The Saucony Xodus Ultra 2
Accelerate Community member and Accelerate Trail Runners Run Leader Graeme is back again and has been lucky enough to get his hands on another pair of the Saucony Xodus Ultra’s, but this time it’s version 2. Now available from the Accelerate store, to find the specs of the shoe Click Here >>. Keep reading to hear how he got on!
I reviewed the Saucony Xodus version 1 back in May 2022 and have now done over a 1000k on them – The review on the version one can be found Here>>; this review is a comparison of that version so I’ll focus on the differences I’ve noticed after ~50k with runs on mixed terrain (tarmac to fell) ranging from 7k to 26k. I’m being a bit picky.
Straight out of the box
The upper is stiffer, less stretchy — more protective I suppose — so I was unable to tighten it up in the same way over my lumpy feet. That said, I did this last time as I thought they were slightly too big – same size this time and they didn’t feel too big – certainly for longer runs where feet need to expand. The forefoot is spacious as before. The laces have changed too – round and quite chunky, not the original stretchy, flat ones.
The ride feels firmer than before – but the sole has not changed! So it must be me: too used to my now slipper-like v1s – after 20-30k they feel as before, so it was me. Very comfortable in both heel and forefoot.
That upper…
What I’ve noticed is that there seem to be two versions of the upper – and this is not just a colour thing – mine are a claret colour – interesting – all others I’ve seen are grey. On inspection the grey ones have a different (softer?) upper, more akin to the v1, plus the inner forefoot gusset seems to be of a lighter / thinner material, plus the laces are the flat stretchy ones. Most unusual. In summary the grey ones are much more like the v1s but are still a more robust material. The inner gusset now covers the whole forefoot – the v1 had it just around the mid foot.
The upper foot shape has changed a bit – see comparison photo – and there is now a useful looking rand around the whole shoe next to the sole – to protect more I suppose. My concern was that it would keep water in – didn’t seem to make any difference, which was good. The change in upper shape may be holding my foot more naturally, requiring less tight lacing.
I can only really comment on my claret version but personally, I prefer the previous material but I like the new foot shape change and the welt – I’d prefer a softer, thinner material as previously it only started to fail on me after 1000k, so not bad.
Conclusion
Pros: new grey colour looks good; same plush ride but with good ground feel.
Cons: check out if you want the claret or the grey style; the upper may be a bit stiff for some.
Summary
Fundamentally the same as the version 1 with a more robust upper. My go-to, long run shoe again.
You can find the Men’s Here and Women’s Here. Alternatively, pop on down to the shop and give them a try.
This entry was posted in Buzz, Tested & Abused! and tagged Accelerate, Best In Test, health, reason to run, Review, running made easy, Saucony, trail running, Ultra Running by Harry Stevenson. Bookmark the permalink.