Hardwear
Product 2020
Woman, Man
Making a mark alongside the big road running brands is a tough business. Salomon is undeniably a success in trail running shoes, but cracking the road running market is another game altogether, even when products work (Sonic): image and technical innovations are the two spearheads of success.
We have been following the Salomon Sonic range for several seasons, we tested the Sonic RA Pro and the Sonic RA Max.
The Salomon Sonic 3 Accelerate is a training shoe that adopts a new sole. Weighing 230g in size 42 2/3, it weighs the same as a Hoka One One Mach 3. The Salomon is also perfectly usable on easy trails or even non-technical singles. We also noted a mini-stone guard protection at the front. Its construction, well-ridged sole that grips on many surfaces, increases its range of use making the Salomon Sonic 3 Accelerate a true all-round shoe.
But what is its initial set-up worth out on the road?
We immediately noted the good foot strike, which is frank, direct, and stable. The heel is well enveloped and held tight: the foam doesn’t sag during pronation. Ditto for the foot arch: everything remains in the axis without deforming.
From the first strides, the shoes are firm with diffused cushioning at the forefoot and a bit more present at the rear of the shoes. This Salomon dosage gives you direct transmission and an interesting spring, but don’t count on the comfort of cozy filtration. We liked the Salomon Sonic 3 Accelerate’s direct energy transmission, their stability on the ground, their stride. Of course, they lag behind the real major running brands’ racing beasts, but these Salomon must be considered as a training product. The cushioning is constant, it’s pretty amazing, whether you go fast or not you have practically the same feedback from the shoes. The hard point comes quickly, no spongy effect like some brands have.
Over short distances, or even longer (half marathon), for training sessions, this is a good product. Their 6mm drop is a good for avoiding injuries and rebounding without pulling your calf muscles too much.
These shoes are quite narrow at the forefoot and provide precise envelopment. The instep area provides good support and remains pleasant because the tongue is well-designed, both thin and soft. The entire area below the malleoli is treated in the Arc’Teryx Norvan SL style, a shoe from 2019. What’s the recipe? A thin comfortable band, and above it that goes all around the foot there’s an extremely thin material. Therefore, there’s no border, seams, or reinforcement: just glued (thermoforming?). What are the advantages? There’s no contact/friction with the malleolus if there’s strong lateral twisting, and overall they are light. But this technical solution does cause unsightly folds around the foot (dust, small stones can even get in). On the Arc’Teryx, the designers added a small finger-sized notch to make them easier to put on. It is absent on the Salomon Sonic 3 Accelerate because you can get them on easier. It feels strange at first to have such little material around the ankle, you feel like the foothold isn’t enough. Then you get used to the comfort in this area in particular.
The Salomon Sonic 3 Accelerate are made with care.
The flat lacing is easy to handle and provides adjustment right down to the forefoot providing good distribution of pressure and tension. These laces are a bit long, we could easily lose a few centimeters.
In terms of look and construction, they have a very clean line, ultimately classic but beautiful. Note, the (lovely) mesh completely covers the shoe’s infrastructure, whereas usually the reverse is true: reinforcements and various materials are placed over the mesh. Some testers felt the crease at the toes, which dissipated after a few miles.
Designed for road training, these Salomon Sonic 3 Accelerate are both light and responsive as they are relatively firm. With their good grip and overall handling, they are also a versatile product for possible off-road outings on less technical terrain.
6 mm 
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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