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Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Review

A solid performer at a great price, but it doesn’t stand out
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Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Review
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Price:  $110 List
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Manufacturer:   Reebok
By Nathaniel Bailey ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Nov 3, 2024
60
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#23 of 30
  • Landing Comfort - 30% 6.0
  • Responsiveness - 20% 6.0
  • Stability - 15% 5.5
  • Upper Comfort - 15% 6.5
  • Weight - 15% 5.8
  • Traction - 5.0% 7.5
Length Sizing
Runs Small
Runs Large
Width Sizing
Runs Narrow
Runs Wide

Our Verdict

Running in the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 feels like a throwback to old-school trainers, but not in a bad way. It's simple, decent at everything, and has no frills. While it's not our first choice for any run, it sits at a wallet-friendly price point and gets the job done. The TPU midsole provides some bounce and it's responsive enough to touch on faster paces. If you can get past the narrow fit, it could be a good budget trainer for you.
REASONS TO BUY
Price
Good all-around performance
REASONS TO AVOID
Warm upper
Runs narrow
Takes some breaking in

Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)
 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Men's Running Shoes
Top Pick Award
Excellent Performance without a Plate
Best Buy Award
Best Bang for Your Buck
 
Price $110 List
$64.95 at Amazon		Check Price at REI
Compare at 2 sellers		$139.95 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers		$135 List
$135.00 at Amazon		$120 List
$119.95 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
60
72
71
70
62
Star Rating
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Bottom Line All-around decent performance on a budgetA daily trainer that can handle most runs, the Novablast 4 is fun and extremely comfortableBouncy, responsive and well-cushioned, this shoe is performance-oriented but still versatileA daily trainer that blends comfort and versatility at a reasonable pricePlush cushioning and a bit of pace in a budget shoe
Rating Categories Reebok Floatride En... Asics Novablast 4 New Balance FuelCel... Puma Velocity Nitro 3 New Balance FuelCel...
Landing Comfort (30%)
6.0
8.3
8.5
8.0
7.5
Responsiveness (20%)
6.0
7.0
7.5
7.0
6.0
Stability (15%)
5.5
7.0
4.0
6.0
5.0
Upper Comfort (15%)
6.5
8.0
6.0
7.0
6.5
Weight (15%)
5.8
5.8
8.4
5.3
4.7
Traction (5.0%)
7.5
4.0
6.2
9.0
6.5
Specs Reebok Floatride En... Asics Novablast 4 New Balance FuelCel... Puma Velocity Nitro 3 New Balance FuelCel...
Measured Weight 9.73 oz 9.76 oz 7.98 oz 10.07 oz 10.52 oz
Measured Heel Stack Height 32 mm 43 mm 30 mm 38 mm 38 mm
Measured Heel-to-Toe Drop 9 mm 7 mm 7 mm 11 mm 7 mm
Plate Type None None None None Full Length Plastic
Rocker Angle 21.5 deg 22.5 deg 19.5 deg 18.0 deg 19.0 deg
Rocker Apex Location 66.1% 66.5% 62.2% 66.7% 68.3%
Style Daily Trainer Daily Trainer Daily Trainer Daily Trainer Daily Trainer
Upper Engineered knit Engineered woven/knit FantomFit Engineered knit Engineered mesh
Midsole Floatride Energy FF Blast + Eco FuelCell NITROFOAM FuelCell
Outsole Rubber AHAR Lo Rubber PumaGrip Rubber
Heel Tab Type None Finger loop None None None
Sizes Available 7-14 US, regular 6 - 15 US, regular 7-16 US, regular & wide 7 - 14 US, regular 7-18 US, regular & wide

Our Analysis and Test Results

Budget shoes rarely do everything well, and the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 is no exception to that rule. It's solid at a lot of things but doesn't stand out in anything except price. That does make it a decent all-arounder, with a few caveats.

Performance Comparison


The Reebok Floatride Energy 5 is a solid, if uninspiring, daily trainer.
Credit: Nathaniel Bailey

Landing Comfort


The Floatride Energy 5 feels old-school. It “only” has 32 mm of stack height under the heel and 23 mm under the forefoot, which is low by today's standards. Reebok managed to keep the cushioning solid with the Floatride Energy foam, though. It's enough to insulate the legs and keep us from bottoming out the cushioning. It is pretty firm, though, which means we didn't love using it for recovery days when our legs were beat up.

reebok floatride energy 5 - there isn't a ton of foam, and it's relatively firm by today's...
There isn't a ton of foam, and it's relatively firm by today's standards, but the Floatride Energy 5 is still a comfortable daily.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Reebok added a midfoot plate to the shoe for torsional stability. We found that the X-plate definitely reduced midfoot comfort. Mid/forefoot landings at pace felt harsh, but slower running when we were farther back on our feet had better transitions. This is one of the few shoes we've tested recently that took some breaking in. We experienced significant discomfort around the area of the X-plate, particularly on the outside of our midfoot. After about 30 miles, the shoe was much more comfortable, although still a little tight around the midfoot.

reebok floatride energy 5 - here, the floatride (bottom) is shown next to another shoe that runs...
Here, the Floatride (bottom) is shown next to another shoe that runs a little narrower in the midfoot, the Hoka Clifton 10. We think the combination of the X-plate and the comparatively narrow platform is why we experienced discomfort around the midfoot.

Responsiveness


This shoe has a mild rocker, which helps when you try to pick up the pace. It feels fine for strides and can handle threshold workouts, although it is not the shoe we could choose for quality sessions. The foam lacks the energy return of faster shoes. That isn't to say it's bad; the shoe's responsiveness is solidly decent.

reebok floatride energy 5 - the shoe has a mild rocker, but does best at easy paces.
The shoe has a mild rocker, but does best at easy paces.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Stability


The X-plate that caused some discomfort does help to provide some lateral stability. This is a neutral daily trainer that errs on the side of stability.

Upper Comfort


The upper and overall fit of the Floatride Energy 5 runs narrow. That's our biggest complaint about the shoe, particularly around the midfoot area. We didn't experience any hotspots or rubbing, but we did notice that the upper did not breathe well on warm days. Runners with wider feet will not do well with this shoe, and we would advise you to look elsewhere if you know you need a higher-volume toe box.

reebok floatride energy 5 - the upper really does not breathe well.
The upper really does not breathe well.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Weight


For a daily trainer, the measured weight of 9.73 ounces per shoe (size US 10.5) isn't bad, placing it spot on average for the group. We think a lightweight upper could help reduce some weight, but the shoe doesn't feel unreasonably heavy. We don't have any major complaints here.

reebok floatride energy 5 - a lighter upper could help, but the shoe feels reasonably nimble on...
A lighter upper could help, but the shoe feels reasonably nimble on our feet as is.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Traction


Thanks to a fairly aggressive tread pattern, traction is solid, and we experienced no issues on various surfaces.

reebok floatride energy 5 - the x-plate caused some discomfort, but helps with torsional...
The X-plate caused some discomfort, but helps with torsional stability. The grip is solid.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Should You Buy the Reebok Floatride Energy 5?


For a simple, affordable daily trainer, the Floatride Energy 5 is solid. A jack of all trades, master of none, it can do a bit of everything but doesn't excel at anything. If you have narrower feet and like a firmer ride, it might work well for you.

What Other Running Shoes Should You Consider?


The Puma Velocity Nitro 3 is one of our favorite budget-friendly shoes. It packs better all-around performance at a decent price. We'd recommend it over the Floatride Energy 5. The New Balance FuelCell Propel v5 is a similarly affordable trainer that performs well across a number of metrics.

— Nathaniel Bailey
 
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