The number of options of door-to-trail shoes continues to expand, and overall, I’m here for it. After all, a large portion of the trail running community isn’t running highly technical, vert-intensive goat tracks every day. I’m also here for Saucony’s movement into the space with the Saucony Ride 15 TR ($140).

Saucony has taken one of their bread-and-butter road shoes, the Saucony Ride 15, and added some key features — 3.5-millimeter lugged PWRTRAC outsole, robust toe bumper, and supportive webbing straps integrated from the midsole to the laces — to create the Saucony Ride 15 TR. This yields a really solid option for those running light trails, pavement mixed with smoother dirt, and gravel roads. This well-cushioned, neutral, daily trainer is an 8-millimeter drop shoe with a stack height of 35 millimeters in the heel to 27 millimeters in the toe. It’s relatively lightweight for the amount of cushioning, with an actual weight of 9.3 ounces (265 grams) in a U.S. men’s size 9. Of note, this shoe contains recycled materials and is vegan.

The Saucony Ride 15 TR is absolutely designed for miles of gravel roads like Waterton Canyon near Denver, Colorado, the farm roads of central Nebraska, and the crushed gravel rails-to-trails segments found in many states. Buffed-out, rolling, dirt singletrack requiring a mile of pavement to reach is also perfect for the low-profile lugs and softer ride. They are not ideal for highly cambered, technical steeps and slopes, or messy mud and snow, nor are they meant to be. I’ve enjoyed the shoes for mellow weather “daily constitutional” runs with only one issue — the toebox is rather narrow and low volume, which renders the shoe to the half marathon or less range for my preferred distance.

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Saucony Ride 15 TR Upper

The protective mesh upper of the Saucony Ride 15 TR is quite breathable yet durable and dense enough to keep most dust and occasional trail debris out, even on windy days when taking a shortcut through a stubbly field. On the colder days, I found my toes got a little chilly, so I anticipate the breathability on warm days (which have been distinctly lacking in Colorado this winter) would allow adequate temperature regulation. The shoes easily dried within 24 hours on the few days I tested them in three to four inches of light snow.

Saucony…