Brooks Pure Cadence: Shoe Review

A little over a year ago I was looking for a lightweight, everyday training shoe, with a touch of stability and a little more of a "natural" feel, and I found it in the Brooks Pure Cadence!

I really liked the Pure Cadence right from the start.  As someone looking for a more natural feel, without wanting a minimalist shoe, they fit right in with my lineup.  They are however part of a lineup and I wouldn't suggest using this as your one and only running shoe.  They are considerably more light in weight than other light stability shoes.  RunningWarehouse lists them at about 3 oz lighter than more traditional shoes.  I found these to be great for races, up-tempo runs, and track work.  These are best suited for runners with a fore-foot or mid-foot strike.  Heavy rear-foot strikers may not really like them as they don't offer a ton of rear-foot cushioning.

The Brooks PureProject seems to be one of the few surviving lines spurred by the minimalist movement a few years ago, but these shoes seem to have been designed more alongside the Vibram craze rather than as a direct result of it.  They look great too, kind of futuristic, and (at least the first generation of them) came in some off the wall colors.  Shoe companies of course know that radical looking designs help sell shoes, so don't let the appearance sway you.  It should also be noted that I have only worn the 1st Gen PureProject shoes.  I believe they are on a 3rd iteration now.  I had heard that the 2nd Gen made some key design changes and that people actually preferred the 1st release of the PureProject shoes, though I'm hoping Brooks correctly any shortcomings with the latest release.

Brooks certainly did take a cue from Vibrams when they came out with the PureProject.  For years it seems like Brooks had been churning out clunky, boring, shoes aimed at the middle to back-of-the pack masses.  They have racing shoes, but were short of anything for the getting-faster crowd who wants a more performance oriented trainer.

I've been wearing my Pure Cadence for about a year and a half and probably have 300 or so miles on them.  I'm hoping for another 6 months of infrequent use, or maybe 100 more mile.  The fluorescent green coloring is great for winter running in the dark so I hope they last until spring!

Brooks took a chance on these shoes and it appears to paying off, especially in an age where most of the chances shoe companies took with minimalism or natural-feel running shoes seems to already have gone extinct. My only worry is that as minimalism continues to lose steam Brooks will discontinue the line.  However, as long as people keep buying them Brooks will keep making them.