Saucony Men's Triumph 18 Trail Running Shoe

Product Information

I had noted in my Cons for the 17 that its heel felt heavy and ponderous. This feel is somehow gone or at least reduced in the 18. It just runs more smoothly with a long easy lay down and easy long flexing toe off, I attribute the changes to the new heel geometry, the flatter profile of the midsole at midfoot and the new outsole.

Saucony has kept what worked well on the 17 and changed what didn’t work. It’s a more polished, cooler shoe with slightly softer landings and better traction on wet surfaces due to the absence of hard crystal rubber on the outsole.

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The consistent rubber firmness contributes to a very consistent feel underfoot from heel landing to toe off and a slightly more cushioned and stable feel than the 17. I love that level of comfort for recovery or long easy runs. The all-over plushness also reminds me of the ASICS Gel Cumulus 24.

The XT-900 carbon rubber has proven to be very effective on the Triumph 18, as well as on the majority of the brand’s road shoes. It was therefore logically renewed identically on the Triumph 19. Ok, after all the praise for this outstanding upper is it too much of a good thing adding to weight and making the shoe less breathable and heavier? I think so. The Omni 19 a support/stability shoe has a similar holding but lighter upper with a less substantial bootie. It is yet more comfortable and breathable. Bottom line, the Triumph 18 has a great upper but maybe more than the stable underfoot platform actually needs. I felt somewhat the same about the Ride 13. Bring on the next generation thinner mesh of the Shift, at pretty much the same shoe price point. I think this is a great shoe. It’s not WOW!!! But it’s comfortable, stable, consistent, and feels great on your feet.All of the yellow rubber from heel to forefoot appears to be of the same firmness with the green medial piece, for a touch of support firmer. Note also in the picture above that the midfoot cut out to the medial side in the T18 is narrower while its center cavity is also narrower but deeper. In combination with the darker green firmer rubber now at mid foot, replacing crystal rubber, we have a more stable flatter feel at mid foot, less arch pressure and I think a slightly smoother transition if not quite as snappy as T17’s. Again the focus on comfort and cushion through and through here. Jacob: The Triumph 18 is clearly a premium shoe. Out of the box the construction, from stitching to material choice, is immaculate.

JEREMY: Is any other company releasing as many quality shoes right now? From the Kinvara 11 to the Ride 13 to the Endorphin line ( Pro, Speed, and Shift) almost all of Saucony’s 2020 offerings have met or exceeded high expectations. The Summer of Saucony continues, with the release of their latest shoe, the Saucony Triumph 18. As the name suggests, this shoe is a winner. The Triumph is designed to provide comfort first and foremost, but at the same time to provide a little boost of speed and a faster feel to the easy and long run days. Runners love the shoe’s new aesthetic, which is stylish and has some fun touches (yellow laces, mind you!). They also appreciate the brand’s efforts to use more environmentally friendly materials. Tipping the scale at 11.1 oz (315g), the TRiumph 18 is 0.3 oz (10g) more than the Triumph 17, and 1.3 oz (36g) more than an average running shoe. Good for rainy days The Triumph 18 is of course clearly a highly cushioned road shoe and given its characteristics, one focused on top to bottom on comfort, and not speed or versatility. It succeeds in its mission and very well indeed. It would be too much shoe and weight for my preferences as a daily trainer but for easy days when you don’t want to think too much about form it is a fine option. For heavier runners, new runners, those on the edge of needing some pronation control and max cushion fans, the combination of secure (maybe overly so) comfortable upper, stable platform, and expected durability makes it a top choice if you are not too shoe weight conscious. Nothing but praise for this. After running more than 70 miles in the shoe, we found no signs of wear! We do expect the shoe to be able to log more than 500 miles for sure!The upper material is thinner and covered with venting perforations making this shoe much more enjoyable to run in than past versions. Extra laces for added color

The Triumph 18 runs true to size. It offers a smooth fit with a roomy toebox. It is indeed a premium-fitting shoe with plenty of room for toes to splay. Breathability issues The upper, midsole and outsole have all changed but the Triumph 18 performs only slightly differently to the Triumph 17. It definitely is an overall improvement but a small one. Jacob: The Triumph 18 employs a full-coverage, consistent density high abrasion carbon XT-900 rubber with key decoupling including a deep channel underneath the midfoot and beginning of heel. The depth of the channel perhaps also contributes to why Sam noted the heel feels softer, as the cutout makes it easier to compress the foam. The 18 replaces the crystal rubber forefoot with a full coverage of high abrasion XT-900 rubber, retools the midsole side walls and heel geometry with less sculpted side walls and with more of and a flatter rear midsole overhang .At the rear, the heel counter is rigid and padded, while the heel collar provides a snug fit for a soft foothold. The gusseted tongue is less padded than on the previous version (presumably to shave some more weight), but it doesn’t impact the comfort.