Brooks Pure Project?

My wife just got a pair of the "True Grit" trail shoes and really likes them.  I'll tell her to come find this thread and give you more feedback.

Haven't tried any of them, but I won't let that stop me from spouting off an totally uninformed opinion...

Brooks' CEO made a very derogatory post about the entire minimalist movement some time back. VERY scathing, to the point of teetering on the brink of unprofessionalism. And then, some 6 moths later, Brooks comes out with their version of a minimalist shoe. Hmm...

Much like the Kinvara/Peregrine from Saucony, and the current Minimus line from New Balance, these are all built on a 4mm heel-to-toe drop. If you've already adapted from the standard 10-12mm, then you should do fine as long as the shoes actually fit. This has been my particular issue with many of the offerings of all the companies -- they go minimalist, but don't address the toe box. Merrell came close with the Trail Glove (and I have 2 pair of them), New Balance added all the width at the ball of the foot (so it's like we all have bunions or something), and Saucony... didn't do much at all. Altra really got it right. Anyway... It looks like Brooks kind of ignored the forefoot room as well, but I'm only guessing from pictures. Pete on RunBlogger seemed to like them, but he has an admittedly standard width foot. I'm awaiting final judgement until I can try a pair on, but I'm not overly optimistic. I see the second generation of the Merrell line (Road Glove and Bare Access) and maybe the newer zero-drop Minimus line from New Balance (and the Altra Lone Peak, whenever they can get that one to market) as being my most promising "next" shoe purchases.

Obviously, as with any shoe/foot match-up, YMMV.

Hope that helps.

Just got the Connect. They don't feel minimal, but my calves feel like I ran in minimal shoes 

So far, they're nice. I also have VFFs, Merrells, and Brooks Adrenaline. I wanted something "in between" that I could use for 13.1-26.2.

Here is a link to the CEO's blog post on the barefoot running movement, which may not be what you are referencing in the quote above, but does not appear to me to say much more than "some people can run barefoot but not all".

Regardless, as DH said, I just bought some Pure Grits and in my "walking-around" test, they feel a lot like the Green Silence (what I call my "magic shoes").  They are very light and malleable with a smaller-than-average-running-shoe heel.  The differences from the Green Silence appear to be (1) big lugs on the bottom of the shoe for grip, (2) a harder sole for rocks, and (3) a split toe for feel.  The forefoot/toebox appears normal for the Brooks line, which is wider than most other shoes I have tried (I do have bunions and get morton's neuroma if my forefoot doesn't have enough room).  I have not tried my Pure Grits on the trail yet, but will report back on my experience.  : )

Happy Running!

Steph

The the post you're referring to is the one linked above... you owe the CEO an apology.  I thought that letter was a very pragmatic view of running and the kind of shoes that Brooks wanted to create.  There must be a more derogatory one out there somewhere, as that once certainly isn't.

Yes, there is another one out there... somewhere. I'm not inclined to take the time to find it. It was much worse, however, and in essence called any one who ran without shoes, or in minimal shoes, crazy.

But given that they're a shoe company, and at the time had no minimal shoes, I'd expect no less.

Any chance you are running The Middle Half this weekend?  I see the Manchester Star Tri note in your signature.  The Star was my first ever tri (Sep 2011).  I'm running this weekend too.  Will be my 2nd half mary.  Good luck to you!  Weather is going to be perfect.

Question on the Bare Access -- did they straighten out the toe box at the big toe? About the only issue I have with the toe box of the Trail Glove is that it narrows down at the big toe (the widest part is at the ball of the foot). I think Altra did a better job with the toe box, but I'd like to see what Merrell did with this one...

I just got off the phone with our Brooks rep, Dave Adams. Dave and I were trying to wrangle some samples for me to run in for a review. the problem is- all the samples are gone and the shoes have been moving well.

I have other shoe samples coming out of my ears but these are hot. They have obviously captured peoples' imagination. Even media guys are fighting over them.

When I get some I'll run in them for a few weeks and post a review in the media outlet I write for.

Yep - I wanted something a bit lighter than the Adrenalines I typically run in.  Tried the Flow and it had a post on the mid-outside of the foot that was annoying.  The Cadences were awesome, though.  I took them straight out (with less than a 1/2 mile on them to try them out) and ran two legs of the Bourbon Chase (13.5 miles or so) with them.  Love these things.  Felt great at race pace.  Light with some support.  Exactly what I was looking for.

I will be keeping a pair of these around for race days, both running and tris.

I am considering the Cadences and I run in Adrenalines now.  I tried on a pair and they felt great but definitely noticed the low heel just walking around.  May try a pair for short runs and short races.  For long stuff, I love my Adrenalines.

If you like the Adrenaline, why not try the Racer ST 5? It's the light(er)weight equivalent. The 4mm drop does not work for everyone unless you make the long-term, deliberate effort to adapt. Not saying that you should or should not.

Adrenaline 11.4oz, Heel (31mm), Forefoot (19mm)

Racer ST 5 8.6oz, Heel (25mm), Forefoot (14mm)

Brooks Ghost 4 : 9.9mm

http://www.runnersworld.com/shoe/ghost-4-0

Thanks.  Would have thought there would be more info on the Brooks site than Runners World.  I was mistaken

Not many companies are publishing the drop numbers on their shoes. Nike seems particularly loathe to do so. Runners Warehouse gives drop numbers for a lot of shoes, but most of them are racing flats or shoes made specifically with low drop.