Reebok Floatride Energy Symmetros 2 Performance Review

The Reebok Floatride Energy Symmetros 2 is Reebok’s latest performance-oriented running shoe. And Reebok included retro styling to make it casual-friendly. But is it a good enough shoe to use on your daily runs?

Pros

Chris: My first run in the Reebok Floatride Energy Symmetros 2 was on a rainy fall day, and the traction performed very well. I purposely took some faster turns on the wet leaves, and the tread pattern on the rubber outsole felt very secure. 

This was also my first time running in Floatride Energy Foam. As someone that enjoys Nike’s ZoomX foam and carbon-plated shoes, I would say the Floatride Energy Foam was more so “snappy” than “cushiony”. I definitely enjoyed the ride for anything under 5 miles, where I felt great ground feel and the ability to pick up the pace quickly. 

As for the upper, the heel counter does a good job of providing a locked-down feel with a very soft cushion. Even the retro-styled lacing system did a great job supporting the top of the foot. 

Talking about retro, you can’t discuss this shoe without putting it in a lifestyle category. Throw on a pair of crew socks, split shorts, and a cotton tee, and you have major retro vibes. 

Drew: The midsole and outsole of the Reebok Floatride Energy Symmetros 2 are very similar to the midsole and outsole of the Reebok Floatride Energy 4, Reebok’s $100 budget running shoe. That shoe is a great value, so that didn’t bug me, but some other stuff did. The midsole feels too firm at the beginning and does break in, but never achieves the softness that originally attracted people to Floatride. As Chris mentioned, it’s a snappy shoe but not a very cushioned one.

I felt like I could pick up the pace in the Symmetros 2, but it didn’t make me feel particularly fast. As such, it wasn’t very impressive.

What was impressive was the comfy half nylon, half neoprene gusseted tongue that capped off a comfy, well-padded upper. The outside of the upper feels rough to the touch but the inside is lined. None of the upper stitch work affects the comfort.

And in addition to the comfort, the shoe is fairly stable. The wide base, rubberized heel racing stripe, and large internal heel counter do the work. Your footstrikes won’t get wonky.

Cons

Chris: What bothered me the most was the toe box. You can see from the top view that the toe box narrows quite a bit. I did get a blister after a few runs. Maybe sizing a half size up would help. I thought the mesh toe box would stretch a little, but it didn’t and also didn’t offer much support

The plush insole was another small detail that felt great when walking around, but during a run, it caused my foot to shift a bit, causing hot spots on the ball of my feet after 6-7 miles.

Now going back to the “snappy” feel of the Floatride Energy foam, the energy return struggled on my 8-mile run. I felt like I had to push hard after mile 5. As a runner who likes to progress my pace throughout a run, I struggled to maintain pace. I’m curious if a slightly more aggressive rocker shape in the midsole would have helped.

Drew: Chris is right about the weird bubbly toe. Comfortable though the upper is, the extra material in the Reebok Floatride Energy Symmetros 2’s toe protrudes weirdly when tightened. It didn’t necessarily affect performance, but it was annoying.

Another annoyance was the rocker, I didn’t find it near as smooth as the one on Floatride Energy 4. I expect higher-priced models to deliver better, smoother rides, not worse.

And speaking of the price, $140 is an extremely tough sell for a shoe this firm, despite the good looks. It’s an even harder sell when you know the $100 Reebok Floatride model is a better all-around shoe.

Reebok Floatride Energy Symmetros 2 Summary

Chris: The Reebok Floatride Energy Symmetros 2 is a fun shoe for shorter runs and someone looking for a good ground feel.  With a price point of $140, it will be hard to compete with some entry-level running shoes from the bigger shoe brands.

Drew: The Reebok Floatride Energy Symmetros 2 is a solid running shoe, but unless you’re not price-sensitive and keyed in on the retro styling, you can pass on this one. If you love Floatride, you’re much better off saving $40 and going with the Reebok Floatride Energy 4.