Scarpa Ribelle Run Review

Scarpa’s ‘Ribelle’ is a range of footwear that is designed for the most technical mountain conditions. The Ribelle Run is the running shoe within that range and has been designed for fast running over technical terrain. In my opinion I found them to be a very versatile trail running shoe. They are not just a ‘race shoe’ and are comfortable to wear on a variety of terrains and distances.

Scarpa was founded in 1938 in Asolo Italy and over the past 90 years has made climbing and walking footwear. As trail running has become more popular, it was natural for Scarpa to start to make trail running shoes. They recruited Marco De Gasperi, the 6 times World Mountain Running Champion (once as a Junior, five times as a Senior).

Marco De Gasperi was previously sponsored by Scott and Hoka. You can see in the range of shoes he has helped design an influence from both brands. This is nothing new as both Scott and Hoka have had a lot of success in the trail running market and for that reason a lot of brands are influenced by these brands.

The Ribelle Run has the classic pointed toe box. However, it does have a reasonable amount of volume and width. They aren’t as broad as a 2E width but have room for your toes to spread and move. For those that enjoy shoes with a more rounded toe box and a last with a straight big toe this won’t be quite enough space. The upper is made up of a Lycra sock with TPU overlays. This gives and initial snug fit to the shoes and the Lycra sock stops any debris getting in the shoes. The shoes come with a drawstring type speed lace. Normally I don’t get on with this type of lacing but on this occasion the upper was pulled in at just the right places! I had a secure fit at the heel and midfoot. For those that the speed lacing doesn’t work for Scarpa provide some normal laces in the box with the shoes.

The other advantage with the speed lace is that they don’t get untied by the undergrowth as you run or go crusty when mud gets dried into the lace.

The midsole provides a good level of cushioning. This is soft at the heel and firmer in the forefoot to allow for a strong push off. The overlay in the forefoot of the upper completely covers the midsole in the forefoot. This not only protects the EVA from abrasion but stops it squashing outwards when you put pressure on it. This gives the midsole in the forefoot more rebound and therefore more propulsion.

The Ribelle has a rocker the same idea as Scott and Hoka. The rocker is slightly less noticeable and the Ribelle is more flexible than Hoka and Scott shoes with a different ride. The rocker is designed to reduce heel strike and improve cadence. This helps you run in a more upright posture and be lighter on your feet.

Although the cushioning is soft there is more feel for the ground than you would get in a Hoka shoe. This makes the Ribelle feel like a nimbler shoe. I could skip over the rocks and through single tracks effortlessly. On the harder packed trails, the flexibility means that they don’t feel quite as smooth as a Scott shoe but still feel smooth and quick. As the curve to the midsole that creates the rocker isn’t quite as noticeable as it is in other brands you can enjoy running slowly in the Ribelle too. The drop is 4mm (24.5mm in the heel 20.5 mm in the forefoot).

Scarpa realised that when it comes to outsole rubber for trail running shoes there isn’t really an off the shelf rubber that is both durable and grippy, so they commissioned thier own. The Presa outsole is as good as anything else out there. Nothing grips perfectly to wet rock but I found I could happily skip over water covered stepping stones or greasy cobbled bridleways without the fear of hitting the ground.

The lugging on the outsole is 4mm in depth so the Ribelle isn’t a shoe for the mud (it’s not designed to be). In wet muddy months they won’t be as useful as something more aggressive. However, this doesn’t make the Ribelle a non-starter as most trail runs are a mix of surfaces, so whatever shoe you pick it’s always a compromise. The grip is OK on greasy muddy tracks. It’s only the deep or wet stuff that you notice the lack of stud depth.

Usually, we try to get 150 miles on a shoe before writing a review. Due to factories being closed because of Covid infection we had a longer 6 months to test run the shoes. That means we can write a bit more about the durability of the Ribelle Run.

The durability is particularly good. The shoes pictured I have been running in at least twice a week since August. This includes about 20% tarmac, 40% hard packed tracks, disused railway line and 40% grassy paths, muddy single track and farmers’ fields. I estimate I will have run about 400 miles in the shoes. I have particularly long, big toes so I put a lot of pressure on the outsole just under the big toe and often find that I wear the studs off this section of the outsole within a few hundred miles. As you can see from the pictures there is no excess wear to the studs in this area. As mentioned previously the rubber is also very grippy on wet surfaces. I’m experienced and light on my feet, so those that are heavier on their feet may not get quite as many miles out of the shoes.

The cushioning has started to go a little flat as you would expect after this amount of running. They don’t have quite the same roll and don’t push you forward quite as quickly as fresh out of the box. If I was going to be using them for racing, then I think I would replace them at this point! However, for training there is still loads of life in the shoes. They don’t feel hard on the tarmac or give me any hot spots or rubbing.

Currently only full European sizes are available in the UK and there is a size conversion to be aware of. There is about ¾ of a UK size between European sizes. The Ribelle Run fit a bit on the big side. I have a Euro 46 and usually wear a Euro 46.5 in most brands. In my experience the Ribelle Run size half a Euro size larger than most running brands, so I would suggest trying half a size smaller than you usually use.

The new season Ribelle Run that we have in stock have been slightly updated compared to the previous seasons. The cushioning in the centre of the heel has been made a little harder. The shoes still have an initial soft feel to the cushioning but the slightly denser heel will make the heel cushioning more durable and also give a bit more propulsion for those that land on their heels.

In summary the Scarpa Ribelle Run is a very versatile, grippy and durable trail shoe. Great on all terrain except deeper mud. I started off running just my quicker runs in the shoes and enjoyed running in them so much that I started using them for easy runs and long runs too. Although not designed for ultramarathons I think that if the ground wasn’t too unforgiving they would be a comfortable shoe to wear.

Charlie @ Northern Runner Newcastle

Other Considerations

Scott Kinabalu: These shoes have a high heel to forefoot drop of 8mm and are stiffer. This makes them a smoother ride on the harder trails but, not quite a good on the more broken, single track.
https://www.northernrunner.com/search/kinabalu

Hoka Speedgoat: The cushioning is a bit softer but, you lose the feel for the floor. So, the Speedgoat doesn’t feel as nimble as the Ribelle Run. The Speedgoat is a bit more bouncy in feel. Here is our Speedgoat review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-one-one-speedgoat-evo-review/

Topo MTN Racer 2: If you like a more rounded toe box. Then the MTN Racer 2 would be one to consider. Here is our review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-mtn-racer-2-review/

Altra Lone Peak: A more natural feel to the ride with a broad rounded toe box: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-lone-peak-5-review/

Inov-8 Terraultra G270: A rounded toe box but, not quite as roomy as the MTN Racer or Lone Peak. Grip is good on all but, the mud. A good responsive feel to the cushioning. Here is our review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/inov-8-terraultra-g-270-graphene-review-cushioned-ultramarathon-running-shoes/

NVii Terra TT: More flexible and more nimble with better grip in the mud. Here is our review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/nvii-terra-tt-review-high-grip-trail-running-shoes/