Which should you buy?
Choose the Ride TR3 if you love the Ride 19 and want the same feel on mixed routes.
Choose the Ghost Trail if you want a Ghost-style ride or need a wide fit.
The Ride TR3 is 14 g lighter than the Ghost Trail. It has 2.5 mm more foam under the heel. It costs £5 more at full price.
Side by side
| Spec | Ride TR3Saucony | Ghost TrailBrooks |
|---|---|---|
| Review score | Not enough reviews yet | 86/100 (2 reviews) |
| Type | Road to trail | Road to trail |
| Weight (men's UK 8.5) | 286 g | 300 g |
| Heel stack | 39 mm | 36.5 mm |
| Drop | 8 mm | 8 mm |
| Cushioning | Balanced | Balanced |
| Bounce | Lively | Calm |
| Plate | No plate | No plate |
| Support | Neutral | Inherently stable |
| Fit | True to size | True to size |
| Widths | standard | standard, wide |
| Waterproof version | Saucony Ride TR3 GTX | No |
| UK RRP | £140 | £135 |
Weights are for a men's US 9 / UK 8.5. Prices are UK RRPs; shops often sell for less.
What the critics say
The reviews comparedReviewers see both as road-to-trail shoes for gravel and light trails. Run Oregon's Matt Rasmussen found the Saucony Ride TR3 instantly familiar for Ride 19 fans, if slightly heavier than the road shoe. Road Trail Run's Zack Russell and RunRepeat's Carlos Sánchez rated the Brooks Ghost Trail versatile, with dependable grip and a stable heel, but both found it heavy.
Ride TR3
- Familiar Ride 19 feel, so Ride fans settle in straight away
- One shoe for pavement, gravel and light trails, handy when the route is unknown
- A little heavier than the road Ride 19
- Not built for technical or very muddy trails
Ghost Trail
- Handles road, gravel and easy trail in one shoe
- Stable, secure heel
- Good grip on dry rock and gravel
- Heavy for its purpose
- Out of its depth in mud; tapered toe box
Scores from RunRepeat, Road Trail Run.
Paraphrased from published reviews.
About each shoe
About the Ride TR3
Retailer SportsShoes calls the Ride TR3 the ruggedised sibling of the Ride 19: a road-to-trail shoe for runners who mix pavement with packed dirt, gravel and rooted sections. For steeper, more technical ground, i-Run points to the Peregrine 16, while the Guide TR is built on a broad PWRRUN base for similar mixed routes.
The cushioning is PWRRUN+, the TPU-based foam family used in the road Ride, set into a trail-ready platform with an SRS sockliner on top. Underneath, a PWRTRAC rubber outsole with 3.5 mm lugs is designed to grip packed dirt and loose gravel, and has been reworked from the TR2 for more flexibility. The breathable mesh upper adds rubber toe reinforcement and extra protection in high-abrasion zones. Drop is 8 mm. A GORE-TEX version, the Ride TR3 GTX, is available for wet conditions.
Specs and features from sportsshoes.com, roadrunnersports.com, i-run.com and our own spec data. A factual overview, not a review.
About the Ghost Trail
Taking the Ghost off the tarmac, the Ghost Trail is Brooks' road-to-trail shoe for gravel, towpaths and easier paths. It uses the same DNA Loft v3 cushioning, a nitrogen-infused EVA-based foam, as the road-going Ghost 18, but pairs it with a lugged TrailTack Green rubber outsole and a mesh upper with a TPU-reinforced toe cap. Its outsole rocker geometry also differs from the road Ghost.
Among Brooks' trail shoes, it is aimed at the least technical ground: the Cascadia 20 is built for technical terrain with Vibram Megagrip rubber, and the Catamount 4 adds a SkyVault plate for faster running. Brooks also lists hiking among its uses. The Ghost Trail has a 36.5 mm heel stack and an 8 mm drop, and it is available in standard and wide fits, making it one shoe for routes that mix road and trail.
Specs and features from runrepeat.com and our own spec data. A factual overview, not a review.
Ride TR3 vs Ghost Trail
In short
Two trail versions of famous road trainers. The Ride TR3 is 14 g lighter and a little taller at 39 mm, but £5 more. The Ghost Trail comes in a wide fit, and reviewers rate its grip on gravel and dry rock and its secure heel, though they found it heavy, tapered in the toe and out of its depth in mud.
- LighterRide TR3
- CheaperGhost Trail
- More foamRide TR3
- BouncierRide TR3
- More widthsGhost Trail
Get the full story
SauconyEverything on the Ride TR32 video reviews, what critics loved and didn't, fit and sizing advice, full specs and today's prices.Explore the Ride TR3
BrooksEverything on the Ghost Trail3 video reviews, scores from 2 published reviews, what critics loved and didn't, fit and sizing advice, full specs and today's prices.Explore the Ghost TrailMore comparisons
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