Brooks Cadence (2012)

November 23, 2011

The new and highly anticipated Pure Project models are in stores now.

Are the high expectations realized? Pure Project is an entirely new line, soup to nuts, with four models.

The Pure Project line includes the Connect, the Flow, the Cadence and the Grit. The first three are made for road running. The Grit is a trail shoe. All the models are built with a 4mm heel-to-toe drop (aka “ramp”), and this 4mm ramp is a metric around which more and more companies are coalescing, when it’s “natural” running shoes that are contemplated. It’s the same as in the Saucony Kinvara and Mirage, as well as the Hokas.

But this doesn’t mean all these shoes feel the same. While Brooks Pure Project’s models and Saucony’s Kinvara and the Mirage maintain the same 4mm ramp, these Brooks shoes feel flatter, to me, than do the Saucony models.

The Cadence
This shoe is similar right to the Flow, built by Brooks for the runner with the same goal’s in mind: Natural running shoes with more cushioning. The difference? This shoe is made for the runner who needs a little more stability.

The aforementioned bulges in the midsole—on the Flow—are replaced by just one on the medial side of the shoe. At the lateral side of the shoe there is no bulge and there is a slightly softer material. Brooks calls this the Internal Rollbar. So if you are making a slight heel strike or if you have feet that tend to pronate a little more this model will likely give you some more support than the Flow.

The Cadence also is built with the 6-eyelets pattern, so it grabs your feet snugly and is just a tiny bit narrower than the Flow. Cushioning feels about the same. It’s pretty soft but very comfy. It also features the Toe Flex, the Nav band and all other Pure Project technology.

There is however a slight increase in weight between the Flow and the Cadence with the latter at 9.5 oz. Stability has its price.

The midsole Shore values of the Cadence are, in a women’s model, 55, but on the lateral side of the shoes it’s 50. This is a feature of the Internal Rollbar. In a men’s, below size 10, it’s 57 and above it’s 59. On the lateral it’s respectively 52 and 53.

[Editor’s note: Our capable editor-at-large for footwear Jeroen van Geelen owns Total Running, one of the more important running and triathlon retail establishments in The Netherlands.]