Anyone try these and by chance have a direct comparison to the Saucony Grid Type A4? I use the Grids for most all of my training and they are the best shoe I’ve had in a long time - way more comfortable than my Brooks T6. I’ve tried both the Green Silence and Saucony Kinvara (just in the store) and they were both light but too much shoe - felt bulky, squishy, and inefficient.
Sounds like you prefer a much firmer shoe- Brooks Pure Connect is not the shoe for you if you thought the Green Silence was too bulky.
You train in your grids?
Those are my XC flats…
Yeah - I came across them last year looking for a replacement for the T6 that I like for racing 5k/10k but give me nasty blisters on the heel without socks. The Grids were so comfortable that they became my primary trainers as well as racing shoes - a bit more coushin and softer upper compared to the T6 and also a bit more room in the forefoot. I haven’t run in anything more structured than Nike Free in probably 5 years and the couple pair of Frees I still have probably have 1000 miles on them. I’m fortunate in that I don’t need ANY support or stability.
You train in your grids?
Those are my XC flats…
We have a brief review up here http://tribomb.com/review.php?ID=106 and are in the process of putting together a more detailed review on each model. We have also tested many of the shoes you mention. If you have specific questions, you might let us know and we will do our best to answer.
-Jerred
www.tribomb.com
I’ve also tried (in store) the Hattori and NB Minimus. Neither were even close to being as comfortable as the Grid Type A4.
Definitely more shoe than the A4. I like the Pure Connects, though.
While the Pure Connect is (or at least feels – I’ve yet to take a scale comparison to them) lighter than the Green Silence, it is a “bulkier” shoe. That said the Connect is a great, lightweight running shoe. I’ll likely opt for them, instead of the Green Silence, this weekend in the SA Marathon.
I tried on the entire Pure line and rejected them immediately. Too narrow in the forefoot. And I don’t have wide feet, but my toes do splay out naturally. If Brooks took care of that issue, I’d be all over these.
Have any of you run in the Connect enough to compare their durability (before the cushioning breaks down) to a typical lightweight trainer?
Thanks.
Depends which one you get. It appears Brooks was going for the whole 4mm low heel stack, neutral shoe but designed the outsole quite a bit differently in the 3 models. The “beefier” of the 3 (the cadence) was what my wife liked best (she has a typical narrow female’s foot). The entire bottom has a rubber outsole and is somewhat flared. The other models have less down to almost nothing but Mogo foam (Brook’s speak for EVA) with only rubber on typical contact points (lateral heel, sub styloid, sub 1st MPJ). I don’t think the connect would last too long (even for a 108 lbs runner). I personally didn’t like them (fit, too cushy, etc.).
I’ve actually logged a decent amount of mileage in my connects. I’ve been pleasantly surprised on the durability. Definitely a little narrow in the toe box and pretty plush. Not pillowy, though and not slow. I like not having to make a tradeoff between a minimalism (narrowly defined as low ramp & flexible) with something that provide protection from the pounding of the roads.
I tried them yesterday at a store and jogged a bit inside. I am a Kwicky Blade Light runner, would race up to half in Fastwitch shoes.
Pure Connect was narrow and that is ok if your feet allow for that. However, what was odd about it is that the forefoot feels as if you are running on a ball, being very unstable. I can see taking a little time to get used to that. The shoe seems to load up achilles significantly and be mindful of that when you start the transition.
I run in “low ramp angle” shoes above, but this felt quite different.
That is funny, my wife said the exact same thing - that she felt like she was on a ball on her forefoot. I’m not sure why this would be, other than the connect has rubber beneath the EVA on the medial side only and nothing lateral?
I am seeing two things from that.
Lower leg, including achilles and the foot will be getting extra work. I think a more gradual switch should take place.
It could also be a matter of braking the shoe in.
I swear, it felt as if I have a mini bosu under my forefoot.
I tried them at the store yesterday. Hated them almost instantly. I ended up buying one pair of Brooks Green Silence (great shoe!) and one pair of Newton Distance. I tried on 6 pairs of different shoes before deciding on those.
-Robert
Interestingly, I’m currently doing the majority of my running in the Newton Distance or the Newton Gravity. I also have a few other pairs that I occasionally grab, with the Brooks Launch the being “the best of the rest”. I don’t like the Saucony Kinvara much at all.
I used to do the majority of my running in the Nike Lunaracer 2 before trying the Newtons. Then, Nike went back to the original Lunaracer and I started looking for alternatives. The original Lunaracers just aren’t as comfortable for me as the Lunaracer 2. The upper is a bit too snug.
When I tried on the Brook Connect today, they felt great. But, now that I’m reading the reports of it being tight in the forefoot, I realize that I hadn’t run or ridden yet when I tried them on. I’ll have to try them again after working out to verify that they still feel great when my feet are a bit swollen. Of course, I was planning on trying them again, anyway. When I tried them today, I had come straight from the Chinese buffet and didn’t exactly have a smooth stride going. LOL!