The Saucony Triumph 22 sees some major updates to the line. The biggest of those is a new PWRRUN PB foam midsole, a PEBA-based material replacing the PWRRUN+ found in the Triumph 21 that aims to improve cushioning, energy return and responsiveness. The same foam is used in the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 and Speed 4, albeit a modified version
The Asics Gel Nimbus 26 is a max stack cushioned shoe focusing on comfort over easy days and long runs. Unlike the Gel Nimbus 25, which saw major changes from the previous versions, the 26 sees modifications to the upper, an improved rubber outsole, an added rocker and a slightly firmer midsole.
Tom and Nick have tested both shoes out to see how they compare.
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JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – Stats
00:40 – Design
01:52 – How’s The Fit?
02:54 – The Run Test
08:06 – Verdict
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Hey Tom here from the r testers with Another versus in this video we are Going to be comparing the sakon Triumph 22 and the aex GEL Nimbus 26 let's have A Look the sakon Triumph 22 cost £170 or $160 it weighs 306 G or 10.8 o for men In a size8 and the drop is 10 mm the A6 GEL Nimbus 26 costs £180 or $160 it Weighs 301 G or 10.6 Oz for men in a Size 8 and the drop is 8 Mm the sagon trium 22 sees some major Updates to the line the biggest of those Is a new poweron PB foam midsole a peber Based material replacing the poweron Plus found in the Triumph 21 that aims To improve cushioning energy return and Responsiveness the same phone is used in The sakon Endorphin Pro 4 and speed for There's also an updated upper that's Designed to be even plusher and more Comfortable than its predecessor and a Noticeably wider base across the full Length of the shoe to improve stability On the out soole there's a generous Layer of rubber to provide grip and Protect the Midol foam the A6 gel numers 26 is a Max stack cushion shoe focusing On Comfort over easy days and long runs Unlike the Gel Nimbus 25 which saw major Changes from the previous versions the 26 sees modifications to the upper an Improved rubber out soole an added Rocker and a slightly firmer midsole the
Shoe combines a thick layer of FF blast Plus Eco foam with the Brand's pure gel Technology to provide a soft and Cushioned ride that reduces impact the New breathable upper and collar Construction aims to improve the fit and Provide a high level of stepping Comfort While the updated outside rubber is Designed to increase grip and Durability so both of these shoes fit me Well in my normal running shoe size I've Got uk9 in both shoes which is a us10 That is the normal size I have for both Of these brands find with the big shoes In the range things like the Triumph and The Nimbus they have a slightly more Spacious fit than the more racy or speed Focus shoes that sakan aex make but Don't think I've got too much room Potentially could have gone half a size Down in the aex but overall I've been Happy with it in my normal running shoe Size good hold around the heel and Midfoot lots of padding there which is Probably slightly more than I personally Love especially around the Achilles but Haven't had any significant irritation From either shoe so yeah I'd stick to Your normal running shoe size so the fit For me in the sakon trium 22 and the gel Nim 26 I'm a size eight in the UK They're both a size eight they fit me Perfectly there's plenty of space in Both of the shoes there's plenty of
Wiggle room in them and if you have Slightly wider feet you might be okay With those shoes so I definitely stay to My size in those shoes they're also Quite plush and comfortable shoes so They have a nice level of stepping Comfort I would definitely stick to my Size in both of those Shoes both these shoes are big heavy Cushioned Cruisers with wide bases for Stability that I would only ever really Use for easy runs like they're okay for That during my testing neither shoe is Exactly to my taste but I did enjoy them Well enough they are quite similar all Around I'd say which wouldn't have been The case with previous models of the Shoes actually so aex made the move to This big cushioned wide very high stack With the GEL Nimbus 25 before that it Was a pretty standard cushion daily Trainer a bit like the sakon Triumph 20 And 21 with the 22 sakon has also gone To this big Mega cushy Style with a big Wide base and although the stack height Is nowhere near as high as on the aex it Feels similar High underfoot I would say And you've got a fairly soft feeling Foam underfoot without a huge amount of Punch or bounce or anything like that if You're going to use these shoes as your One shoe to do it all like if you're Going to use these as a daily trainer I Think they're lacking a little bit at
The Speedy end of things which is a bit More surprising with the Triumph because It's got the power run PB foam in there Which is a foam that we've seen Obviously on Far shes before from sakon It's a different version of the foam we Believe and it's you know it feels Different it feels quite soft at the Heel when I'm landing there and that's Nice and comfortable it doesn't really Have a very Snappy transition or a very Bouncy feeling on foot I'd say similar To the aex really you've got a nice Phone there it's soft got a decent Rocker to it and the shoe rolls through Smoothly enough at easy Paces have done A session in this shoe it was the only Shoe I had available at one time when I Was away like a hard session running M Reps and a bit of fart Leck and yeah it Wasn't great for that obviously it's not What it's built for it doesn't really Have a fast transition it doesn't really Feel good and conducive to fast running It's more about cruising along at easy Paces which both of them do pretty well I'd say that the aex is a slightly Slapper ride for me as a heel Striker I Come through a little bit harder on the Four foot there and I think the outso Rub is a bit harder than the on the Triumph so I think you get a bit more Comfort from the Triumph for long runs In particular but overall my run test I
Found that they were quite similar shoes All round and when I ran with both shoes On at the same time they did have quite A similar feeling under foot soft at the Heel where I was Landing reasonably Smooth roll through onto the forefoot And then not really much bounce or Anything like that off the toes it's Just a shoe I would use for mooching Around at nice relaxed Paces in and Hoovering up a lot of miles so on paper Both of these shoes probably look quite Similar and if you're going out to buy a Pair of easy day shoes or a pair of of Daily shoes where you want to focus a Little bit more on the cushioning side To the versatility that you get from Some daily shoes these days both of These shoes are going to sit in there Now the big difference with these shoes Both have seen quite big updates well The as6 J 25 saw a really big update on The previous version the sakon Triumph 22 is a big overhaul of the Triumph 20 And 21 the result of that update has Actually turned into a shoe that I'm not As big a fan of as I was the previous Versions I absolutely love the trium 20 And 21 they've just had this fantastic Level of comfort but they're also very Versatile shoe as well so they were the Sort of shoe that I would use if I was Going on holiday and I wanted to take One PA of shoes with me and I still
Needed to do some intervals and I still Needed to do some farle sessions some Longer runs they were just perfect for That and they ticked all of those boxes The new Triumph 22 doesn't quite work For me it's got this new power on PB Foam in which is technically the same as What you getting things like the soorin Pro 3 and Pro 4 but it's actually a Little bit different it's modified to Make it a different type of foam and the Result is a foam that's a little bit Softer but only if you hit it in the Right areas so uh Nick is a heel Striker He hits on the heel so he feels a nice Bit of Squish when I walk in that shoe And press down on the heel I can feel The squish in that midsole but I hit it In the midsection of the shoe and it Just does very little it just sort of Hits the ground and there's no real Turnover in it and I don't get a lot of Bounds so what the experience I'm Getting from the trium 22 is something Is a shoe that is pretty much designed For easy day runs and that's it it's Lost the versatility for me that I had Under the 20 and 21 which may be a Decision that sakon has made um on Purpose uh but it does mean that it's Slightly different than the Triumph 20 And 21 the asex John ners 26 is actually Veering more towards a more verstile Shoe the original aex gel nimas
24 would is a shoe that I probably Wouldn't put into the versatile shoe Category whereas the Nimbus 25 and 26 Have had some nice updates made to them And as a result it's still a cushion Shoe it's still very much sits in that Cushion side of things but there is a Nice little bit of Bounce in that Midsole and it's a good day this year if Your focus is comfort so I would say There's a little bit more versatility in The Gel Nimbus 26 other things I would Say about those shoes is that the trium 22 has a really good outsole no issues With that at all much like the previous Versions of the Triumph it works very Very well I'd also say that the as6 GEL Nimbus 26 also has a very good outs Soole the only problem with the GEL Nimbus 26 is that it's very very Slappy That wasn't the case with the gel niers 25 26 you can really feel that outsole Hitting the ground and making a loud Noise and it can be a bit annoying uh When you're out running so um if you're Looking for a shoe a nice cushion Sho And you really don't want an annoying Sound probably don't look at the aex John numers 26 onto the verdict and there's not a Lot in it here for me between these two Shoes they have quite a similar feel Under Foot they do a similar job for me Which would just be a cushion shoe and a
Rotation for easy runs long runs that Kind of thing neither have a ride feel That's really to my taste like I Probably prefer slightly firmer ride Slight more resilient ride and they're They're soft they're cushion they feel Okay but I think they're a bit lacking In versatility and they're very Expensive and the job they do isn't one I personally really feel I need to have A shoe to do that job but lots of people Will like them they're very cushion Shoes they're very comfortable they're Very protective and you know it's hard To pick between them I'd say they both Do that job in quite a similar way I'd Probably lean towards the Triumph myself Because I do think it's a bit more Comfortable when it comes to long runs I Did get that slightly Slappy Sensation From the aex which I didn't really get From the triumphs so I probably Marginally prefer of the two I've Cru For a lot of easy runs in this shoe uh During my recovery period after a Marathon it is protective it's Comfortable just a bit big and wide for Me to use as a cushion shoe in general I Probably first something like the actual Triumph 21 which is still very cushioned And comfortable but has a slightly more Nimble feeling and it's a lighter shoe And it just in general feels a bit more To my taste almost find it more
Comfortable to have that kind of shoe Even just easy runs CU I find it easy to Tick over in both of the shoes a lot Bigger than that and wider than that and You that will be great for lots of People with their comfortable shoes Their stable shoes their protective Shoes but yeah they're very similar in Style and overall I'm not a huge fan of Either shoe but I would just give it to The Triumph if I was picking between Them okay so my verdict on these two Shoes bit of a tricky one in some ways Because they are doing a very similar Thing they're both easyday shoes that Are designed firmly for those sort of Cushioned easy runs but I think now the Triumph 22 has been modified it actually Completely sits in that um cushioned World of easy day runs it it no longer Has a versatility that I really liked From the previous versions of those Shoes um and it just it's purely there Just for those easy day recovery runs And you're not going to be getting much Faster in it because it just doesn't Have the turnover or the responsiveness That you would need from a shoe to do That the ax J 26 very solid comfortable Cushion shoe that has a little bit more Versatile tillan it's not um by any Stress in the imagination something like The S Dophin speed 4 but it's a good Allrounder cushion shoe the bounce in
The mids is quite nice it's a very Enjoyable shoe to run in and I Definitely say that it's just got a Little bit more on it than the S Triumph 22 neither of these shoes are shoes that I would pick at the top of my list when It came to Cushing shoes I definitely go For the New Balance more V4 over both of These shoes it just has a nicer turnover And just works better for my running I Really like that shoe but anything from Easy runs all the way up to marathon Training long runs it's definitely not a Fast shoe but it's good for consistent Coasting efforts where you just want to Have a nice comfortable pace for a very Long time another alternative that I Would say over these two shoes which is A little bit off kilter is something Like the New Balance uh Rebel V4 now That shoe really is a daily shoe that is Designed for versatility you can run Quite fast in that shoe you can really Do speed sessions intervals that sort of Thing in it but the mid Soul foam in it Is actually quite soft and bouncy so if You wanted to get a shoe that you could Use for your daily runs easy runs and Faster runs that is a good option um and You can definitely do a lot more in that Shoe so if you just wanted one shoe um And you wanted to do loads of different Things I wouldn't go for the tri 22 or The J aex John libus 26 I'd go for
Something like the rebel V4 that's it From us thanks a lot for watching don't Forget to like subscribe click the Little bell all those sorts of things And if you go to the caption below you Can find a link to our podcast which Comes out a few times each month thanks All for watching catch you next time [Music]
