Today, we’re having a look at Reebok Floatride Energy 5. Reebok was born in Bolton, my hometown. The brand was officially born in 1960, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that it hit global success. That success came with the launch of Reebok aerobic shoes in the USA, but prior to this, the brand was manufacturing shoes right here in Bolton. As a teenager in the 1980s the local brand was readily available to runners from my hometown club, Bolton United Harriers and several club members worked for the brand. After breaking into the USA market the brand grew enormously and the rest, as they say, is history.
In recent years, Reebok was acquired by Adidas but is now owned by the American Authentic Brands Group. Given this background and the hometown connection, I’m always a little disappointed that the brand isn’t still a running superpower.
The fact that this shoe, the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 had missed my attention in its first four iterations is also somewhat of a disappointment, especially given how it performs. The Floatride Energy 5 is a great value, everyday training shoe that packs a punch way above its asking price. With a TPU midsole, the shoe looks and feels like some shoes at twice the price!
The TL;DR – What You Need To Know:
8.3
MH RATING
The fact that this shoe, the Floatride Energy 5, had missed my attention in its first four iterations is also a disappointment, especially given how it performs.
- The Floatride Energy 5 is a great value, everyday training shoe that packs a punch way above its asking price.
- With a TPU midsole, the shoe looks and feels like some shoes at twice the price!
The Deets: Tech Specs For The Floatride Energy 5
- MSRP: $250
- Release date: March 31, 2023
- Stack height: 30mm
- Weight: 9.4 oz (men’s size 8)
- Heel-to-toe drop: 8mm
Reebok Floatride Energy 5: First Impressions
The upper of the shoe is a rather simple affair, with a standard mesh design, reasonably breathable, and well-made. The fit isn’t exact and there’s not much stretch or ‘give’ in the fabric to allow it to closely follow the shape of the foot and there is a little bunching in the forefoot area.
That said, it’s not too bad, and the heel collar and Achilles are nicely finished. There’s reasonable padding around the heel collar, providing a very close, neat fit. The heel tab flares away from the Achilles, so there’s no chance of irritation here. The tongue is a little too padded and given that the upper is lower in volume than many shoes this additional padding takes up a little of the available space, reducing the volume of the shoe in the instep.
TPU midsoles are usually found in more premium shoes, so it’s a very pleasant surprise to find it here. It’s a ‘standard’ stack height of around 27mm so although the midsole is responsive, it’s not super-soft due to having less volume than something like a Saucony Triumph 21. The outsole has good rubber coverage and looks to have a grip pattern that will provide reasonable traction on a variety of surfaces.
Here are the Floatride Energy 5’s key specs:
(REE)cycled is Reebok’s name to signify at least 30% of the shoe is made from recycled or repurposed materials. The SPEEDSHIFT upper refers to the upper, but to be honest, there’s nothing here of particular note to demonstrate anything unique!
A midfoot ‘X-plate’ is situated in the midfoot. Reebok says this is for ‘torsional support’. It’s a new addition to the Floatride Energy 5, but I’m not sure if the shoe needs it. It’s only slightly visible through the apertures in the outsole rubber and sits a little forward of the midfoot where this type of device might normally be found.
That said the part that crosses the width of the shoe to reduce any lateral movement is so small it’s hardly noticeable! The Floatride Energy Foam is a feature worth talking about. This TPU midsole is lively and responsive and a step up from regular EVA-based materials.
Road Testing The Reebok Floatride Energy 5
First up for the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 was a steady 10k. The Floatride Energy Foam does a great job; it soaks up the impact and has a nice degree of feedback and ‘bounce’. Okay, it’s not the highest stack height, but I could honestly see this being a higher stack shoe and working well. Any doubts over the fit weren’t noticeable while on the run. I simply keep reminding myself of the price and what great value this shoe is.
The traction from the outsole is good. On the damp roads and pavements, the small stud-like pattern seemed to ‘bite’ nicely, and I felt secure and confident in my footing. I’d be happy to take these onto some light trails and gravel paths.
I tried the shoes for my end-of-week easy run and stride sessions. Here I simply jog a few miles and then do around 6 to 8 strides of around 100m. This isn’t a flat-out speed session, merely more of a shakeout run. The shoe is light enough and flexible enough for speed strides, and the midsole cushioning feels great. The cushioning feels like it would be at its best for around an hour of easy running, to be honest. Perhaps that’s simply because we are now used to higher stack shoes with more of these modern cushioning-type materials.
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Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Review Takeaways
In conclusion, the overriding factor with the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 is that it offers great value for money. I can only think of one other shoe at around this price point, the Brooks Trace 2, and to be honest, that’s still a shoe with a regular compression-molded EVA midsole. For the price, I can forget about the fit of the upper, it’s good enough and any durability concerns for the long term aren’t really going to be relevant.
All-in-all, the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 offers a great deal of shoe for not a great deal of money.
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