best neutral show around!
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Aug 13, 2019
55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the 361 Degrees Spinject
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Mizuno Wave Rider 21
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.0 oz · 12mm drop
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Mizuno Wave Rider 22 replaced it
How it ranks
The Mizuno Wave Rider 21 ranks below most daily trainers in our data. Comfort and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Most runners who compared it with another shoe preferred the other shoe. The rating is based on 25 runner reviews and 16 other rated shoes in the Wave Rider product line.
Decent
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.
Confidence
97 Very high
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
“I can reliably wear them through 450-500 miles a pair without them feeling too broken down, but pushing past 500 isn't very viable.”
“I normally retire them after about 600km, at which point they are still functional but the cushion has reduced somewhat.”
“It holds up over marathon training and is extremely comfortable on long runs.”
“They are super comfortable and supportive, yet lightweight and do not feel heavy or bulky.”
“Can run long or fast in these - and they cope with roads and trails well.”
“They've kept it as the neutral sturdy trainer it's always been, while other models sacrifice support to become lighter.”
“Flexible, feel fast, cushioned, immediately comfortable on the feet.”
“Light and neutral with just enough cushion to do high mileage.”
“Light, but sturdy and firm enough. Responsive.”
“It provides adequate cushion and is lighter than many comparable shoes.”
“The design of the heel can cause a medium sized stone to lodge in it from time to time, so I avoid them when running on rocky trails.”
“As it aged the comfort and cushioning seemed to lessen but wasn't bad.”
“This shoe feels bulky compared to past iterations (perhaps now runs big?).”
“Since I run pretty high mileage I go through these shoes fairly quickly.”
“Because of their comfort and stiffness.”
“Just rather expensive.”
Prefer this shoe over another
25% 8/32
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.
Pros
- Reviewers repeatedly call it comfortable, including on long marathon-training runs.
- Many runners find it light for how much cushion it offers.
- Reviewers describe a firm, responsive ride that handles easy and quicker running.
Cons
- High-mileage runners say the cushion flattens after several hundred miles.
- One reviewer finds it bulkier than past versions, and another cannot find anything special about it.
- One reviewer finds stones lodging in the heel design, and avoids rocky trails in them.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Mizuno Wave Rider
Each dot is one version of the Wave Rider, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Release year
-
2026 · 1 review
84 Good
79 Confidence
-
2025 · 2 reviews
89 Good
80 Confidence
-
2024 · 6 reviews
95 Excellent
85 Confidence
-
2023 · 17 reviews
82 Good
92 Confidence
-
2022 · 21 reviews
77 Decent
93 Confidence
-
2021 · 2 reviews
79 Decent
80 Confidence
-
2020 · 4 reviews
77 Decent
86 Confidence
-
2019 · 7 reviews
85 Good
90 Confidence
-
2018 · 18 reviews
91 Very good
95 Confidence
-
Wave Rider 21 This shoe
2017 · 25 reviews
72 Decent
97 Confidence
-
2016 · 16 reviews
83 Good
95 Confidence
-
2015 · 12 reviews
67 Below average
93 Confidence
-
2014 · 36 reviews
76 Decent
98 Confidence
-
2013 · 49 reviews
59 Bottom-tier
98 Confidence
-
2012 · 42 reviews
65 Below average
96 Confidence
-
2011 · 4 reviews
62 Below average
91 Confidence
-
2006 · 0 reviews
74 Decent
80 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 9.0 oz
- Men's / women's
- Men's 9.6 oz · Women's 8.3 oz
- Release
- 2017 Q4
- MSRP
- $130
- Drop
- 12mm
Runner reviews
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jul 20, 2019
training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Elixir 6
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
My go-to everyday trainer
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jul 14, 2019
50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 7
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
Great sure for road runners
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jul 6, 2019
24 mpw came from the ASICS GT-1000 8
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Cushioning
- 3/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Great shoe
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jul 5, 2019
35 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 22
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Alternatives
Other shoes worth considering.
More from Mizuno
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
Mizuno Wave Rider 21 In Context
More on the Mizuno Wave Rider
- Mizuno Wave Rider 30
- Mizuno Wave Rider 29
- Mizuno Wave Rider 28
- Mizuno Wave Rider 27
- Mizuno Wave Rider 26
- Mizuno Wave Rider 25
- Mizuno Wave Rider 22 next version
- Mizuno Wave Rider 20 previous version
Reviewers Also Ran In
- Mizuno Wave Rider 20 2 runners
- Mizuno Wave Catalyst 2 2 runners
- Mizuno Wave Rider 19 2 runners