Salomon Aero Glide 3 after 100 Miles: REALLY GOOD!

Summary

In this 100-mile review of the Salomon Aero Glide 3 by Doctors of Running, Matt shares his experiences with this maximally cushioned yet lightweight road training shoe. Boasting a new foam that provides a snappy and bouncy feel, the shoe is praised for its durability and comfort over long distances. It manages various terrains efficiently, making it an ideal contender for those seeking a lightweight trainer for both daily training and occasional long-distance races. However, some slight criticisms are noted on heel transition and stability aspects, yet overall, this shoe stands out in its category, offering great value for its price.

Highlights

• Salomon has upped the game with the Aero Glide 3, delivering a comfortable, cushioned ride. 👌
• Perfect for those who find super shoes too aggressive; a long-distance gem! 🌟
• Shoe stays resilient and bouncy even after 100 miles, unlike other midsole foams. 🔥
• Very lightweight for the cushion it provides, you won't feel bogged down! 🎈
• Warning: Heel transition isn't the best, but improves after some miles. ⚠️
• Durability is impressive—even for those who punish their shoes! 🎽
• A versatile, do-it-all shoe great for road workouts and racing. 🏅
• Those with foot width concerns need not worry—the upper adjusts over time. 👌
• Stability is decent, but hardcore stability seekers might look elsewhere. 🏃‍♂️
• Overall, it's a fantastic value; offers more without breaking the bank. 💵

Key Takeaways

• Salomon Aero Glide 3 is a lightweight but maximally cushioned road shoe. 🏃‍♂️
• The new foam provides a bouncy and comfortable feel underfoot. 🌟
• Despite a high stack height, it offers natural flexibility and smooth transition. 🌈
• The upper requires a break-in period but provides ample room eventually. 👟
• Great durability and grip make it suitable for multiple terrains. 🛤️
• A well-rounded shoe for daily training and long-distance races. 🎯
• Offers good value for $160, competing well with pricier options. 💰

Overview

After putting over 100 miles on the Salomon Aero Glide 3, Matt from Doctors of Running delivers an enthusiastic review, highlighting its impressive cushioning and lightweight design. Salomon is making waves by perfecting their midsole technology with the newly introduced Evo energy foam, which has proven to stay bouncy and durable over miles of use. Though the initial heel transition may leave some wanting, it smooths out as the shoe gets broken in, making it a great choice for long-distance running when a super shoe feels too aggressive.

The shoe comfortably balances a high stack height with natural flexibility, thanks to its innovative design fostering a seamless transition from heel to toe. For those who have foot width issues, the upper requires a break-in period but gradually provides enough room, ensuring comfort over long runs. While the Aero Glide 3 masters the art of a smooth ride and impressive grip on various surfaces, potential buyers should note its borderline neutral-stability offering—suitable if you're looking for mild support without any overbearing controls.

What steals the spotlight is this shoe's astonishing durability, holding up its bounce past the typical 100-mile mark that sees others wane. Whether for daily training or an exploratory long-distance race, this shoe punches above its weight class at a competitive $160, often outperforming pricier competitors. An overall testament to value in performance footwear, Matt assures that this Salomon entry will serve runners well and keep them eager for more long runs.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Initial Impressions Matt from Doc Running introduces a 100-mile review of the Salomon Aeroglide 3, a maximally cushioned daily road training shoe. Despite its cushioning, it feels like a lightweight trainer thanks to new foam technology that's comfortable underfoot. Matt compares it to the Super Blast 2, mentioning he prefers it over the Super Blast.
• 00:30 - 02:00: Specs and Performance The chapter "Specs and Performance" discusses the lasting quality and performance of a new shoe model after it has been used for over 100 miles. The speaker expresses enthusiasm about the midsole foams, indicating that they are a promising development from the brand Salmon. Despite extensive use, the shoe remains highly favored by the reviewer. Key specifications for the men's size 10 shoe include its light weight of 9.1 ounces or 256 grams, highlighting its efficiency and advanced design.
• 02:00 - 04:00: Shoe Flexibility and Resiliency The chapter discusses the flexibility and resiliency of a shoe with a specific focus on its stack height and midsole material. The shoe features a 42 millimeter stack height in the heel and 34 millimeter stack height in the forefoot, resulting in an 8 mm drop. Despite this, it feels slightly lower due to the Evo energy foam midsole, known for its snappy, bouncy, and slightly soft feel. The shoe's versatility is emphasized, being suitable for easy miles, long runs, and various workouts. The speaker also mentions their intention to incorporate such runs into their routine more frequently.
• 04:00 - 06:00: Heel Transition and Stability In this chapter, the focus is on the heel transition and stability characteristics of a particular running shoe. The shoe is highlighted for its versatility in handling various types of workouts, including tempo runs, uphill tempo runs, and intervals on tracks. Although it may not be the fastest shoe available, it offers a balanced option for runners who may find super shoes too aggressive. The shoe is praised for its functionality as a do-it-all trainer and is recommended for longer distance racing.
• 06:00 - 08:00: Outsole Durability The chapter titled 'Outsole Durability' discusses the characteristics of a shoe's outsole with a focus on flexibility and durability. Despite an initially stiff feel, the shoe's forefoot has flexibility that allows for a natural foot movement. The ride offered by the shoe is described as well-balanced, accommodating those who may not be comfortable with super stiff plates or midsoles, even with a high stack height. Additionally, the midsole foam maintains its bounce and structure even after 100 miles, showcasing impressive durability compared to other models that may lose integrity after similar or fewer miles.
• 08:00 - 10:00: Upper and Fit The chapter discusses the attributes of a shoe, focusing on its resiliency and shape retention, which are highly appreciated by the narrator. However, they express a slight concern with the heel transition, noticing a tendency to adjust their foot strike forward. There's mention of a bevel at the rear foot, which they feel could be improved by adding more postero-lateral support. The durability of the shoe is touched upon as well, indicating a break-in process that aligns with the narrator's landing style.
• 10:00 - 11:30: Overall Assessment and Conclusion The chapter discusses the initial break-in period of a shoe, particularly focusing on the transition smoother for heel strikers. It highlights the design elements like the crash pad created by cutting the outsole and the poster lateral collapse of the midsole, which contribute to the shoe's enhanced performance after 20 to 30 miles. Although initially clunky, the shoe improves significantly over time. The forefoot is praised for its superior transition, featuring a pleasing rocker, gentle toe spring, and slight flexibility, which is rare in such footwear.

Salomon Aero Glide 3 after 100 Miles: REALLY GOOD! Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Hey everyone, Matt here from Doc Running and today we're going to do a 100 mile review of the Salomon Aeroglide 3. So this is the newest update to Salomon's supposed to be maximally cushioned daily road training shoe. And while it is certainly maximally cushioned, it is definitely more of a lightweight trainer. Brand new foam that's so good underfoot. I'm really enjoying it. A really lightweight ride that really puts it in the categories of shoes like the Super Blast 2. And like Yana, if you watch this stuff, I actually like this shoe more than the Super Blast. So, we'll talk about more about that and
• 00:30 - 01:00 why, but it's a really great shoe that I think Salmon's really starting to figure out their midsole foams, which makes me really excited to see what else is going to come from them. But, let's dive into this and tell you how this shoe has lasted over 100 miles because there is obviously a written review that we've already done on there. So, let me update you on what's happened over these 100 miles and what I think about this after that, which the punch line is I still really like this shoe. So, let's do specs first. In my men's size 10, this shoe comes in at 9.1 ounces or 256 grams, which is very light for the 42
• 01:00 - 01:30 millimeter stack height in the heel and 34 millime stack height in the forefoot. So, an 8 mm drop, although it feels a teeny bit lower than that cuz this nice energy foam Evo energy foam midsole is really nice. It provides this very snappy, bouncy, slightly soft foam feeling underfoot. I have used this shoe from everything from tons of easy miles, obviously a long run. And I'll talk about stability in just a second. I've also used it for every workout out there. Typically, I don't always do that. I've been trying to get into that more of doing daily uh not daily runs,
• 01:30 - 02:00 but workouts in in daily trainers. And this shoe has been able to handle farts, a tempo run, an uphill tempo run, and some intervals on the track. And I'm just like, this is great. Is it the fastest shoe on the market? No. But like the Super Blast, it's going to be a really And many of lightweight trainers that I'm going to talk about later that I'm going to finally get that video up at some point. It's great as a do-it-all shoe and I think a lot of people are going to really enjoy this as a potential longer distance racing shoe. If super shoes are too aggressive for you, this might be a great option cuz despite the maxual stack height, there
• 02:00 - 02:30 is still some forfoot flexibility. It's a teeny bit on the stiff side, but as it's broken in, it's got a really nice foroot rocker. It's also got just some flexibility that feels just a little bit more natural on your foot. So, if you don't do it well with the super stiff place or super stiff midsoles, this ride is really well balanced despite the maximum sack height. But it's also got a really nice bounce underfoot. This midsole foam is holding up really well. It has not changed over 100 miles. A lot of midsoles, especially if you get into like pea and stuff, they'll start to peter out and die as you get to 80 100 miles. This one is holding up really
• 02:30 - 03:00 well. So resiliency, i.e. how well it holds its shape and how well it's continuing to bounce is super good and I've really enjoyed this. I will say a little nitpicky thing, the heel transition isn't the best thing. I have found myself kind of starting to move a little bit further forward with my foot strike. Um it you will talk about durability in a second. Um there is a bevel here in the rear foot. It is not maybe the best one. I would love to see a little bit more poster lateral, but as this breaks in, as I am a very strong poster lateral landing lander, I am a
• 03:00 - 03:30 heel striker usually. Uh this has broken in really really well in transition. And I think part of that is because when you cut this right here on the outsole, it creates what's called a crash pad where this will start to break in as the shoe breaks in and you get this nice poster lateral collapse of the midsole which has made it feel much more smooth. That took about 20 30 miles. Additionally, a little clunky, but as that broke in, it gets much better. But the forefoot really has the best transition with a really nice rocker, not too aggressive toe spring and just a mild amount of flexibility that transitions you nicely, which is pretty rare in a lot of these
• 03:30 - 04:00 maximally stack height bones. The amount of midsole underfoot doesn't feel that tall and that's because the foam compresses quite a bit underfoot, but it also bounces back. So, very surprisingly naturally feeling shoe with a lot of bounce. Natural is is not the best word at all. It's not minimal. It's not any of that stuff. It just is a really smooth ride underfoot and has a lot of bounce that I really enjoy. And that 9.1 oz weight or eight I think it's 8.8 ounces in men's size 9. It feels really light. It's great to have more of these. A lot of these highly cushioned shoes
• 04:00 - 04:30 are getting super heavy unless they're a super shoe. But no plate, it's just nice to have one of these lightweight trainers on the market that in my opinion is one of the better ones out there. In terms of the outsole durability, I mentioned the midsole is holding up very well and hasn't lost any of its bounce at all. Uh it was holding up really well just yesterday. I kind of tore through this, but outside of that, it still feels great. The gravel one version has a little bit better durability here. But this again, if you follow this channel, I know somebody who hasn't seen me before is going to be like 100 miles is not that much. My wear
• 04:30 - 05:00 on shoes is well known. I get made fun of it all the time, not only by people at Doctor Running, but people in the footwear industry. Uh I land super hard on my This is my left shoe. I land really hard on my left side. And so like 100 mat miles is like three to 400 miles for a lot of people. So this is good. It's going to last you a long time. This is also because I was taking this one on gravel, which I was trying to compare it to the gravel version, but it will hold up really, really well. It the outsole, there's a good outsole here. It's full length, so not a lot of stuff's going to
• 05:00 - 05:30 get picked off. It also grips really well. I've taken this on plenty of wet runs, and this grips pavement very, very well. Grips track really, really well. It's not the shoe that I would necessarily take on the most aggressive of trails. That's where maybe the gravel version would come in. But it's a really solid, very durable shoe that's handled a lot that I've thrown at it, which has been really good. The upper is a little bit weird where when I first put this thing on, it felt like it was a half size short. Felt like it was really not because of length, because of how low the volume was. As I continue to wear it and this broke in, which is really
• 05:30 - 06:00 important to give updated opinions on this stuff as the shoe breaks in and continue running it more than just a few miles. Um, it's it really broke in. All of a sudden, it got very high volume and wide. So, when the shoe breaks in, it's a little bit wider fit up top. Enough that I did have to lace lock it, which is the first time I've done this in a while. I was getting a little heel slippage, but if you want a little bit more room and a little bit more volume, know you're going to have to be patient. But the upper will break in and give you quite a bit of room, which I now really like because I like shoes with a little especially a little bit more room in the
• 06:00 - 06:30 forefoot. Just know you have to lock down the laces a little bit. other people that are really sensitive to stiff heel counters. There's some really good external structure here that is also balanced by having a lot more flexibility. So, I did piss my heel off just recently. I have a hagglland deformity, i.e. a little bump on the back because my calves probably are really tight and I'm very much ankle person who like pushes I create a lot of my propulsion and movement through my ankles which means I put a lot of stress through my calves and my Achilles insertion and I do have mild Achilles tendopathy that I am treating and managing but I do have a little bit of a
• 06:30 - 07:00 bump back there that when I overtrain a little bit it tends to get irritated and so this hasn't bothered me at all which is great as I'm managing this and still running the same amount. If you need a little bit of flexibility here, that should be fine. If you still want some structure, the external layers here, do a really good job of holding the foot down once you lace lock this shoe. So, overall, Salmon, this is the first time I'm saying this. I'm really impressed with a Salomon shoe. Okay, this is great. The midsole is great. The upper, yes, needs a little bit better lock down if you and you can get that. It's not
• 07:00 - 07:30 going to work well for people with narrow feet, but people with a need a little bit more volume or want a little more volume, this is a great shoe. It's a great shoe for those that want a shoe that can do everything. easy runs, workouts. Um, oh my gosh, I forgot to talk about stability. Um, the this is not the most stable shoe. It is borderline stable neutral, and I'll give it that from the sidewalls here. There's also a sidewall that continues into the medial forefoot, which is really nice for people like me that have a little bit of forefoot stability issues. So, if you need that, that's great. It is more
• 07:30 - 08:00 almost stable neutral, but not quite there. So, just be aware of that. It's just enough for me. People that need more stability, probably not going to work as well. But for those that just need a touch, it does a really good job on that. But yeah, again, I'm really impressed with what Salmon does. I think this is a great shoe. It is a great value for 160 bucks. There's a lot of shoes that this is fighting with that are much more expensive for that. I would go with this shoe. It's a great option if you want something, like I said, that does everything. And I think for a lot of people, this is a great longer distance racing option for many that maybe plates don't do as well. So, very balanced out. I'm going to keep
• 08:00 - 08:30 getting Miles on as long as it survive. And I'll see if I can get an updated review with the gravel version. But I really want to know if you have you tried this shoe. I know a couple of reviewers have. Like I mentioned, Yana I think really loves this shoe as well. And I'm going to try to get him on a podcast here pretty quick if we don't get him on by the time this is up. And yeah, I'm really impressed. So please let me know in the comments. Like I said, do you agree or disagree with what I'm experiencing? And then last but not least, hope this stuff helps you figure out what shoe works best for you to keep you healthy as possible.