Saucony’s ProGrid V2 Retro Runner Loses the Heel and Laces for Mule Duty

We’ve all got that one pair of shoes parked by the front door. The stylish pair you smash your foot into for a quick coffee run because who has time for shoe laces?

The sneaker industry noticed, and for the past few years it’s been sawing the backs off half its archive to meet us where we live. Now Saucony wants in on the sneaker/mule action with the new ProGrid V2 Mule.

The ProGrid V2 has had a strange journey. It debuted back in 2011 as a cross-trainer, built for runners who split their time between logging miles and lifting in the gym.

Saucony dusted it off earlier this year as a lifestyle retro, and apparently the revival went well enough that the brand immediately reached for the saw. Barely a few months after its comeback, the V2 has lost its heel, its laces, and any remaining pretense of athletic obligation.

The mule keeps the original’s full-length EVA midsole, and there’s an XT-600 rubber shank through the midfoot for actual structure underfoot.

Up top, a stretchy neoprene mesh panel sits where the tongue and laces used to live, letting you slide in hands-free. The rest of the upper mixes rich suede and nubuck, with that hairy suede forefoot panel carrying an embossed version of Saucony’s swooping S logo.

The Saucony ProGrid V2 Mule is available in your choice of Trek/Black or Triple Black for $140, and is available through select retailers and Saucony directly.

Saucony ProGrid V2 Mule

Saucony joins the sneaker-mule craze by lopping the heel off its revived 2011 ProGrid V2 cross-trainer, swapping laces for stretchy neoprene in two suede-heavy colorways.

Learn More: Saucony