ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 21

Name: ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 21
Brand: ASICS

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 7.4 oz · 26/16mm stack · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 20 replaced it

How it ranks

The ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 21’s rating is an early estimate. We’ve collected 3 runner reviews so far, with product line history also informing the score.

Current estimate: Below average

Overall

Below average 60

Value

Below average 65

Cushioning

Bottom-tier 59

Appearance

Bottom-tier 59

Comfort

Bottom-tier 57

Durability

Bottom-tier 53

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

79 Moderate

Moderate 79

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

Prefer this shoe over another

25% 1/4

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Two reviewers call it a light, comfortable trainer, one using it for recovery runs.
Averaging 7.4 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is lighter than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers for sale.

Cons

Durability averages 3.3 out of 5, the lowest of its dimensions, and one reviewer has a layer of the toe box cover rip quickly.
The GEL-DS Trainer 26 later in the line scores 85 on ten reviews.

GEL-DS Trainer 21 rates 60. This shoe has moderate confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer

Each dot is one version of the GEL-DS Trainer, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

50 2014 55 2014 63 2016 60 2016 62 2017 59 2018 58 2019 66 2020 77 2021

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

GEL-DS Trainer 26

2021 · 10 reviews

77 Decent

78 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 25

2020 · 3 reviews

66 Below average

71 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 24

2019 · 4 reviews

58 Bottom-tier

81 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 23

2018 · 9 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

88 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 22

2017 · 7 reviews

62 Below average

85 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 21 This shoe

2016 · 3 reviews

60 Below average

79 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 20

2016 · 9 reviews

63 Below average

89 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 19

2014 · 45 reviews

55 Bottom-tier

96 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 18

2014 · 37 reviews

50 Bottom-tier

94 Confidence

Runner Ratings

3 ratings

5/5 1

4/5 2

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 7.4 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 7.1 oz · Women's 7.7 oz
Release: 2016 Q3
MSRP: $120
Stack: 26/16mm
Drop: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Nice lightweight trainer

4/5

Overall

I'm a guy with a history of plantar fasciitis (thankfully that was a long time ago, but I still had it), but I liked the idea of getting a lightweight trainer, so years ago I started using an older version of this shoe. This version is pretty good, as it is light and comfortable. I don't remember how much it cost, so my score for value is honestly invalid. My one complaint is one layer of the cover of the toe box ripped pretty quickly in one of the shoes, which I found pretty disappointing.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

12 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 20

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 3/5

Staple Shoe

5/5

Overall

I have used this as my primary training shoe for over 20 years through its various modifications. Relatively lightweight and neutral trainer which is good for any recovery runs. All editions are pretty much the same, but I liked some of the older versions better. I also haven’t really had an injury for the entire period I have been running, despite putting in 100 mi/week+ for years.

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

105 mpw training for a marathon