Brooks Pure Cadence 5 Review
Well well well, this is my first ever review and I’m pretty excited about it. I first came across the brooks pure cadence shoe when I notched up my mileage and wanted something with a little more support than my barefoot running shoes.
For those who aren’t familiar with brooks they organise their shoes in to 4 categories Cushion, Energise, Connect and Speed. They have a handy little Test on their website that can determine which box you fit in, and more importantly which shoe! I actually got fitted in a running store for my first ever pair of brooks but the good news is I got the same pair from them as I would have done if I took the online test!
Anyway the Pure Cadence falls into the Connect range, which is boasted as lightweight and flexible to naturally feel your run! The Pure Cadence 5 weigh in at 7.9 ounces, which makes them a few ounces lighter than your average running shoe.
Although I’ve owned the last 3 gens of the pure cadence range. I was recently tempted away through the rather sweet Swiss design of the On running clouds. Which I have to say were equally great and served me well through last year’s race series and the Brighton Marathon!
A few weeks ago however, I saw Uk Run Chat were having a competition in partnership with Brooks Running, to win a new pair of running shoes and well I couldn’t resist an entry! I have until this point never won anything, and held out little hope that this would be any different! Especially since I’m only just figuring out what Twitter is!
Low and behold my little tweet below won, and the shiny new shoes were delivered to my doorstep on Friday!
So here goes the review….
Look
The PureCadence 5 look great, getting them out of the box was thoroughly enjoyable. The ladies versions come in a teal blue colour or the black I have and that are heavily pictured here. They are bright enough for me and I love the contrast of the bold colours against the slick black.
There are a few noticeable changes to the look compared to previous generations. The main one being the band that has previously gone under the laces has been replaced by a lightweight Guide Rail system. From what I can tell this system performs a similar function, but just means the band is no longer visible.
They’ve kept enough of the brooks design to make them pretty recognisable to anyone who knows/loves the brand.
Feel
I found they fit perfectly, take note here that brooks shoes especially this model come up a little small. They suggest a ½ size bigger than normal. I went a full size up and found them really comfortable and roomy in the right areas, whilst still feeling snug on my feet. I’ve read a few reviews about them being narrow, and tight in the toe box, although I agree they are a little on the narrow side, but this really didn’t bother me. I still found the shoe really comfortable. I imagine if you don’t size up though this could become an issue as they’d have been pretty tight if I opted for my usual size 4’s!
I’m not really sure what the tongue of the shoe is made of but it has a slightly harder feel to it. This didn’t cause any issues and was no less comfortable a material.
The first time out in them I didn’t wear the right socks and the back did rub my heel slightly. I must stress though this was user error, and I’ve not had the same issue again.
I can safely say I felt connected to the road, the path, and the grass when running in them. I love the sensation of feeling really connected to the surface I’m running on and the pure cadence do that really well. Yet they offer up the support I need over longer distances, to hopefully keep me injury free.
Verdict
I am loving running in these right now. They are comfortable, light, responsive and supportive. It doesn’t hurt that they look pretty great on my feets, if I do say so myself!
If your a pure cadence fan then you will be happy with this new generation. Just stick to the guidelines and go a size bigger.
If your a minimal shoe lover but feel like you require a little more support then they are definitely worth considering!
And lastly if you’ve never tried brooks then head over to the website and have a little fun with their interactive shoe finder.
c-x
ThinkingClarely 