First Impressions: The upper is obviously different. Gone is the semi stiff mesh and rubber overlay of Peregrine 1, and replaced is a supple and stretchy base material with a more plastic overlay. The fit is noticeably different on this shoe, and different than any other shoe I have worn before. It felt like a compression sock of sorts, where the shoe is hugging the entire foot. Very sock like would be the description. Also, the toe bumper is much more rugged. I got to try that out today, no bruised toes! I did not really notice a lack of room in the toe box like I had a bit in the originals and the red Kinvara 2'z. Again, the stretchy upper accommodated my feet and were very comfortable.
I do not care for the laces-with all Saucony laces, when they get wet, they come untied. So, even double knots seem to come undone. As far as the upper is concerned, this was a perfect change. I did not really love the fit of the Peregrine 1, but 2 has one of the best upper fits I have ever experienced. Both sitting around the house and on the trail. The shoe felt like it was part of my foot. A very nice feeling on techy single track, especially nursing a cuboid bone injury.
At first glance, the midsole and outer sole are unchanged. However, I am not convinced. One other aspect of the Peregrine 1 I didnt like so much was the stiff and almost hard feel. That went away a bit with time, but 2 felt much more cushy and flexible. Also, the rock plate seemed harder, not sure if there are articulation points in the new one, but flexing the shoe with my hands was easier, pushing on the outsole seemed to be harder-just an observation. These trails today have many rocks and roots that can be a problem for shoes with out some kind of push through protection. The rock protection on the Peregrine 2 is awesome. I felt no rocks and roots-again, my right foot is tender from a cuboid bone issue and never had a problem from any of the trail gnarl. These are nicely protective. One other observation is the two toned midsole is really just paint. Mine are dark grey and green, the midsole is black and green, the black will be coming off....
I put in almost 6 miles on single track today. These shoes felt great the entire time, I did not hit any hard pack trails, but stayed in the mud and roots. These shoes really accel in this environment. In the flat open sections, I opened it up at about 6:50 MM pace and again the extension of my foot feel really felt nice. There is a nice mix of grip, luggy confidence, light low to the ground, and protective feel here. The new mid-sole feel makes these feel more protective and certainly more comfortable.
I really hope these stay like they are and do not fall apart like the Peregrine 1's did.
I would at this point buy with reserved confidence-the uppers are completely different and have no resemblance to the Kinvara 2/1/Peregrine 1 uppers. The mesh just didnt hold up in these models, some fell apart alarmingly fast. These seem to be the right fix for a great shoe plagued with durability being its Achilles heal.
First impression is a solid A.
I will put some miles on these and update soon.
UPDATE
*********************************************************************************5/4/12
Did a 7 miler yesterday, nothing too wild, but hilly and twisty. I developed what looks like some tearing on the lateral side of the shoe. Also the black painted area that you can see below on the other shoe is peeling off in big chunks, not a big deal, but if you charge $110.00 for shoes, seeing black paint peel off is not cool.
Good news is the shoes feel awesome underfoot, but with the problem of the side blowing out, I am pretty frustrated.
Not sure what to say about this...
I ran a pretty good distance on these shoes without breaking them in first. After both runs (even without breaking them in) I fell in love with Saucony Peregrine.
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