ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 23

Name: ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 23
Brand: ASICS
Rating: 4.4 (8 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 7.8 oz · 24/14mm stack · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 24 replaced it

How it ranks

The ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 23 trails most daily trainers in our data. Value and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating is based on 9 runner reviews and 8 other rated shoes in the GEL-DS Trainer product line.

Bottom-tier

Overall

Bottom-tier 59

Value

Decent 70

Durability

Bottom-tier 58

Appearance

Bottom-tier 57

Comfort

Bottom-tier 53

Cushioning

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

88 High

High 88

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

What runners say

“Light and responsive, probably best suited to racing and interval/tempo”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 22

“Running in the shoe on easy days caused pain in my calves”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 18

“It seems to make my feet hotter and I get a bit more calf soreness the next day”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 22

“Although the shoe is light, it is very firm and takes awhile to get used to”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 18

“The mid foot lasts a lot longer than the 20-22 versions”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 22

“They run slightly narrow”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 8

“Wears out more quickly”

4/5 Full review 75 mpw 2,607 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon

“Cushioning is good enough to stop me suffering from joint problems”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 22

“They are a very supportive shoe all around, and wrap the foot well”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 8

“Does work well for tempo runs and track work-outs”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 18

“I felt like I got more miles out of them back in the day”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Transcend 5

“It's lightweight and it has enough stock and heel to be used as a daily trainer”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 22

“Lightweight, good grip, does not hurt my feet”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Transcend 5

“The shoe feels stiffer than previous models”

4/5 Full review 75 mpw 2,607 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon

“This was a great shoe for shorter runs 5-8 miles”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Light enough to do faster stuff if wanted”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Excel at trail running”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 8

Prefer this shoe over another

29% 2/7

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Averaging 7.8 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is lighter than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers for sale, and four reviewers use it for tempo and track work.
One of nine reviewers so far reports good grip across road, trail, grass and packed sand.

Cons

Two reviewers find the firm ride leaves their calves sore after easy runs.
Two reviewers say it wears out faster than the DS Trainers they had before.
The GEL-DS Trainer 20, 21 and 22 before it score 64, 59 and 64, against this version's 53.

GEL-DS Trainer 23 rates 59. This shoe has high 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 This shoe

2018 · 9 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

88 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 22

2017 · 7 reviews

62 Below average

85 Confidence
GEL-DS Trainer 21

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

9 ratings

5/5 4

4/5 5

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: 7.8 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 8.4 oz · Women's 7.1 oz
Release: 2018 Q1
MSRP: $120
Stack: 24/14mm
Drop: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Still Pretty Much In A Class Of It's Own

4/5

Overall

It's lightweight and it has enough of stock and heel to be used as a daily trainer but it's definitely not for everyone. It's a shoe that most people have been wearing since the DS Trainer 15 or older so most people know what they're getting into. This one carries on the lineage of increasing ridiculous colors but it's finally sturdier than the past few iterations. The mid foot lasts a lot longer than the 20-22 versions and the upper/tongue is pretty good too. I was starting to get discouraged but it seems like Asics is headed in the right direction again. I'll certainly be buying the 24 when it comes out

Racket · Jul 17, 2018

70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 22

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 3/5
Durability: 2/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 4/5

Asics

4/5

Overall

Asics has always been a shoe for me, though I like the Nimbus or Kayano (but too expensive) this was a great shoe for shorter runs 5-8 miles. Great feel and light enough to do faster stuff if wanted.

pjgorne · Feb 6, 2018

50 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 3/5

4/5

Overall

DS Trainer is still a solid lightweight trainer/long workout shoe for me. The shoe feels stiffer than previous models, and in my opinion wears out more quickly. I couldn't run all my mileage in these, but in a rotation with several other pairs it's fine. It's a shame the series is slowly run into the ground.. lightweight trainers that aren't "natural running" shoes are somehow dying out

Anonymous runner · Jan 16, 2018

75 mpw 2,607 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon