I was excited to try the Reebok Floatride Energy X. I’ve been a big fan of Reebok for a while my rotation for the last few years has included the Reebok Floatride Energy 3(a daily trainer) and Reebok Floatride Run Fast Pro (track work). The Reebok Floatride Energy X is the carbon-plated Reebok shoe designed for long runs and races.
Reebok Floatride Energy X Quick Facts:
Weight: 9.1 oz
Heel to Toe Drop: 6 mm
Price: $170
Reebok Floatride Energy X Intro:
Right off the bat, the $170 price point excites me. There aren’t a lot of carbon plated shoes at that price point. It resembles a super shoe with a lot of cushion and foam. I guess that’s good because that’s exactly what it is.
Reebok Floatride Energy X Fit:
One of my favorite features about Reebok right now (besides being good running shoes) is many of their running shoes use recycled materials. The Energy X uses 30% recycled or repurposed materials! It has a lightweight Flexweave woven textile upper. The Flexweave woven textile upper is designed to provide stretch and support in key performance areas.
What does this mean? The upper is extremely lightweight and breathable. I’ve already run a few times in the heat and I don’t worry about my feet overheating but also they drain water fairly easily.
My personal opinion is the best running shoe upper disappears off your feet and for a racing shoe, the Reebok Floatride Energy X does just that. The tongue is slightly thinner than I prefer but no one wants a super padded tongue for a racing shoe. There isn’t a lot of material in the heel area and you don’t have to worry about it rubbing against your Achilles.
While the Reebok Floatride Energy X fits true to size, it is only available in unisex whole sizes right now. This might be the only “real running shoe” I’ve seen that is available only in while sizes. I typically wear between a women’s size 10-11 wide and the size m 9/w 10.5 fits perfectly. That would be the size I would order anyway.
Reebok Floatride Energy X Ride:
This is what most people care for in a carbon-plated shoe right?
Do you feel the carbon plate in the Reebok Floatride Energy X?
Is the Reebok Floatride Energy X fast?
I believe the Reebok Floatride Energy X is the fastest marathon racing shoe from Reebok.
Just looking at the Floatride Energy X, it looks like a lot of shoe. Many of the “fastest” carbon plated shoes aren’t low profile.
Durability and Traction: I haven’t tried a Reebok running shoe that doesn’t have good traction. The rubber allows you to grip the ground well. The Reebok Floatride Energy X has plenty of traction. I’ve used it on sandy trails as well as on a couple of inclement weather days and it performs well. I do believe it has better traction than most other carbon plated shoes. As far as durability, I’ve run about 50 miles and I expect it to last somewhere around 150 miles which is long for a carbon plated shoe.
I’ve taken the Reebok Floatride Energy X out for a few types of runs and I find it best for longer and faster runs. It’s not designed to run easy runs and I prefer the Reebok Floatride Run Fast Pro for track work. I feel just as fast as other carbon-plated shoes and I feel the carbon plate propelling me forward.
It uses a TPE foam which makes the Energy X much softer than many other shoes. On my first run, I found it fairly stiff but after a few miles it became much softer. I also find, it’s much firmer if you try to easy runs in it (but then again that’s not what you want to do with it). Because the carbon plate isn’t as aggressive, it’s a great carbon plated shoe if you don’t want something too aggressive or if you have problems with carbon plates.
Reebok Floatride Energy X Conclusion:
The Floatride Energy X is a fast shoe. It’s not a fast shoe for the price but a fast shoe that comes in $80 cheaper than many of it’s competitors. It’s definitely one of my more favorite fast shoes. My hope is they’ll sell enough to merit creating half sizes and eventually a women’s specialty size as well. In all, it’s definitely a shoe to keep your eye on, but honestly, Reebok, in general is a brand to keep your eyes on. Since they are a larger company, many of their high-quality trainers are cheaper than competitors.
My Current Shoe Rotation:
Easy/Daily Runs: Brooks Aurora, Diadora Mythos Blushield Volo, New Balance 1080 v11, Saucony Triumph 19, Brooks Launch 9
Speed Work: 361 Flame, Nike Tempo Next%, Reebok Float Ride Run fast Pro, Nike ZoomX Streakfly,Reebok Floatride Energy X
Long Runs: Saucony Freedom 4, Hoka Clifton Edge, Under Armour Sonic HOVR 3
Trail Running/Hiking: Saucony Peregrine 12, Hoka Torrent 2, Hoka Zinal Shoe, Speedland SL: PDX, North Face Flight VECTIV
Races: Nike ZoomX Streakfly, Asics Metaspeed Sky,Hoka One One Rocket X, adidas Adizero Pro,New Balance Fuelcell 5280, Nike Next%, Saucony Endorphin Pro 2, Reebok Run fast Pro
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Questions for you:
Have you tried the Reebok Floatride Energy X?
What is your favorite training shoe?