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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Saucony Nomad First LookReview}}The Saucony Nomad is marketed as intended to be a trail shoe, and I'm mostly a Road Runner, but my Friend Nathan at [http://the-ultra-running-company.shoplightspeed.com/ The Charlotte Ultra Running Company] recommended it as a multi surface shoe. Unlike some trail shoes, the Nomad has an outsole that works well on roads, but I found myself unimpressed with it in either scenario. The ride is Nomad has relatively low little cushioning, with an almost minimalist feel, harsh ride. To put it in perspective, it has a little less cushioning than the [[New Balance RC5000v2]] that weighs only 4 ounces. I found the Nomad very slightly uneven in the forefoot, but otherwise fairly neutral. It has all one of the least breathable uppers I've come across, and I wondered if it was intended to be waterproof (it isn't.) The toe box shape is not bad for a Saucony, but it's still a long way from a shoe designed for the human foot, and I found it far more comfortable once I'd cut the toe box open. (I've never had a problem with debris in a shoe with toe box cut open except for running through long grass.) While rated it looks like in as "worth considering" as there are better shoes on the outsole is continuous rubbermarket, it's actually segmented and therefore especially given some of the slightly odd design decisions Saucony made with the flexibility is not bad. In fact it's a rather springy forefoot, which is rather nice. This is an initial preview rather than a full review, so I'll update it once I've put more miles onNomad.{| class<gallery widths="wikitable" style300px heights="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"|- valign300px class="topcenter">|[[File:Saucony Nomad-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Nomad-top.jpg]]|The top view|[[File:Saucony Nomad-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Nomad-outside.jpg]]|- valign="top"The outside (lateral) view|[[File:Saucony Nomad-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Nomad-bottom.jpg]]|The sole|[[File:Saucony Nomad-inside.jpg|noneSaucony Nomad-inside|The inside (medial) view</gallery>{{FastBlr|thumbhoka-one-one/Nomad-2-1062|150px1062|Saucony Hoka Nomad}}=Characteristics=* {{H:cushioning}}. The Nomad uses very firm foam, and a thick layer of outsole material, resulting in a shoe that has relatively little cushioning given its weight. This approach does give the Nomad some protection from stones, but it produces a rather inefficient shoe. For instance, the Nomad has about the same cushioning as the original [[New Balance RC5000‏‎]], but weighs more than three times as much.* {{H:drop}}. The Nomad has about a 2mm drop when loaded, though something about the shoe made if feel like more. If you're after a low drop shoe, pay attention when you try the Nomad out. * {{H:structure}}. The Nomad appears to use a single density of foam, with no noticeable structure. * {{H:flexibility}}. The Nomad is rather inflexible, and is closer to a maximalist shoes flexibility than you might expect. The yellow rubber outsole has a diamond shape, and some of the rows of diamonds are actually separate from the neighbors. I think this is intended to increase flexibility, but in practice there is very little separation of the outsole areas.* {{H:outsole}}. The Nomad-insidehas a rather unusual outsole, using a diamond pattern noted above.jpgThe rubber is a little stickier than a traditional rubber outsole but I didn't find that the traction was as good as the Hoka shoes that use [[RMAT]]. * {{H:shape}}. The Nomad has the shape of most running shoes, which doesn't match a healthy human foot. (If you're on your way to bunions, then the Nomad will fit a little better while exacerbating the problem.) I found the Nomad was far better after I [[Shoe Dissection|cut open the toe box]]. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}* {{H:upper}}. Another strange design choice is the upper, which is thick enough and so lacking in breathability that I wondered if it was intended to be waterproof (it's not.) There are quite a lot of reinforcement overlays, though they didn't cause me any problems. The Nomad has Saucony's rather annoying strap around the midfoot, which they think improves their shoes fit. This "Pro-Lock", is intended to create extra pressure around the midfoot, but it's actually fairly innocuous when you're running. However, I did find it made it trickier to get the laced tension just right. The forefoot is unpadded, with padding starting just behind the midfoot and going around the ankle opening. Ankle opening is nicely padded and comfortable. One feature that a little hard to see the photos is a small loop to attach a gaiter to, just in front of the laces.* {{H:tongue}}. The Nomad's tongue continues the somewhat unusual design decisions by having a tongue that is a continuation of the upper for its first half, then a traditional padded tongue for the top half. I think this makes the Nomad a little uncomfortable across the top of your foot, and on occasion it irritated my tendons enough to cause me pain for a few days afterwards. If you have any issues with the top of your foot, I would avoid the Nomad.* {{H:lacing}}. The Nomad uses surprisingly ordinary flat laces that stayed tied nicely. * {{H:heelcounter}}. There is a hard, unyielding heel counter, but your foot is protected and isolated from it by a good level of padding (which also renders the heel counter rather pointless.)