It's not every day we see Saucony Originals come out with a brand new hybrid model, but this season they've bucked that trend and introduced the GRID 8500. As some of you will work out from the title, it's a GRID 8000 and GRID 9000 hybrid, with the sole of the former and the upper of the latter. This Olive colourway is one of three debut iterations.
The upper features a range of different materials. The forefoot comes in nubuck, perforated and un-perforated in different areas, and fairly thick mesh which despite its reinforced nature still offers great breathability. Moving to the midfoot, and nubuck is again very prominent providing much needed lateral and medial support. This is underlayed with neoprene, providing soft comfort and different, shinier shade of olive to the nubuck. Neoprene and nubuck is also the chosen combo around the heel, creating a nicely tonal upper overall. The midsole comes in white and, as we so often see from Saucony, the outsole comes in a rich gum colour.
GRID technology is of course featuring, offering great cushioning in the heel and making the shoe much more comfortable overall. The descending shape of the sole means your foot rolls off the ground nicely when you walk in the shoe, so you're getting all the great performance features of a classic '90's runner, with premium style also.
We also have a host of other Saucony Originals styles, including the GRID 9000, GRID 8000, DXN Trainer, Shadow 6000, G9 Shadow and Jazz Original.