


The interior felt smooth and the fit was perfect. The first time I put the Wave Rider 25 on, I was impressed with how plush and luxurious the upper felt. So have the major updates that Mizuno has made to the Wave Rider improved it or is it still the same old Wave Rider? Mizuno Wave Rider 25 First Impressions It was far from a fun or engaging ride and I ended up using it for gym workouts. While there were no major faults with it, I found it clunky, stiff and firm. My last experience with a Wave Rider was the 21st version. It’s now $5 more expensive, making it one of the most expensive neutral, mid-range daily trainers. The Wave Rider 25 weighs 0.5 oz less than its predecessor and still has the same heel stack height of 36 mm and 24 mm in the forefoot. The new Wave Rider 25 has also been completely revamped with a more breathable upper and a full-length Enerzy midsole.

The Wave Rider 24 had a filled-in arch section on its outsole for the first time while it also saw the introduction of Enerzy Foam in its heel. However, the last 2 versions of the Wave Rider have been surprising in that they have received much bigger updates than usual which is uncharacteristic for Mizuno. Over the years, the Wave Rider has gained a wide, loyal fanbase and has built a solid reputation of being a consistent, reliable workhorse which doesn’t change much from iteration to iteration. The Mizuno Wave Rider is the second oldest neutral daily trainer- the Nike Pegasus being the oldest.
