Outsole’s for running shoes are generally on the thinner side; the same cannot be said for this shoe. The outsole on this shoe has a thick cut of hardened rubber that provides some of the cushioning that these shoes require when in use. The outsole of this shoe has one crazy design; the shoe features a design that makes use of geometric shapes in an effort to provide the wearer with a bit of differentiation in patterning and in turn a bit of traction. The thick cut of the sole unit also allows the shoe to have a bit more cushioning; the outsole is made of rubber but is still thick enough to give the wearer a bit of shock absorption. The shoe is designed more for comfort and not for the wearer to really perform in; the outsole of the shoe makes this terribly apparent.

Most shoes nowadays have a design of primarily EVA foam; this is definitely not the case for the Saucony Kineta Relay. The midsole on the Kineta Relay is designed from a FORM2U cushioning material; this material is a huge contributor to the shoe’s ability to provide the wearer with any level of comfort. An extremely comforting effect of a shoe is that it provides the wearer with a form-fitting feel or in other words, conforms to the shape of the wearer’s foot. This shoe doesn’t disappoint and blends right in with the curves of the wearers foot. The shoe is cushioned in such a way a to prevent discomfort and to make the foot feel as if the wearer is literally walking on a cloud(not really); the cushioning loses a bit of it’s durability over time due to this feature and over time, will result in the shoe being much more compressed than is normal for a shoe.

The upper on the shoe plays an extremely important part in providing the wearer with a decent level of comfort as well as ensuring that one doesn’t have to worry about wearing shoes that are unattractive. The Kineta Relay has an upper that is fashioned from a mesh material; mesh is the primary material that is used in the design of shoes and for good reason at that. The mesh upper of the Kineta Relay is highly ventilated and allows one to have a shoe that provides the wearer with a sweat relieving comforting ride when in use. The cut of the mesh on the upper also aids the shoe in providing a lightweight feel while in use that is aided by the porousness of the material that makes up the upper’s design. The design of the ankle on the shoe is also unique in that it is designed from comfortable materials that really aid the runner while the shoe is worn.

The design of this shoe is weird; that’s not a bad thing necessarily. The outer portion of the shoe looks to be filled with cushioning materials and to be relatively comfortable and it is; the thing about the shoe is that it is so lightweight while also having the cushioning that is present throughout the design. The lightweight effect that is achieved by this shoe is due in part because of the fact that the upper on the shoe really lacks any of the special add-ons that most shoes are designed with; really the entirety of the design is done in such a way as to eliminate the excess weight that may be carried with it. The lightweight design of the shoe really helps in eliminating the discomfort felt by the shoe and allows it to provide for the wearer in most areas.

Mesh uppers generally have a special quirk about them; they achieve a level of breathability that is just out of this world. The upper on the Kineta Relay is designed from a thin mesh material that provides the wearer with what they need in terms of breathability. Airflow is increasingly important in the design of shoes of this nature, mainly because of the fact that the material is extremely porous and doesn’t retain much of the excess sweat that is produced by the wearer’s foot; this allows the shoe to provide the wearer with a decent level of regulation in terms of heat retention and works to ensure that discomfort doesn’t become abundant in a shoe’s design. One thing to keep in mind with the design of this shoe is that, since it’s extremely breathable, it doesn’t work very well at providing the wearer with a high level of comfort in the colder climates/temperatures; not the worst thing in the world since the shoe is designed to be used in warmer temperatures in the first place.

The design of the shoe is one that provides the wearer with a fairly decent level of comfort; the look of the shoe itself is one that appears to be comfortable, which leads one to the fact that the shoe will work extremely well as one that provides a comfortable feel. The mesh in the design of the shoes upper allows it to conform to the shape of the wearer’s foot and ensures that the wearer doesn’t have a whole lot of trouble in regard to discomfort; the lack of layering and overlays definitely works to improve this feature of the shoe. The cushioning in the shoe is also one of the reasons why it provides the wearer with a fair level of comfort; the heel of the shoe and the sole unit provide this cushioning and allows one to really feel the material in the shoe in entirety. One more thing is that the level of airflow provided by this shoe also works to provide the wearer with a fair level of comfort and ensures that the wearer doesn’t feel discomfort very much due to heat retention.

To some this shoe really resembles a moccasin-like running shoe; it really makes sense for one to think so. The cut of the shoe is very thin and somewhat wide; the stretch features of the mesh really accentuates the wideness of the shoe. The base of the shoe is designed to blend with the wide effect of the upper of the shoe; the sole unit of relatively thick due to the double layering that can be found throughout the design of the shoe. This is more of a comfort shoe than one that is meant to provide the wearer with features that improves the overall functionality and athletically complimenting features. They come in the standard colorways such as grey, blue etc.; this gives the wearer a bit of variety in what they can choose from in terms of outfits.

There is a high level of cushioning in place throughout the design of this shoe; it works to give one a bit of comfort and allows the shoe to protect the wearer’s foot a bit. The cushioning is one of the necessary features of a shoe that is designed to give the wearer any level of comfort and to ensure that the wearer has what they need to protect the curves of their foot and keep them from actually feeling the surface that they are walking one. The sole unit of the shoe is one of the things that provide the wearer with what they need in terms of cushioning due to the overall thickness of the shoe itself.

The material in the sole unit of the shoe allows the wearer to feel a decent level of comfort and responsiveness while the shoe is in use. The sole unit is relatively thick; both levels of the shoe provide the wearer with what they need in terms of impact resistance and work to be somewhat responsive. The fact that the shoe wasn’t really designed to be worn in situations that require an extremely high level of action explains why the shoe doesn’t have a very high level of responsiveness. The Form2U cushioning in the shoe forms directly to the wearer’s foot but, doesn’t help with the overall transitions in any way.

The design of this shoe doesn’t really allow for much in the way of support to be provided to the wearer’s foot, to be honest. The sole unit of the shoe is somewhat flexible and conforms to the shape of the wearer’s foot, but this may be the thing that holds it back in terms of functionality. The lack of curvature in the shoe’s design somewhat causes it to be held back in the area of support; The design of the inner portion of the shoe doesn’t totally allow it to provide support for the arches of the wearer’s foot. This can be somewhat fixed with the use of an insert that forms to the curves of the wearer’s foot when in use.

This shoe is designed for use on terrains that are a bit more uniform in texture; keep this in mind because of the fact that the material is not the most durable. It can be used to run on roads and things of the like but, probably shouldn’t be used in this way frequently because of the fact that the material is so fragile. All things being considered, the shoe can be used for running on indoor surfaces such as treadmills and things of that nature with very little trouble; these surfaces are extremely developed and won’t serve to degrade the traction achieved by this shoe in any way.

One of the good things about this shoe is that it is fairly inexpensive. The material in this shoe actually justifies the price of this shoe in that way; the materials aren’t very durable, and most wouldn’t be willing to pay an extremely high price for a shoe that won’t last for very long. With that being said, they do make the shoes rather decent in terms of their ability to function as a sort of “play shoe”; this means that its overall inexpensive design allows it to be worn in the activities that will serve to “destroy” any type of shoe and ensure that the wearer can replace them. It's also very comfortable though, which somewhat works to the shoe's advantage when worn.

This shoe doesn’t have the most traction-gaining properties, that’s for sure. Saucony gave the shoe a multi-directional triangle pattern in the sole unit to give it a sort of grip enhancing feature when in use; this does serve to provide the wearer with a bit more in the way of grip while in use and ensures that one doesn’t really have to worry about complete slippage while the shoe is in use. Since the shoe is designed for primary use on indoor surfaces, this should be kept in mind when considering whether or not they are going to purchase the shoe for strenuous activities or not.

The Kineta Relay’s design is one that allows a decent level of flex to be achieved while in use. Mesh is generally a material that allows for a decent level of movement to experienced by the wearer of the shoe; when considering a shoe for comfort or athletic purposes this is on of the more important weighting factors. The mesh in the upper is benefitted by the lack of overlays that ate present throughout; this ensures that one doesn’t have to worry about the material restricting their movements in anyway which causes discomfort. The sole unit of the shoe also moves relatively easily due to the actual Form2U cushioning that is used for the creation of this part of the shoe.

The shoe doesn’t have very many stability-providing features, that’s for sure. When the upper of a shoe is designed without the use of very many overlays and moves to fit the size and width of the wearer’s foot, it doesn’t have very many stability providing features; this is the case with the upper of this shoe. The sole unit of the shoe doesn’t have very much in the way of traction which can result in slippage and adds to the overall lack of stability that the shoe provides to the wearer of the shoe.

The drop on the shoe is very, very low. The shoe features a drop of about 4 mm which results in it providing the wearer with a higher level of comfort than that generally provided. A low heel to toe ratio allows a shoe to provide wearers with smooth transitions; this isn’t completely necessary for this shoe but does allow it to be overall comfortable when in use.

• EVA foam midsole
• Triangular lugs on outsole
• Mesh upper
• FORM2U cushioning

To be honest, if the shoe is being reviewed for its feasibility for use in activities that require a high level of movement then, it wouldn’t really do very well. But, if looked at for the comfort that it allows as a lifestyle shoe, then it would do extremely well; the cushioning in this shoe is amazing. The Form2U material in this shoe allows it to provide the wearer with what they need in terms of comfort and ensures that the material in the shoe conforms to the wearers foot. The price of the shoe makes it easily repairable and would actually makes this shoe one that provides the wearer with what they need in terms of an everyday comfort shoe.