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Saucony Endorphin Rift
Men's Shoes - Fog/Bronze
4.3
The Saucony Endorphin Rift is a fast and nimble trail running shoe that delivers high performing versatility on any terrain.
Best useBest Use Learn More
All AroundAll Around
Fast RunsFast Runs
Trail RacingTrail Racing
SurfaceSurface Learn More
Smooth Trails & FireroadsSmooth Trails & Fireroads
Rocky & Technical TrailsRocky & Technical Trails
CushioningCushioning Learn More
Barefoot
Minimal
Low
Medium
High
Maximal
Product Details:
Joining the Endorphin trail family is the Saucony Endorphin Rift, a younger sibling to the Endorphin Edge that shares the same highly resilient midsole cushioning but lacks the carbon fiber plate. This design choice makes it less explosive than the Edge but more flexible and nimble on technical terrain. The responsive PWRRUN PB midsole foam facilitates faster running and ensures efficient leg turnover while still providing sufficient cushioning for long-distance comfort. To enhance its capabilities, the Rift includes a protective rock plate that shields against sharp rocks and debris without compromising the feel of the terrain underfoot. Its versatility is further amplified by the super grippy outsole, featuring 4.5mm lugs and tacky PWRTRAC rubber, designed to tackle any surface. The trail-specific upper of the Rift is durable, protective, and breathable. It incorporates a padded heel counter for all-day comfort, while the midfoot wrap ensures a secure fit to keep you locked in when you pick up the pace. Overall, the Saucony Endorphin Rift delivers a highly versatile ride suitable for faster-paced training efforts and trail races on any terrain.
What You'll Love
- Fast, nimble, and versatile
- Upper is durable and protective
Model Number: S20856-20
Specs & Fit
Shoe Specs (Men's Size 9)
| Weight | 9.1 oz 258 grams |
| Heel Stack | 34 mm |
| Forefoot Stack | 28 mm |
| Heel-Toe Offset: | 6 mm |
How It Fits (based on D Medium width)
| Sizing: | True to size |
| Heel Width: | Average |
| Midfoot Fit: | Roomy |
| Toe Box Fit: | Average |
Technologies
MIDSOLE
- PWRRUN PB is a highly responsive and ultra-lightweight PEBA based foam that delivers a fast and fun underfoot experience.
- Rock Plate in the forefoot for protection against jagged edges and other debris encountered on the trails.
- SPEEDROLL Technology makes heel-to-toe transitions smooth and fast.
OUTSOLE
- PWRTRAC Rubber is super tacky and abrasion resistant, offering superior grip in any weather condition.
- 4.5mm Lugs takes hold of the trails allows for aggressive turns on any surface.
UPPER
- Debris Shield protects against the elements and delivers a comfortable, sock-like fit.
Customer Reviews
The Perfect Trail ShoeI love everything about this shoe. I've bought two pairs so far and will buy more. They run so light and bouncy with the perfect amount of cushion. The toe box is a little wider than most Saucony and I really like the stretchy upper. I like how the laces kind of stop and don't go farther down towards the toes. It makes it so it isn't too tight in the mid foot. Unlike the Endorphin Edge, the sides have enough protection to run rocky trails. I just raced a 100k in them and had zero foot issues. I can't wait to use them in a 100 miler.
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.]
Fantastic midsole with a problematic upperSo far I only have two runs in the Rift and I'm generally pleased with the shoe but there's potential for improvement. It's great to have 100% PEBA midsole in a trail shoe. The bounce and push back from the PWRUN PB midsole is palpable. These properties of the PEBA are somewhat diminished by a thin rock plate in the forefoot and the hard rubber outsole lugs. But still, on packed dirt trails here in FL the ride feels bouncy and the forefoot rocker provides a fluid smooth transition. The outsole has excellent traction. Two-thirds of this shoe get 5-stars from me. Where the Rift falls a little short is in the upper. Saucony experimented with some interesting things with this upper. Compared to a HOKA trail shoe that typically has 12 lace holes in the upper the Rift only has 9. The Rift lace system looks like it was inspired by a Merrell hiking shoe. It fails to provide a secure lock-down for the mid- and rear-foot. The results in the entire foot sliding forward on descents. When the foot does slide forward the toes will jam right into the stiff toe cap. I ended up with a couple sore toes on my last run. The Rift has essentially the same dimensions of their Speed 3. Considering that people typically where thicker socks for trail runs the Rift should have accounted for this with more accommodating dimensions. I would give the upper 3-stars. If there's a Rift V2 I would like to see a more secure lacing system to hold the foot in place and a couple more mm of length to accommodate thicker sock options.
Love the toe box!I was hesitant about the 6mm drop as I usually wear Saucony's Peregrine line and love the smaller drop but the difference is hardly noticeable. Saucony seems to have gone with a wider toe box, which I enjoyed and the cushioning is not overbearing. Only have about 30 miles on them but think they will last. Enjoy the experience underfoot, I prefer to be able to feel the ground, especially on a trail shoe and was not disappointed, even with a little more stack height.
Well-cushioned high mileage shoeI will start by saying that I generally love Saucony trail shoes, and run on technical, rocky mountain bike trails in Northwest Arkansas. This shoe fills in an interesting gap in the trail line. First, it has slightly softer cushioning than the Xodus Ultra and better heel lockdown. Which may be a good thing if the midsole holds up to a lot of miles - I can't speak to that yet. It feels terrific underfoot. Very protected, but with enough ground feel and just the right height stack for higher mileage days. I love the lugs - they are far sturdier than the Ultra lugs, but definitely more aggressive and suited for loose and technical terrain.
The shoe itself is reasonably stable, but, primarily due to the lacing system and stack, not as locked down as the Peregrine 13. I have wide feet, so the somewhat scanty lacing system works for me, but the shoe may float around some on those with narrower feet. Absolutely order half a size up from your normal Saucony shoe size!! I wear a 9.5 in everything else, but had to order a 10 in this. Currently the Peregrine is my go to for highly technical/fast runs under 10-is miles. And everything over 10 I am currently back and forth between this shoe and the Xodus Ultra. This one tends to get the rockier days, as it has the sturdier lugs.
Really Close To PerfectLong live Powerrun PB midsole!! It truly is a whole new and superior running experience vs EVA foam. Zero loss of a perfect cushioning/energy return balance on a 5-hour mountainous run on very rocky rooty and steep terrain. This shoe is LIGHT and FAST, though I'm a slog-it-out steady-Eddy ultrarunner who no longer focuses on "time". (aaah, those painful and awful "PR"-obsessed days of my youth) But alas, it seems like the engineers completely got rushed and simply skipped over the front of this shoe! 100% of the attention on foot lockdown and security has been placed in the heel and back of the foot, leaving no structure or great lockdown in the front of the foot! Given the surprisingly small number of lace holes and lack of forefoot overlays/structure, I did away with the insole and cut out a piece of it to cover the top of my foot under the tongue. This gives me adequate lockdown such that I can clamp the laces down tight enough, and makes my foot lower to the ground which for me is safer for downhills. Next to the INCREDIBLE midsole, I can't imagine that a few mm of EVA foam insole would be adding anything. I plan on swapping in more ropy HQ laces, which should really help.
For version 1 this shoe is really really good, and I'll likely buy another pair as they are perfect cushion, energy return, and stack height for anything up to a 200 miler; while still so light and fast for shorter runs. The outsole has been fantastic with no signs of wear after 40 miles, but just hope it is durable given how durable the Powerrun PB midsole will be compared to traditional foam. Super shoes like this should have even longer lugs for this reason, remember folks that every time we run the lugs get shorter. Finally, I do wish the front of the shoe were wider but there is a VERY key feature to counteract this. If you look down while wearing them you can see that the midsole/outsole under the front of the upper really provides a wider foundation - especially outside the 5th toe! This is KEY, because it will discourage your foot from rolling inward, making the dreaded ankle sprain/fracture less likely. The Endorphin Edge did not have this wide mid/outsole base on the outside of the forefoot, which made it a big risk for an ankle inversion for me.
GREAT shoe, please make version 2 with more lace holes, wider forefoot, and a tiny bit of forefoot structure for lockdown there. With those it would be the absolute king of mountain ultra running shoes,
very speedy/ flexible/ well cushioned shoe- My bodyweight is 155lbs, 52 years old, 30-40 mpw, 95% hilly dirt trails. I normally gravitate towards higher stack/ "more cushioned" shoes - More3 Road, More3 Trail, 840 road, Trabuco Max 2, etc... Never a perfect shoe, always mild compromises - I do like to check out newly released trails shoes which are not minimal.
For this shoe, try sizing up a half size. I started with my usual 11 and that was good for 6 miles and I thought I was done with the shoe. Tried the 11.5 and that was perfection. I like a wide toe box which doesn't cramp my toes for width and height. Midfoot snugs down but still feels relaxed. For me, the heel compartment just gets the job done when laced with the far eyelets on the midfoot strap. No obtrusive arch support noticed.
I love the booty style mesh upper and flexible material of the upper, not stretchy, flexible no goofing with a constantly shifting tongue, less material to flex - and that is the extent of the upper, no excess material. There is padding under the laces. The shoe flexes and twists for effecient climbing and off chamber foot placement at speed. I moved to furthest top eyelets (on the midfoot strap) to get complete heel hold and it also kept my toe from sliding to the front of the shoe on descents. The midsole foam and weight of the shoe makes the shoe my current afterwork trail blast selection. My longest run is 1:15 of hard trail running and I feel like the Power Run PB can go a lot longer, leaves my quads feeling better than Mach 5 cushioning. (trail work on weekends). I like the outsole chevrons on the Exodus Ultra a bit more, but the stock knobbies stick well in dry dirt and run decently on pavement. On steep, hardpan dirt downhills, the amount of midsole is noticeable. That's this shoe's only compromise.
Shoe is an absolute fighter jet. I'd make that lace strap more snug/tighter, Provide round or bubble laces - flat laces slip in the top 2 eyelets (changed mine to round laces) . I like the smaller profile, more densely spaced Exodus chevrons. Insane rad trail shoe.... for the distances I've gone so far, this is the best shoe I've ever used on trails. Very nice shoe for hilly/ sketchy/ wiggly singletrack.
So wanted to love them, but didn’tI’m a huge fan of the Saucony Endorphine Speed. They were such a step forward from the Kinvara’s I had run in for a decade. The Pebax foam and the speedroll were the technologies that made the Speed so great for me, coupled with the fact they were a little lighter. I tried the carbon plated version next, but the plate was just too stiff.
I kept watching all the carbon plated trail running shoes being released for a lot of $ and just never saw one I wanted to try. Seemed the carbon plate just never was executed well on the trail.
So I was so excited to try the Rift. It seemed liked the perfect replacement of the trail shoe I’ve run in the last 5 years, the Torrent. I’ve tried bootie constructions like the S-lab, and really liked them. So, the Rift has Pebax foam, a mid range stack (not too tall), bootie construction, and no carbon plate. It seemed like shoe I wished they would make.
Unfortunately, I had to send them back. As others have mentioned, they are both short and lack much volume in the forefoot. I am a very average size 7. Not wide, not narrow, just average. My toes did jam against the front and the lack of volume crushed my toes together (blisters). The bootie construction was nice, but the heal came up high and gave me blisters. And as someone else mentioned, it does seem rather heal prominent. hard to believe it’s only 1MM difference in stack from the Torrents.
Some positives: the flexible rock plate performed very well and loved the traction.
Ended up just buying the new Torrent 3’s, which are even lighter than advertised. Still a huge fan of Pebax foam and speedroll, but looking for just one trail shoe to run anywhere from 1hr to 8hrs.
Fit is tiny!Awesome shoe, just be sure to size up by 1/2 a size. Never had my toes jam against the front of an 11 before. I usually have the opposite probable where I’ll size down to 10.5, but never up.
Awesome but fits smallHad to exchange for a half a size up, which I’ve never had to do before. Otherwise these are awesome.
