Step 02 — The lineup
6 shoes scored across eleven metrics · Any purpose
You may also enjoy
Salomon Sense Ride 5 — The versatile all-rounder: grippy enough for technical, comfy for long.
Sizing note
Fresh Foam X Garoe v2 run snug — go up half a size, especially for long runs.
Durability
Plated models here average ~275 mi; non-plated land closer to ~438 mi.
Step 03 — Every metric
| Metric | Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL | Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL | Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail | New Balance Fresh Foam X Garoe v2 | Hoka Challenger 8 | Nike Ultrafly Trail | Puma Fast-Trac Nitro 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 275 g / 9.7 oz | 276 g / 9.7 oz | 269 g / 9.5 oz | 298 g / 10.5 oz | 275 g / 9.7 oz | 275 g / 9.7 oz | 272 g / 9.6 oz |
| Drop | 8 mm | 8 mm | 8 mm | 8 mm | 8 mm | 8 mm | 8 mm |
| Stack (heel) | 41 mm | 41 mm | 38 mm | 38 mm | 42 mm | 39 mm | 34 mm |
| Cushioning | |||||||
| Flexibility | |||||||
| Stability (5 = most guidance) | |||||||
| Rocker geometry | |||||||
| Energy return | |||||||
| Responsiveness | |||||||
| Toe-box | Standard | Standard | Wide | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Plate | — | — | Carbon | Rock | — | Carbon | — |
| Intended pace | 8:30–12:00 /mi | 8:30–12:00 /mi | 8:30–12:00 /mi | 8:30–12:00 /mi | 9:00–12:00 /mi | 7:30–10:30 /mi | 8:00–11:00 /mi |
| Purpose | Trail, Long run | Trail, Long run | Trail, Long run | Trail, Long run | Trail, Daily | Trail, Race day | Trail, Tempo |
| Sizing | Size up ½ | True to size | True to size | Size up ½ | True to size | True to size | True to size |
| Durability | ~450 mi | ~450 mi | ~250 mi | ~450 mi | ~450 mi | ~300 mi | ~400 mi |
| Price | $160 | $160 | $250 | $120 | $145 | $260 | $140 |
Your reference shoe is shown first for context. Cushioning, flexibility and stability are rated 1–5, where 5 stability means the most guidance and 1 means fully neutral.