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The Novablast 4 sees some big changes from the previous version. The biggest of those is the new FF BLAST ECO PLUS foam that aims to provide a softer ride with more energy return when you want to pick up the pace. There’s also an updated shoe geometry that combines the trampoline-inspired midsole with a higher stack of midsole foam.

The Saucony Ride 17 receives a big update in the form of a new PWRRUN+ midsole – the same material used in the Triumph 21. This addition dramatically changes the experience of running in the Ride 17 to provide more cushioning, increased energy return and a smoother transition.

Tom, Kieran and Nick have been testing the shoes out to see how they compare.

Check out the monthly podcast for the latest kit news and updates:

JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00​​​​ – Intro
00:38 – Stats
01:02 – Design
02:15 – How’s The Fit?
03:58 – The Run Test
16:35 – Verdict

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Asics Novablast 4:

Asics Ride 17: Released Jan 2024

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Hey Tommy from the r testers in this Video we are going to be doing a versus Of the as6 Nova blast 4 and socony ride 17 now Nick received his A6 no blast 4 From the guys over at sports shoes We're Not paid to do this review so we can say Whatever we want but big thanks to the Guys that Sports uses for getting these Over so that we can do this versus and a Load of reviews also if you go to the Caption below you can find a link to the No blast 4 this is an affiliate link so We do receive money if you buy through That link uh so just be aware of that if You click on it right let's dive in and Do the [Music] Versus the socon ride 17 cost £135 or $140 it weighs 285 G or 10 oz for men in A size 8 and the drop is 8 mm the A6 Nova blast 4 costs £135 or $140 it Weighs 256 G or 9 oz for men in a size 8 And the drop is 8 mm [Music] The sakon ride 17 receives a big update In the form of a new power on plusus Midsole the same material used in the Trium 21 this addition dramatically Changes the experience of running in the Ride to provide more cushioning Increased energy return and a smoother Transition built for daily miles the Ride 17 aims to provide a balance of Comfort versatility and a touch of

Stability for ticking off the miles the Upper also sees an upgrade with a new Engineered mesh design to improve Breathability and a 36 ° fit to ensure a Good lockdown on the out soole there's a Generous layer of rubber to protect the Midsole and provide a good level of grip On varied Road surfaces and there's Plenty of interior padding for a plush Level of step-in comfort the Nova blast 4 sees some big changes from the Previous version the biggest of those is The new FF blast Eco plus foam that aims To provide a softer ride with more Energy return when you want to pick up The pace there's also an updated shoe Geometry that combines the trampoline Inspired midsole with a higher stack of M Mido foam there's an engineered woven Mesh upper offers a plush fit as well as Plenty of breathability and flexibility As well as a gusseted tongue to prevent Slip and there's a healthy covering of Ahar outso rubber across the shoe to Improve grip and [Applause] Durability so when it comes to fit I ran In a UK and a half in both of these Shoes and that's how I would go go true To size in both of them I get good hold In the heel in both there's no slipping The lock Down's good after work the lice Is a bit tighter in the Nova blast be a Bit more aware of that partly I think

Because you've got that kind of roomier Toe boox it can feel a little bit more Airy and spacious up top so I just had To work a little bit harder to get that Locked down but there's plenty of room In the toebox of both of these more Wiggle room in the Nova blast 4 than the Ride but they are both quite roomy and I Would recommend going true to size in Both of these shoes unless you want a Really sort of more snug fit in which Case maybe with the NOA blast you might Consider going half a size down so the Fit for me in these two shoes the as6 Nova blast I'm a size eight in the UK This is a size eight I found it to be Completely fine uh the previous versions Of the Nova blast were slightly narrow Or some people found them to be slightly Narrow there's an updated upper on the Nova blast 4 which is a little bit more Forgiving a little bit roomier uh and Just means You' got a little bit more Space in that forefoot so I would stay To my size in the Nova blast 4 ride 17 Again I found it fine for my UK size 8 But what I would say is that it's a Slightly narrower midfoot shape so if You do have a wider foot you might Notice that but for me it was absolutely Fine and there was plenty of space Before my big toe in the shoe so I'd Stick to my size in both of these shoes Comes to fit of these two shoes I have

The same size in both which is a uk9 and With both aex and socony that's a US 10 That's how it translates and both of Them have a really good fit for me nice Amount of room in the toe box no Problems there good hold around the heel And midfoot no concerns with my foot Moving laterally very easy to get a nice Secure fit with the laces as well so Yeah I would definitely recommend stick Into your normal running shoe size of Both shoes it's been very good for me Throughout my Testing So these are two shoes that have come Out recently which are doing a very Similar job and they're both shoes that I really warm to um in in testing over The past few weeks I've probably done About 50k in both of these shoes and That has varied between part run Interval sessions longer runs and easy Runs uh what I would say is I'll start Off with the Nova blast 4 the Nova blast Is an interesting shoe range because It's developed quite a bit over the past Few years I was a massive fan of the Original Nova blast because I just found It to be a very surprising shoe for the Price it was quite bouncy uh it just Felt really fun to running have a nice Soft mid cell phone but you got a nice Bit of return from it as well the only Problem in that shoe was it was a little

Bit wobbly and unstable which caused Problems for some people over the more Recent versions of that shoe the that Level of wobbliness has been fixed by a Wider midsole and a little bit more Stability but over time up until the Nova Blast 3 that dulled the benefits of The of the ride for me uh so I really Wasn't a big fan of the Nova bass 3 it Just felt to be a bit of a dull shoe um And didn't really get a lot out of it Nova blast FL I'm glad to say is a nice Improvement on the Nova Blast 3 this Midle foam just it's there's a little Bit more foam in there it just feels a Little bit more responsive feels like it Compresses a little bit more but gives You the energy return back uh and it Just feels like there's a bit more of a A pronounced rocker to the shoes so it's A bit of a smoother transition help Feels like it's helping you move forward More than the Nova Blast 3 did for me Nova Blast 3 was a completely Comfortable shoe just didn't really feel Like it gave me anything uh and just sat In that realm of cushion Sho Max cushion Shoes that just were there for ticking Off the miles whereas the Nova blast 4 Just feels like there's more to it it's Just a little bit more performance Focused it's not the fastest shoe in the World but it does feel like a more Rounded daily shoe than some of the

Earlier versions for me um and as a Result I've just been enjoying using This a lot more I found that it's good For those runs that fit between those Sort of daily runs where you're going Out and you just want to tick the miles But you want to have fun you want to Have the ability to pick up the pace a Little bit uh and you just want Something that's really driving you Forward so for the track session that I Did in these um it's not the most Amazing shoe for doing a track session In but it does feel like there's a Little bit more to this shoe because of The midell foam responsiveness and that A little bit of energy return you get From it it's definitely a shoe that I Would pick up now as a a daily shoe Where I might want to go out and I'm not Sure what sort of run I'm going to be Doing I might want to pick up the pace a Bit more in it this shoe can do that now Um it's not the most versatile daily Shoe out there but it's definitely an Improvement on uh the Nova Blast 3 for Me ride 17 is another shoe line that Seen a lot of developments over the past Few years obviously it's a Sho line That's a lot longer uh it's been going On for quite a long time now ride 15 and 16 I thought thought were fine as daily Shoes they didn't really do a lot the Mid cell foam was a bit of an old style

Mids cell foam didn't really have a lot Of energy return in it didn't really Have a lot of responsiveness in it it Was just a solid comfortable daily shoe That you could use for fairly Comfortable uh runs it was also a shoe That you could use if you wanted to pick Up the pace a little bit but it was by No means a particularly fast shoe and it Also wasn't very cushioned either it Just didn't really sit into that world Where shoes are trying to be more Versatile these days it just sat right In the middle as like a general shoe That you could do 10 to 15K in and it Was fine but I never really enjoyed Those shoes um so I was really excited When the new ride 17 came out because it Has the new midell phone it's power on Plus midell phone which is the same you Get in the sakon Triumph 21 and the 20 Now by updating the mid cell phone the Ride in the ride is very different it is Nearing what you would expect from the Triumph now which makes it a shoe that Is a there's a little bit more to it It's a bit more energy return in it it Just feels a little bit like you can run Further run a bit faster in it um and as A result it's a significantly improved Shoe for me I think it's a really Interesting option now and I would never Have said that about the previous two Versions of the shoe uh the mof foam

Even though on paper the shoe looks like The trium 21 um it's not it doesn't feel that much Like the Tri 21 it it it feels a little Bit more there's there's some more Stability in the shoe it's a bit heavier Um it's a very solid shoe um but I'd Also say that it feels a little bit Firmer as well if you compare it with The trium 21 so it's definitely a shoe That shares a lot of similarities with The tri 21 but it it's a different shoe Um so when I'm comparing these two shoes The main things that I say is that the Ride 17 is noticeably heavier than the Nova blast 4 but they are quite similar In how they deliver I've done similar Runs in both of these shoes and both Seem to have the same level of Versatility for me I think there's a Nice little pickup in the R 17 same as In the Nova blast 4 I think they're both Relatively solid for easy runs I would Say the Nova blast 4 has just got Slightly more enjoyable Midol foam if You're doing easy or longer stuff uh and I'd say that the ride 17 is probably Better for shorter distance stuff but I Did feel that even though it was heavier I could pick up the pace a little bit More in the ride 17 probably because of That firmer more responsive Midol foam Um that it's got in it now uh other than That they're a really tricky pair to to

Compare between because they're quite Similar in a lot of the things that They're trying to do and originally I Wouldn't have said that about the the Previous ride versions and the Nova Blast um but other things I would say as Well are the outso so the outso in the Ride 17 is absolutely fantastic uh There's a really healthy layer of outso Rubber on there very solid good gripping The wet ground no issues in it at all Very much enjoyed running in the shoe And had no um problems in running on the Wet Road in Brighton uh and the outso on The Nova Blast has changed slightly from The previous versions I've always found It to be a pretty good outsole I know That the um Nova Blast 3 had the TR Version which was a trail version of or Semi- tril version of the outsole which Just gave it a little bit more grip Slightly bigger lugs on it um but it was Really a shoe that was designed to to Deal with um slightly trickier ground a Bit better like probably foot paths and Things like that where you need a little Bit more grip um but I I have found that The outsole on the uh no 4 has been Absolutely fine for me on out on the row Conditions no issues at all um and yeah I think they're pretty similar or I Probably say R 17 just did a little bit Better when it comes to grip so for my Run testing testing I've run about the

Same volume close to 40 test miles in Both of these shoes that's at mixed Paces from slow plots to Marathon Pac And Beyond I've covered different Terrain including roads off-road River Paths I've run up to 12 20 minutes on a Long run test in the ride 17 as well as An all well out treadmill 5K I have Pushed an overlast to 5K Pace but not For a whole 5K just in testing whilst I Was running and in short from those Tests I've loved the ride 17 I'm a big Fan of the brilliant comfort and natural Versatile ride straight out the box the Nova blast 4 has impressed me more than Any previous Nova blasts it's tuned a Bit more responsive a bit less soggy Than past Nova blast so I've enjoyed my Miles in that up to a point I also did a Side by side marile in both shoes to Compare the feel in the ride and here's What I found so I've just done a side by Side mile got the soc ride 17 on the Left I've got the Nova blast 4 on the Right foot I've been running around this Park that's full of people like a right Wally because one of them is neon green The other one's bright yellow but it is Done so what that's told me about these Shoes they're both quite big shoes Really the NOA blast is the biggest of The pair of them still oversized it's Got the widest platform I think you know The socer ride 17s platform is nice and

Wide and nice and stable your feet feel Well kind of cocooned and well held They're well cradled basically the Nova Blast 4 do that even more so that 4 foot And the Hillel flaring is so wide that You know you basically you can't help But sort of land here in the middle of The foam you've obvious got that bigger Stack of foam in terms of the Nova blast You got flight foam Eco plus going on Here with a higher stack you do notice It although the novablast 4 they've Tuned it to be slightly more responsive That foam gives back a a little bit more Mediacy than in Old NOA blasts and You've got a bit more of a pronounced Rocker going on it actually takes it Closer to the ride 17 now in terms of The overall ride I think than you had With the earlier Nova blasts versus the Earlier ride shoes these two are now Much closer together overall I think you Get a more of a rolling response out of The ride 17 than you do from the Nova Blast I still feel like I'm getting a Little bit that sink and waiting for the Phone to come back whereas the ride 17 It does sink but it just comes back a Little bit more urgently there's a bit More response bit more propulsion in the Kind of Rocket roll through yeah I think You're going to be able to cover similar Runs and similar miles in these two Shoes because the overlast is a bit more

Responsive but it just I can't get away From the fact that it just feels like a Lot of shoe on the foot even though it's Quite light actually for such a great Big kind of Max stack shoe I prefer the Ride 17 for just feeling a little bit More compact it feels a little bit more Precise because you've got that narrower Landing Zone in terms of the way they Feel on the foot the stepping Comfort I Find the ride 17 to be a much more Natural overall shoe partly down to the Fact that it's not quite so big now I Tend to strike kind of mid to 4ot Depending on how tired I am sometimes I'll rock a little bit further back on My heels but I think if you're a heel Strike you're going to get more from the Nova blast here that big protruding heel Is giving you a lot more protection at The back than you maybe get from the Ride 17 that might help you with your Roll through in terms of sort of mid to 4ot Runners I do feel like there's a Similar sort of roering going on here in These two shoes and both of them are Pretty good at helping you kind of clip Over quite ni nicely so I've been Testing both of these shoes over a Similar period over the Christmas period Here in the UK and I've used them for a Very similar range of runs actually as Well looking at them as quite vertile Daily trainers I've done some nice easy

Mooching around of them I've done a long Run in both of the shoes and I've also Done a speed session in both of them as Well I do think they're pretty capable Shoes all around uh the terms of the Ride feel of both I do think that the Aex is maybe that little bit more Springy and exciting out of the box but My general experience over time with the Power run plus foam and sck issues and Indeed the no blast range is that I find That plus does deaden down a little bit It hasn't happened too much with the Fourth version yet after about 60k but I Do think one of the big plus points of The power run plus is how resilient it Remains overextended use and maybe down The end of the lifespan of the shoe you Might be getting a slightly bouncier Feeling out of the scky ride you do from The no blast 4 but that's a little bit Of speculation I actually think the ride Field is very good in both of them early On in my testing here and I do find They're both quite first I think the aex Is more versatile for me it's a lighter Shoe on paper and actually in practice I Find the R 17 f a bit bulkier and Heavier than even does on paper so I Didn't like it so much for the faster Stuff whereas no Blast for I felt very Comfortable in I did like a 20 times 60 Seconds on 30 seconds off interval Session in that shoe going straight into

A park run pacing a 20-minute park run And yeah it felt really good for that Especially actually 4 minute King in the Shoe in general has felt great also in The long run I did I was kind of up and Down with Pace on a hilly route but then I came down to about 4 minute pet just To finish off the run and it does feel Very good for that the overlast 4 I'd Say it's then not quite so good when you Push beyond that cuz I do think it's More at the uh Workhorse daily trainer End of things rather than allout speed Shoe but I think it is a more Comfortable shoe at PACE than the Sak R 17 which I thought was really good for Just generally cruising around but I Didn't feel like it had a really good Top Gear to go into like I think it be a Reasonably good first H shoe if you're a Newer Runner like it can handle a bit of Speed workor but if you're someone who's Very focused on speed work like I am Constantly doing structured training and Has a a shoe rotation I think the nose Blast is the more versatile option the Ride I'd probably restrict more to just Those easy runs for whereas I found no Blast had a little bit more about it for The faster stuff although I would prefer To just use those Blast for those easy Runs as well and have a faster shoot in My rotation overall they probably would Cover off similar bases in my rotation I

Didn't find the ride feel as different As you perhaps might expect I was Running in both shoes at the same time You'd think oh you know the nose blast Is very different to something like the Ride which is a much more solid steady Shoe and the nose blast is much more Lively and exciting and all that and Actually that really wasn't the case to All when I ran in them at both times They're both quite solid Workhorse shoes Good reliable Foams in them maybe with a No blast having that little bit extra in Terms of Bounce at this stage of my Testing but at the back of my mind my Suspicion might be that that the power On plus 4 might hold on to its Resiliency a bit longer into the Lifespan of the [Music] Shoe okay so my verdict on these two Shoes is a tricky one because they are Sort of doing the same thing but the Benefits I think are a little bit Different in both of these shoes the Ride 17 is a bit heavier I definitely Prefer the Nova blast um just because It's a little bit lighter a little bit More propulsive for me uh I do like the The added stability of the ride 17 I Think it's a very solid feeling shoe uh I think it definitely feels like your Foot's firmly in place uh and it does Feel a little bit more responsive for me

Because of that slightly firmer mid cell Phone but when it comes down to it I'm Going to go for the as6 Nova blast 4 I Think it's a vast Improvement on the Previous versions uh I think it is now a More rounded daily shoe I think you can Do easy runs all the way up to not fast Runs but you can do faster efforts in This shoe and it will it will keep up With you um the R 17 I just think is Little bit skewed more into that Central World of daily runs it's not Particularly great at easy runs um and Uh for the faster stuff I think it's It's okay uh but I think it's just a Little bit limited when compared to the Nova blast I definitely do longer runs And stuff in the Nova blast as well so I'm going to go for the NOA blast They're both fairly equally priced as Well um so yeah sticking with the novast 4 in this versus so my verdict here I Think this is quite a tough one I think These are both pretty good shoes shoes Are be pretty happy to have having a Rotation as a general work or shoe Probably skewed more towards easy runs I Think I slightly have preferred the feel Of the aex no blast 4 in my testing Compared to the ride 17 do appreciate That it's a fair bit lighter it feels a Bit more sprightly as well for faster Runs and I think that carries over into Long runs and it's probably slightly

More fun even just for General short Easy runs as well R 17 I think is a Fantastically Dependable Workhorse of a Shoe it's one I'd have no problem Recommending to lots of people I think It will work really well for new runners In particular just want an allrounder Shoe that's going to last a long time Probably a slightly better grip than the Over blast as well so certainly there's Appe peel to both of these shoes here I Don't think you can really go too wrong With them and I do think the R 17 is a Very easy recommend to people cuz I just Think it's such a generally pleasing Shoe that's unlikely to really offend Anyone I don't think no 4 will either Now I think maybe some of the early Versions it was a little bit wobbly and Maybe slightly concerning but I think This latest version is a pretty solid All round shoe it's not maybe as Lively As some of the very early versions of The Nova blast but this still a fun ride And I do think it's slightly more Versatile than r a little bit more fun To ride running in general so I'd just About give with a no blast but certainly The r 1 of isue I'd very happily Recommend to lots of people as a Guaranteed crowd pleaser now I've got to Say it's someone who hasn't really been A fan of the Nova Blast for any of the Generations someone who's been a fan of

Previous ride generations and someone Who has waxed lyrical on this channel About the ride 17 already quite a lot And not been so effusive about the Nova Blast I was expecting these two rides to Be sort of very different I was Expecting to really you know notice the Ride 17 being you know much different When they're both on the footb but an Actual fact I have to admit it the ride Is much much more similar than I thought And all my complaints about the over Blast really uh somewhat i' had to Question them as I'm running around on That lap now the one thing I'm not so Sure about the ride may be there's a Similarity here I think they're both Going to be better at your easier Paces Than they are at your top Paces they Both can go at a faster clip if you Really have to do it but that's not Really where they perform best they have That versatility but it's not their aame The other thing I think that I'm really Surprised about is just there's not a Huge amount to choose in terms of when That foam comes back the socc R 17 is a Little bit more immediate it's a bit More responsive and I prefer it because Of that and yes the Nova blast is still A massive shoe on the foot and um I Think that still means that I prefer the Ride 17 but I'm going to be honest here The difference between these two is far

Less marked than I thought before I came Out and did this mile so then just to Summarize quickly I think you 've got Two shoes here that will be very popular But if I have to pick one shoe out of Both of them it's going to be the ride 17 for me though it ended up being a Much closer contest than I'd imagined That's it from us thanks a lot for Watching don't forget to like subscribe Click the little bell and all the things That make us happy and if you go to the Caption below you can find a link to Sport shoes uh to find out more about The A6 Nova blast 4 right thanks a lot Catch you next Time