Saucony Sinister Review

Upper

Jon: "All things considered, I loved the upper of the Sinister. In terms of a race-ready fit, I could not really ask for more. The ripstop fabric from the mid to forefoot is extremely breathable and not overly restrictive despite being very snug. One of my test runs was in some light rain and wet pavement, and the upper shed water extremely well. I did not feel weighed down at all by the weather. My only complaint is that I felt a pressure point at the top of my right foot where the stitching of the tongue and heel collar met, though this could have been a one-off issue as I had zero issues with the left shoe in the same area."

Kaleb: "The upper may have been my favorite part of this shoe. Though, I should note that the fit is snug and may not be ideal for everyone. Lightweight, race-ready performance is the best way I can describe the Sinister's fit, and it is almost reminiscent of a track spike. The ripstop upper is incredibly light yet provides a solid amount of structure, delivering an excellent lockdown that can handle whatever pace I throw at it. Above all, I had no hot spots, blisters, or points of irritation throughout testing."

Midsole

Jon: "At step-in, the PWRRUN PB felt soft and dense, which translated to the roads nicely. Given its much lower stack height than the other Endorphin models, the midsole is not nearly as bouncy, but it is certainly lively, and I had no issues picking up the pace. The highlight for me was the protection offered by the midsole. The midsole absorbed the impact of footstrikes very well for the distances I ran (5 to 7 miles), which allows me to confidently say that the Sinister is a great option for 5K to 10K races."

Kaleb: "This shoe is Saucony's fresh take on a traditional racing flat, and it features a fairly low stack height by modern standards, which delivers a very agile and connected-to-the-ground feel with an impressive ability to pick up the pace. The PWRRUN PB felt relatively firm underfoot and offered an energetic bounce from stride to stride. Furthermore, the plateless midsole flexes nicely through the gait cycle, providing a natural-feeling ride at faster paces.

I wish the shoe was more protective for longer tempo efforts, though given what it was designed for, I think the Sinister provides more than enough protection. For fast training runs or races under the 10K distance, you will have more than enough protection with the benefit of being able to really attack the run at speed. That said, if you are an athlete like myself who is building strength and needs a little more protection to keep the body fresh enough for the next training session, then I recommend keeping this shoe on the track or under the 5K mark."

Outsole

Jon: "I was able to test the Sinister on wet pavement, dry pavement, and the track, and I was very pleased with the grip offered by the outsole. There is full-length rubber coverage in the outsole, giving me a lot of confidence while running in wet conditions. I also had no issues with cornering."

Kaleb: "The full-contact rubber outsole offered sufficient traction on all of my testing runs. I did not get the opportunity to test the Sinister in wet conditions, so unfortunately, I cannot speak to that, but when it was dry, they were fantastic. The grip of the outsole, combined with the highly secure upper, gave me a lot of confidence while navigating the track and roads with speed. I have put roughly 20 miles on the Sinister, and the outsole has held up very well with no signs of abnormal wear. That said, it is a fairly thin layer of rubber, so we will see how the Sinister does past the 50-mile mark."

Comparable Models

Jon: "The Saucony Sinister is a unique offering that is almost in a category of its own as one of the few more traditional racing flats featuring supercritical foam in the midsole. At the moment, I would say the Sinister sits between models such as the Nike Streakfly, adidas adizero Adios, and ASICS Hyper Speed. It compares to the Streakfly and adizero Adios since it contains super foam in the midsole, but unlike those models, the Sinister does not have any type of plate or rods in the midsole, which translates to a more flexible and more natural ride. Sadly, this also means that the Sinister lacks some of the snappiness of its plated counterparts. Compared to the ASICS Hyper Speed, the Sinister delivers a much more premium underfoot experience thanks to the energetic PWRRUN PB foam. Overall, I would recommend the Sinister to runners with previous experience in competitive racing who enjoy the fit and feel of track spikes and want to replicate that experience on the roads."

Kaleb: "As Jon mentioned above, the Sinister is a unique shoe that provides an innovative take on a more traditional racing flat. When comparing the Sinister to other models, the New Balance SuperComp Pacer is one of the few that come to mind, as both are lower-profile speedsters with supercritical foam midsoles. The SC Pacer features a carbon-fiber plate embedded in the midsole, which gives the Pacer the edge in terms of speed and responsiveness. Though, without the plate, the Sinister is a bit more forgiving underfoot, and I feel that this makes it a bit more versatile."