Saucony making changes?

Endorphin Pro/Speed 4 will launch March 24

Source?

It should be noted that the Saucony Speed 4 and Pro 4 are already on the feet of some runners. Saucony product managers and reps are bringing samples of the 4s with them to demo events.

The Reddit poster I referred to, u/cbn11, said she was able to hold the new Speed 4 in her hands at local demo event.

The decision to delay the Endorphin release to Spring 2024 seems to have been abruptly made in recent weeks. It's like related to the reshuffling of executives within Wolverine and the exit of Saucony's previous leader. The company and brand is trying something new to jumpstart growth. Wolverine has very little free cash flow compared to their massive debt load. After losing a lot of money in 2022 they decided to make bold moves.

Great news. If only they did this back in 2014 the Triumphs would still be good!

I suspect there is an Inventory issue as well. Many Brands, not just athletic shoes, have huge inventory problems due to Covid years sales swelling and subsequent calming. I have heard stories about thousands of containers of goods having to be stored.

I actually applaud the 2 year life cycle of running franchise products. So many brands ruin great shoes because they HAVE TO CHANGE every year.

Makes total sense.

These useless new versions of the same shoe never changed much. It is just styling to make the last years shoe look bad. And that's the one I am buying.

Saucony and every other company is in business to maximize profits, not oversaturate the market with product, only to sell it at steep discounts because there's too much inventory.

My shoe buying strategy is to find one I like and then stock up when the new release is out so that I can get them at a steep discount. I did this with the Endorphin Speed 2 to an extent. They're still out there but my size is next to impossible to get unless I want to run in a fluorescent shoe. I prefer black shoes or something a lot more subtle. This happened to me also when New Balance went from v2 to v3 in the FuelCell Rebel.

Longer dates between releases make buying this way a lot harder but it's great for the companies.

Considering how much Saucony puts on advertising and sponsorships while have sales decrease, I'm not really surprised. Their classic models do pretty well and it's 0 investment niche for 'em too. Still kinda ehhh 'cause it's going to be 2 year cycle though. Wait so unless they release new models, latest ones won't get clearance ever?

I booked them for for those launch dates.

Have they actually improved their quality? I had a couple of different models maybe a decade ago or less and the uppers just wore holes far sooner than the soles or outsoles were worn out. I do have the Endorphin Speed right now that has held up much better. Overall, Saucony (along with Brooks) seems to use cheap materials and still price essentially the same as comparable shoes from Nike, New Balance, Adidas, and Asics that use significantly better quality components.

I have not noticed any significant difference in quality between Saucony and Asics.

I have run in 2 of the saucony endorphin speed 4s though their wear testing program. Awesome shoe. Let me repeat, awesome shoe, like the best speedy long run shoe i have ever had.

I love Saucony shoes, they are almost the only brand I run in. Fit my feet well and have a variety of shoes for different types of running and seem to last awhile. However, I think their marketing and name recognition is lacking, many people barely know they exist or think they are some niche brand. They've been around forever.

I think they have trouble with marketing. I notice that a lot of older runners get convinced into Hokas for the extra cushion. But Hoka doesn't really offer a unique product anymore (except for some of the more ridiculous looking models) because nearly every shoe company offers max cushioning models these days.

It's all my fault. I always jump all over the outdated model at reduced prices. They are adapting since cheap-skates like me are spoiling it for the everyone else. Downvote accordingly. I got it coming. Me and my Endorphin Speed 2 and Endorphin Pro 2, bought this year.

Why does this really matter? It's amazing what a grip marketing has on people. Rarely is a change to a shoe necessary after a year. Unless it's a drastic technological change, usually the new version is just the same shoe in a different package.

I’m not so sure about this. The quality of Saucony shoes is fine.

sauc0ny has kinda sucked for a while. but really can see how this a huge negative. most shoes only have minor changes anyway

I gladly stand corrected. Like I mentioned, the Endorphin Speed is a noticeable departure from what I've had previously, though I only run in them once every week or two. I suppose my perception might be colored by what others have mentioned, the marketing. They sponsor ho-hum pros and Freedom TC under Tim Broe had some excitement that slumped off into a whimper when Seidel split and then signed with Puma. Contrast that not only with Nike but with NKOTB On Running and Puma. And nothing excites me about Puma and their major caveats, either.