Saucony Ride 18 vs Adidas Ultraboost 5X:
Which to Choose

Start with how close they are: the Ride 18 weighs about 274g and the Ultraboost 5X about 272g (men's size 9), so neither is meaningfully lighter — any sense that the Ultraboost feels heavier comes from its foam, not the scale. Stack heights are similarly matched at roughly 37mm heel for the Ride and 38mm for the Ultraboost, with the main geometric difference being drop: 8mm on the Ride versus 10mm on the Ultraboost, so the Saucony sits a touch flatter and the Adidas puts a little more pitch under the heel. Where they genuinely diverge is ride character. The Ride 18's single-density PWRRUN foam is protective but firm — it transitions smoothly and never wallows, giving an honest, planted feel that stays controlled as pace picks up. The Ultraboost 5X's Boost TPU foam is the opposite personality: soft, dense and noticeably springy, with a bouncy rebound at relaxed paces but a tendency to feel sluggish when you push, because that same dense foam doesn't snap back quickly under speed. The uppers reinforce the split — the Ride uses a conventional laced, breathable engineered mesh that's easy to dial in and stays cool, while the Ultraboost's laceless Primeknit gives a sock-like, slip-on hug that many love but which runs warm on hot days and offers less lockdown adjustability. That difference in versatility shows in range: the Ride 18 comfortably covers 10K, half and full marathon and still works down around 4:45–5:00 min/km, whereas the Ultraboost 5X is happiest on 10K and half distances with a slower effective ceiling near 5:30 min/km. Both are neutral with a wide, stable platform and neither corrects overpronation.