Salomon Aero Glide 3 Performance Review

We were told the Salomon Aero Glide 3 was on the way and muttered “meh” under our breath because the previous iterations have been too firm and kinda blah. The Aero Glide 2 is a serviceable shoe… But every brand has a high-cushioned daily running shoe, and if a brand only delivers an “it’s fine” type of experience, it won’t stand out from the (very crowded) crowd. [Editor’s Note: I’m leaving this so people can see what I have to deal with here.]

But…the Salomon Aero Glide 3 arrived, and it proved to be much softer than its predecessors. Could Salomon finally be solving the riddle of the roads? [Editor’s Note: For those who don’t know, Salomon has long been highly respected on the trails.] Let’s find out.

What is the Salomon Aero Glide 3?

According to Salomon, the Aero Glide 3 is a “max cushioned road trainer. The latest iteration of the brand’s max cushioned road shoe is designed to redefine daily miles with energy packed cushion, game-changing comfort and impressive durability.”

Another day, another gamechanger. This is the third one this year, and we’re only in March! I kid – but not really – because that’s a legitimately true stat I recently started keeping. PR and marketing people love to overuse “gamechanger” or “gamechanging”. So just ignore that part.

What actually caught our attention was the “energy packed cushion” portion because the only Salomon road shoes that fit that description are its race day models: the Salomon S/Lab Spectur and the Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2. We’d love to get some of that energy return in a daily trainer, especially because those types of daily trainers are the ones that make our Best Running Shoes list…which is the perfect transition to our first category. [Editor’s Note: Smooooth.]

Cushion

Drew: Salomon went with a new foam for the Aero Glide 3, inspiringly naming it SalomonFOAM. [Editor’s Note: I hope they didn’t pay someone for that naming suggestion.] Yes, I know it’s a name bereft of creativity that doesn’t inspire confidence; but hear me out, it’s actually a good foam and well-suited for daily running.

It’s a beaded ETPU, like adidas Boost; but it feels like it has a softer durometer than what adidas typically uses on its running line, instead feeling like the Boost found in various Yeezy models [Editor’s Note: all of which are now rightfully cancelled due to their progenitor’s  anti-semitism and generally concerning levels of recklessness].

Walking around, I love the new softness that this foam brings to the Salomon lineup. It’s the second most comfortable product underfoot that Salomon has ever produced (behind the aforementioned Spectur). I think lots of people will absolutely love this midsole.

But me? I didn’t love it. Objectively, I know the midsole features a nice softness, but it’s one of those shoes that’s so soft it doesn’t do a good job handling my distribution of weight. It feels softer in the heel than the forefoot. Wearing it on days where my legs were tired from workouts and I was heel striking more, the Aero Glide 3 felt almost zero drop. 

Larger runners, like myself, may feel it’s not consistent enough between forefoot and heel to handle the pounding we do. Because of that, I didn’t take it beyond 8-9 miles; but I’m guessing others will be able to take the Aero Glide 3 on long runs. Specifically, I’m thinking of midfoot and forefoot strikers.

Lucky us, we’ve got one of those on the team. And she got to test the Aero Glide 3 as well. Ladies and gentleman, I present: ANNIE! [Editor’s Note: Not going to lie, I kind of like that you just announced her as if she were a pro basketball player.]   

Annie: My goodness, I’ve never felt so important…and tall. Thank you, Drew.

Okay, so, Drew’s instincts were right on track with what my (mostly) midfoot strike and foot-and-a-half shorter frame experienced. While the SalomonFOAM is definitely soft, it felt more consistent to me than it did to Drew. And the geometry was smooth underfoot. There was also plenty of cushion and general comfort for longer runs. I tested it up to about two hours at a time, and the cushioning-to-weight ratio could take it a bit longer still.

But while the foam had an airy softness and a mild bounce, the Aero Glide 3 didn’t feel quite lively enough for me to want to reach for it for anything beyond daily-type efforts with perhaps a tiny bit of marathon pace thrown into the mix. I just didn’t find it super easy to maintain pacier miles. And for that reason, the Aero Glide 3’s midsole wouldn’t be my personal first choice for my lengthiest or slightly more uptempo outings. 

That’s not to say it’s a deadening, energy-suck type of foam. In fact, it oddly seemed like there was untapped potential in the midsole – as if there was more responsiveness and pep to be found, I just couldn’t access it for some reason.

I think that reason may have come down to sizing in my case. But we’ll get to that later.

Support

Drew: Surprisingly, the Salomon Aero Glide 3 felt plenty supportive for a daily running shoe. The midsole is soft but has a nice wide base. The upper locks down well, and even though the heel counter is minimal, it does a good job securing the heel in its clutches. [Editor’s Note: I’ll never think of heel counters the same way again.] It’s by no means an overstable shoe, but it delivers the type of support expected from a neutral max-cushion model.

Annie: I agree with Drew. The Aero Glide 3’s wider platform and solid lockdown through the midfoot and heel gave it a generally stable and supportive ride. But I didn’t feel much overt structure from the upper or guidance from the midsole (which is a good thing given my set of preferences).

So if that level of support sounds good to you too, great. But if you like a sturdier feel beneath or around your feet, you might want to opt for another model with more noticeable structural elements. Otherwise, there is a respectable-but-not-aggressive amount of support here.

Traction

Drew: I found the Salomon Aero Glide 3’s traction sufficient for the conditions in which I ran in it. I didn’t get a chance to really test it in the rain or wintry conditions; but my normal route, with its varied surfaces, didn’t pose a problem.

I do want to point out the flexible, yet grippy micro-dotted pad in the middle of the forefoot. I like how it bends and flexes and found the way it contacted the ground to be helpful in pushing off. 

The outsole also held its own in terms of durability, and I expect it to last the typical 300-500 miles.

Annie: The average-to-above-average durability was evident with the Aero Glide 3’s outsole; yet, as Drew noted, there was still enough flexibility so that it didn’t interfere with the ride.

Whereas there was barely a dry day on the roads when testing several other recently reviewed shoes (the mucky miles in the Hoka Cielo X1 2.0 especially come to mind), the reverse was true for the Aero Glide 3. So while I can’t say its outsole was put through quite the same weather gauntlet, I can say that it performed well in milder conditions over roads, sidewalks, packed dirt, and even paths dusted with finely ground gravel.

Upper

Drew: Salomon makes a point of calling out the “innovative, seamless upper that fits like a glove”, but that’s a stretch. Make no mistake, the Aero Glide 3’s upper is comfortable, has overlays that are positioned well to keep the foot on the footbed, and fits true-to-size lengthwise; but it’s a fairly standard mesh upper.

Getting into the shoe is a bit weird as the bottom half of the tongue is stitched to the upper. This leaves the top part of the tongue flapping in the wind a bit and requires the wearer tuck it in before tying the laces. Once it’s tucked, it’s in a good spot, but it can be awkward. [Editor’s Note: Tell that to your favorite neighborhood drag queen…iykyk…]

Overall, the comfort trumps the small annoyance of the tongue construction and delivers a hotspot/blister-free experience.

Annie: The tongue is indeed the quirkiest thing about the upper. It’s a bit tall and sits up strangely from a visual perspective, though it didn’t present any functional problems or irritation once I got it positioned and the shoe laced up.

As for the rest of the upper, the mesh was comfortable and fairly stretchy, with a sort of silkiness against the foot that was apparent even with socks on (presumably thanks to the construction that keeps the seams on the outside).

The laces easily drew the upper into a nice midfoot wrap, and I didn’t have any issues with heel lockdown despite the fact that my pair actually fit me a good half-size big…

[Editor’s Note: Prepare to collectively gasp as we discover Drew’s and Annie’s vastly different fit experiences…]

Is the Salomon Aero Glide 3 wide foot friendly?

Drew: Like most Salomon shoes, wide-footers must tread carefully. The last upon which Salomon shoes are built favors the narrower-footed among us, so wide-footers must often go up a half size to even have a shot at enjoying them.

The Salomon Aero Glide 3 does have some wiggle room in the toebox, but the toebox and midfoot (with its sewn-in tongue) aren’t tall and may feel less roomy because of it. So while the Aero Glide 3 is more wide-foot friendly than most Salomon shoes, I’d still tell wide-footers to try it on before buying.

Annie: The Aero Glide 3 marks my first time wearing a Salomon shoe, but I was aware of the brand’s reputation for having a narrower fit (and thus was initially concerned testing might present problems for my wide-ish feet). However, Drew and I ended up having pretty contradictory experiences with the fit as well as the sizing of the Aero Glide 3, and it frankly has us scratching our heads a bit.

My US women’s 6.5 fit me like a typical 7 would, leaving me easily a thumb-and-a-half’s worth of extra length. I also experienced some bagging of the upper material where there was a little more volume and width than my feet required – and I even have a somewhat high instep to go along with my occasional need for extra width through the ball of the foot.

As you can imagine (and already know if you’re a regular reader), it’s an extremely rare thing for me to feel like a shoe legitimately runs big enough to recommend going down half a size (especially as someone with a wide-ish foot), but it’s worth exploring it in this case. Trying on the Aero Glide 3 is the best way to ensure you’re setting yourself up for success given the apparent sizing inconsistencies Drew and I found.

And like I mentioned above when discussing the cushion and possible use cases, the Aero Glide 3’s long(est) run prowess and pace versatility was partly jeopardized by the feeling that I was maneuvering around a good half-size of extra shoe throughout the miles.

Is the Salomon Aero Glide 3 worth $160?

Drew: Yes, the Salmon Aero Glide 3 justifies the standard daily trainer price point of $160. Its components, especially the soft midsole, create a comfortable enough daily cruiser where a lot of people will be deciding between it and more commonly name-checked daily trainers in the $160-$165 range, like the Asics Nimbus or New Balance 1080.

Annie: I think so. And I think the fact that the Aero Glide 3 comes in a lighter package than many of its similarly-stacked competitors is what ultimately seals the deal. Plus, if the foam cooperates well with your stride and you find your optimal sizing, I think you’ll also get more use cases out of the Aero Glide 3 than Drew and I did – and more than you might find in other high-cushioned daily trainers at the $160 price point.

How to use the Salomon Aero Glide 3

The Salomon Aero Glide 3 is a daily running shoe meant to soak up lots of easy and recovery-paced miles and perhaps even longer, moderate runs for some. Sizing/fit may play a larger-than-usual part in whether or not you can eke out more pace versatility from the midsole’s mild bounce.

Salomon Aero Glide 3 Summary

Drew: The Salomon Aero Glide 3’s heel was a little too soft for me personally, but I think this is the best daily trainer Salomon has ever made. The midsole, fit, and outsole will really vibe with certain people and running styles and give them a new option in the daily running shoe landscape.

Annie: I’m always going to root for an airy midsole with a little bounce in a lightweight package. And while I never felt like that translated to much in the way of speed in the Aero Glide 3, I think the extra shoe length I was contending with probably took away from what could have been a nimbler experience. If you can nail down your perfect fit, and the durometer of the foam makes sense for your running style, the Aero Glide 3 offers a cruisy, comfortable, and protective ride.

How does the Author Run?

Drew Whitcomb (age 43, 6’6″ 200lbs): Runs daily with a once a week rest day. Runs a lot of miles due to testing needs and a growing affinity for long-distance races. Regularly competes in marathons, half-marathons, 10k, and 5k races.

Annie Keris (age 39, 5’0” 117lbs): Typically follows a “two days on, one day off” running routine. “On” days include daily miles, speed work, and long runs. An “off” day usually involves yoga and mobility/recovery work. Enjoys occasional racing but perhaps enjoys the training process even more. Gravitates most toward the half marathon distance, but ventures into the 10k and 5k as well. The marathon is thus far uncharted territory…

Disclosure

While Salomon did provide pairs of the Aero Glide 3 to facilitate this review, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.