 38g in my US8.5 to 9.3 oz / 263g which puts it squarely at a weight I find suitable for a daily trainer.
The 37mm heel, 27mm forefoot and 10mm drop does not change; I think a good thing given the soft and energetic PWRRUN Pb foam that continues from the 22 and which is a blend of EVA and PEBA in supercritical expanded pellets form.
The outsole gets more strategic rubber coverage, most notably less mid foot coverage, also a good thing as the 23 is nicely flexible
The upper is a relatively simple, quite dense engineered mesh that provides very solid support throughout.
Light(er) weight, energetic ride, and solid upper lead to a fun bouncy yet at the same time supportive riding trainer. Let's get into the details!
Pros:
Energetic soft midsole with lots of rebound
Never ponderous at any pace: low weight, broad stable platform, reasonable stack height, 10mm drop,
Versatile: broad range of training paces
Comfortable very secure upper
Cons:
Overdone somewhat basic upper: quite thick adding weight and not particularly breathable
Stats
Spec Weight: men's 9.25 oz / 262g
Sample Weights:
men’s 9.3 oz / 263g US8.5 (Triumph 22: 10.5 oz / 296g 9.3 oz US8.5)
Stack Height: 37mm heel / 27mm forefoot, 10mm drop >unchanged
Platform Width: 95mm heel / 75mm midfoot / 120mm forefoot
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
The Triumph 23 in my light gray, charcoal and tan highlights is for sure is not one of those super playful Saucony colorways.
The design signals reliability and consistency with its broad platform and flaring rear midsole and simple upper. The design also signals serious substance, lots of shoe, yet it is light at 9.3 oz in my US8.5 sample, lighter by 38g / 0.8 oz than its predecessor. Not exactly a design that delivers an impression of a “fun” ride which is what the Triumph 23 in fact delivers for me.
As soon as I saw the upper I thought “Indonesia” as the manufacturing country and that is in fact where it was made. It looks and feels very similar to various adidas Supernova uppers, also in shoes made in Indonesia.
Not to overgeneralize, but this upper and the others tend to be quite simple in design, dense, thick, and stretchy-and that is what we have here. The hold is very solid all over, the comfort very good and the breathability so so which is what I found on my runs here in spring's moderately warm conditions. I would call the upper “plush” but not luxuriously so and also not overdone with over soft collars, an over puffy tongue or over stretchy toe box.
The heel counter is substantial, rigid and supportive.
In a clever move, the gray top of the Achilles collar is a separate element that holds the achilles solidly but separately from the lower rigid areas of the heel counter.
The foam collars are “intelligently” padded. They are relatively thin for a plush shoe, not overly soft and have great hold.
The 22 shown above had a softer, more plush and lower rear collar. I find the hold improved in the 23 if not quite as “luxurious” in feel.
The midfoot hold relies on the density of the mesh, a substantial but again not overdone gusset tongue and once and done lacing. The lockdown at midfoot is secure and comfortable.
At the toe box again Saucony counts on the dense slightly stretchy mesh to hold the foot. There is just enough stretch, but not too much, so my foot even with the soft foam below never felt it wasn’t totally secure, not easy to do with softer foams below. The front hold is helped by a for sure present semi rigid toe bumper which thankfully is vertical with no real wrap backwards over the toes.
The fit is true to size and secure all over for my narrow to medium feet, something I sometimes struggle with in most unstructured stretchier mesh uppers.
While I have some concerns that this upper mesh may add weight. is quite thick and dense and I am not expecting it to be very breathable I get one heck of a fine fit: secure, comfortable, true to size. Not a speed shoe upper or fit but a very solid daily training one.
Midsole & Platform
The midsole foam is PWRRUN Pb a supercritical expanded beads blend of EVA and PEBA. It is not called out as different from the 22 but my sense is that it is both slightly softer and springier. A really nice blend that has never felt mushy or over soft or for that matter over taut and dense.
I prefer a tauter denser more springy foam such as adidas Dreamtrike in the Supernova Prima or or Nike Zoom X in combination with Cushlon in layers in the Vomero 18 for faster paces but here for the more mellow run days I use the Triumph for it is a fine foam and a fun one.
I do find the foam if not quite as quick reacting but more pleasant than the denser feeling Brooks Loft v3 foam in the competing Glycerion 22. Some of the New Balance Fresh Foams are similar but I find them mushier and over soft with less rebound than here. The FF 1080 v13 comes to mind as over soft while the Balos with its I believe similar EVA/PEBA blend closer in feel.
The platform and weight play a large role in the quality of the midsole and ride. Saucony keeps the stack height at a reasonable 37/27 with a 10mm drop. Many competitors are now above 40mm at the heel with higher forefoot stack heights that tend to make the shoes stiffer with a rocker required to toe off (Glycerin Max and Superblast examples).
Here we have a broad 95mm heel platform which helps disperse the landing without a sense of a low heel given the soft foam. The midfoot is a relatively narrow 75mm and, in a change from the 22, has less rubber there. This may make the 23 a bit less stable but the narrowish midfoot and less rubber there allows for more flexibility and an easier transition to toe offs at any pace. Few shoes master a soft foam and a smooth ride as well as the Triumph 23 does.
Outsole
The outsole gets more strategic in its rubber coverage with less midfoot rubber, reducing weight and helping make the shoe more flexible and potentially a bit less stable. Shown below the Triumph 22 outsole
The 23’s outsole to date has had great grip helped by new mini more prominent lugs up front which sit on a more plate like arrangement which clearly also reduces weight and increases flexibility.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
While the Triumph 23 does not have any new tech or geometry changes, it is for me is a significantly improved trainer, primarily as it is so much lighter than before. Its weight at about 9.5 oz in a US9 vs. well over 10.5 oz in the 22 puts the model much more squarely in the daily trainer class of shoes making it versatile for most training runs, except speed work or longer faster tempos. Saucony has the Endorphin Speed and Tempus for that.
The ride is soft and energetic with a nice combination of bounce and spring. The broad platform, 10mm drop, and outsole design keep the softness mostly under control and moving forward but I do wish for a slightly firmer ride upfront to better handle faster paces and deliver more response. That said, the T23 gives Saucony a “fun” to run, practical general purpose trainer if you prefer soft and bouncy plush type rides and now also importantly at a competitive weight.
Sam’s Score: 9.4 /10
Deductions for upper weight and breathability and wish for a bit more quicker pace response off the front..
😊😊😊😊
5 Comparisons
Triumph 22 (RTR Review)
The key change and improvement is the lighter weight and improved midfoot flexibility which makes them quicker and smoother running without changing the platform or the midsole.
Saucony Ride 18 (RTR Review)
At a 35/27 stack height, the Ride is 2mm lower at the heel, weighs about the same and is on narrower platform. Its midsole is PWRRUN + an expanded TPU beads which is not supercrtiical as the Pb in the Triumph is. While both are soft I find the Ride less energetic and mushier in feel. The narrower platform and softness also makes the less stable for me than the Triumph 23 although both are clearly neutral type shoes. While $30 less than the Triumph 23 in a soft riding shoe, I prefer the T23. Both have similar fitting uppers.
Salomon Aero Glide 3 (RTR Review)
Salomon new AG3 has a supercritical eTPU expanded beads foam midsole which, in combination with a light upper, make it 0.8 oz lighter than the T23 on a higher 40/32 stack height. The foam feel and ride is similar in being soft and very energetic. The difference comes down to the uppers and their support. While light on the foot and comfortable, the Salomon upper is not nearly as supportive as the somewhat in my view “overbuilt” T23’s. If you have efficient form, tend to train at faster paces and are well aligned without need for extra support the Salomon, otherwise the T23.
361 Eleos (RTR Review)
The closest ride comparison to the Triumph, the $145 Eieos also has a soft and bouncy EVA/PEBA blend midsole and sits at about the same heel height but at a somewhat higher 30mm at the forefoot and on a slightly broader platform. Its heel with a 6mm drop feels lower than the T23’s. The result of the differences in geometry (platform width and forefoot height) is it weighs about 0.5 oz more than the T23. The 361 upper is somewhat baggy and not quite as secure as the T23’s. Very close between these two super fun and energetic rides and it may come down to budget and fit for your needs.
Nike Vomero 18 (RTR Review)
Also a 10mm drop shoe, the Vomero is considerably higher stacked at 46/36 and higher weight at just over10 oz and so is clearly more cushioned and stiffer. Essentially made of the same materials as the Saucony, it layers ZoomX (PEBA) underfoot with a firmer EVA type foam at the ground while the Saucony blends the two ingredients into beads then expands them super critically. The difference in construction leads to a more consistent feel in the Saucony. For longer, faster runs the Nike is my choice as it is more responsive, more deeply cushioned and more stable. For moderate daily training miles with more smiles the Saucony.
Brooks Glycerin 22 (RTR Review)
A directly competing higher drop trainer, the Brooks has 1mm more stack height front and back of Brooks Loft v3 supercritical foam. It weighs 25g more than the Saucony in my size and that is felt as well as its denser not as bouncy ride that is somewhat more stable than the Triumph’s. Its upper is yet more supportive than the T23 and a bit more deluxe all around. If you need “steady” go with Brooks. If you want more bounce and soft fun go with the Triumph.
Tester Profile
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2025 Sam’s 53th 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.
Europe only: use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products
No comments:
Post a Comment