Mizuno Wave Rider 21

Name: Mizuno Wave Rider 21
Brand: Mizuno
Rating: 4.6 (25 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.6 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 sits about average for daily trainers in our data. Comfort and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 25 runner reviews and 15 other rated shoes in the Wave Rider product line.

Decent

74/100

Overall

Decent 74

Comfort

Excellent 97

Durability

Very good 93

Value

Very good 92

Cushioning

Good 89

Appearance

Good 87

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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

91/100

High 91

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.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the 361 Degrees Spinject

“I normally retire them after about 600km, at which point they are still functional but the cushion has reduced somewhat.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 7

“It holds up over marathon training and is extremely comfortable on long runs.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Topo Athletic Fli-Lyte 2

“They are super comfortable and supportive, yet lightweight and do not feel heavy or bulky.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 20

“Can run long or fast in these - and they cope with roads and trails well.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Enigma 5

“They've kept it as the neutral sturdy trainer it's always been, while other models sacrifice support to become lighter.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Topo Athletic Fli-Lyte 2

“Flexible, feel fast, cushioned, immediately comfortable on the feet.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Enigma 5

“Light and neutral with just enough cushion to do high mileage.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Light, but sturdy and firm enough. Responsive.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 22

“It provides adequate cushion and is lighter than many comparable shoes.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 7

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 Sep 14.

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.

Wave Rider 21 rates 74. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

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.

Rating

40 60 80 100

60 2011 66 56 2013 85 62 2015 92 74 2017 97 90 2019 68 71 2021 75 81 2023 97 81 2025 74

Release year

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

Wave Rider 30

2026 · 0 reviews

74 Decent

49 Confidence
Wave Rider 29

2025 · 2 reviews

81 Good

75 Confidence
Wave Rider 28

2024 · 6 reviews

97 Excellent

89 Confidence
Wave Rider 27

2023 · 17 reviews

81 Good

85 Confidence
Wave Rider 26

2022 · 21 reviews

75 Decent

88 Confidence
Wave Rider 25

2021 · 2 reviews

71 Decent

72 Confidence
Wave Rider 24

2020 · 4 reviews

68 Below average

48 Confidence
Wave Rider 23

2019 · 7 reviews

90 Good

86 Confidence
Wave Rider 22

2018 · 18 reviews

97 Exceptional

95 Confidence
Wave Rider 21 This shoe

2017 · 25 reviews

74 Decent

91 Confidence
Wave Rider 20

2016 · 16 reviews

92 Very good

91 Confidence
Wave Rider 19

2015 · 12 reviews

62 Below average

88 Confidence
Wave Rider 18

2014 · 36 reviews

85 Good

95 Confidence
Wave Rider 17

2013 · 49 reviews

56 Bottom-tier

97 Confidence
Wave Rider 16

2012 · 42 reviews

66 Below average

93 Confidence
Wave Rider 15

2011 · 4 reviews

60 Bottom-tier

85 Confidence

Reader Ratings

25 ratings

5/5 17

4/5 7

3/5 0

2/5 1

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.6 oz
Release: 2017 Q4
MSRP: $130
Drop Height: 12mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Great shoe line

5/5

Overall

I’ve been wearing wave riders for 15 years and don’t think l’ll ever switch to another shoe.

dantaylordvm · Jul 12, 2018

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 19

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 12, 2018

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 19

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

Good all around shoe

4/5

Overall

Soft, but with more responsiveness than my new balance 1080s, these shoes work for me (7:30 miles, 30 or so miles a week on pavement). Really enjoying them

Anonymous runner · Mar 10, 2018

30 mpw came from the Brooks Glycerin 14

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

mizuno

5/5

Overall

I have gotten 4 pairs of this shoe. and I continue getting them because they are not that heavy but still have a decent amount of cushion.

leo_72 · Feb 8, 2018

40 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante V2

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

Wave Rider 21

5/5

Overall

I have been running in the Mizuno Wave Rider series since 2010 and I love this shoe. There was one model that I did not care for so I tried an Asics shoe but quickly went back to the Wave Rider. They are super comfortable and supportive, yet lightweight and do not feel heavy or bulky. The only issue I have is that since I run pretty high mileage I go through these shoes fairly quickly.

Anonymous runner · Feb 8, 2018

80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 20