Brooks Hyperion Elite

Having tried the Skechers speed elite hyper as well, it is much lower to the ground, firmer, and feels more effective in shorter races than the Vaporfly as well. It feels very efficient, definitely has pop, and doesn't get in the way as much in the 5k distance or rounding turns. I think a lot of people wouldn't take it to the marathon distance though. Hyperburst is nice in racers too, but I don't think it is Pebax.

NB Fuelcell is decent too, but I don't think it is as good as Pebax either. They change the densities and responsiveness of it though, so maybe their racer will compete.

My bet is on Saucony being the most competitive here. NB is probably next. I love the Skechers Speed Elite, but I think most people will want that cush and high stack for the marathon at least.

May we assume you do not have a pair and have never run in them?

Brooks reps claim that they don't test the shoe for energy return because it's meant for protection rather than speed. I don't buy that for a minute. Athletes wouldn't be wearing it if it weren't the best available Brooks racing shoe.

Obviously, no company is going to market claims about the energy return unless they build something better than the Nikes. Otherwise you're just admitting failure.

Brooks always say that their shoes are for comfort and support rather than speed. That's their entire market!

I'm not so confident that Saucony's flat will be the next best thing. I think Adidas will slot into the #2 slot eventually. Looks like they have a couple iterations of Adios-esque shoes coming out, plus they have protos out there as seen in Dubai, though probably over 40mm.

Not enough people are publicly using the Saucony/New Balance/Brooks shoes to know how good they are. My hope is that one of these companies steps up and hands out free shoes to any takers at the Trials later this month.

Montesquieu wrote:

May we assume you do not have a pair and have never run in them?

Yeah, that would be implied based on saying I have used the Skechers and Nike, and only commenting on the info in the article.

It doesn't make much sense to base a $250 racer on comfort and support, but that does seem to be their MO. If someone just wanted comfort and support, they would race the marathon in their supportive high cushion trainers and not spend $250.

The only reason you spend $250 on a racer is to GO FAST and I think foams that lose less energy are definitely a part of that. It seems low weight, amount of cushion, and a stiffening and directing plate are all part of it too, but if they have a lightweight foam that is more responsive, why not use it?

I forgot about Adidas, but there seems to be less open knowledge and clear images of their prototypes, so it is hard to say. If they can move on from boost, they should be able to be more competitive. I think Saucony is in the best position right now for what we actually know.

With the new rules, we will probably see NB and Saucony releasing their shoes soon as well.

I don't think Adidas is far enough along for that based on the lack of public info and clear images.

Nice try Brooks wrote:

The DNA Flash in the Hyperion Tempo is actually more responsive and is a nitrogen infused EVA with small and uniform air bubbles to increase responsiveness, which sounds like their version of Hyperburst.

Sounds like Fuel Cell, not Hyperburst.

When brooks was a player in the racing flat game, it was because they made A) low drop anatomically correct flats - the t series prior to 6 and b) stability flats the st series. Trying to copy nike, but not doing it as well is just going to result in a dud. A brooks athlete making the olympics is the only way these sell big.

The nitrogen part sounds like FuelCell in the Impulse, but I think NB stopped talking about that with the Rebel/5280/Propel so I wonder if it is a different material in those and they just kept the name.

The injection of a gas and a small cellular bubble structure is precisely Hyperburst. Here they are talking about nitrogen instead of CO2 though.

Will be a pass for me. I never really understood people’s obsession with brooks. Not nearly as other brands who operate in the medium drop game and not remotely close to the higher drops

I own a store and we have 48 pairs sold already and we don’t receive the show until June 1st. Brooks ha s huge following and have been waiting patiently for this to come out.

I’ll give it a look.

I ran in Brooks in HS so went back to them when I started back running 7 years ago. I really liked the Pure line but that eventually petered out to just the Flow and I went on a quest for a new go to brand.

Went through Altra (inconsistent sizing and fit) Topo (almost like Brooks but with bigger toe box but damned hard to find in stores) and Hoka (like, but don’t love, Carbon X. Like the Rincon but foam breaks down too soon) I’m going to give Skechers Ride or Razor a go and if I don’t love the I’ll go back to Topo.

I've run in the prototypes of the Elite since this past summer and they are a good shoe. Shouldn't be compared to VF series as they feel different, but I've had some success running in them and for sure like them better than the 4% or Next % for anything on the track.

dollars matter wrote:

I own a store and we have 48 pairs sold already and we don’t receive the show until June 1st. Brooks ha s huge following and have been waiting patiently for this to come out.

where the heck is your store? 48 pairs pre-sale? must be in a big city. seems unrealistic unless the store is in Seattle or has some Brooks connection

I’m interested in this shoe. Not everyone can tolerate running on soft squishy marshmallows like the Vaporfly and by all accounts this seems to be a firmer shoe. Soft shoes tear me up.

Nice try Brooks wrote:

I forgot about Adidas, but there seems to be less open knowledge and clear images of their prototypes, so it is hard to say. If they can move on from boost, they should be able to be more competitive. I think Saucony is in the best position right now for what we actually know.

With the new rules, we will probably see NB and Saucony releasing their shoes soon as well.

I don't think Adidas is far enough along for that based on the lack of public info and clear images.

What u talking about Willis? Rhonex Kipruto, an Adidas guy, just saved the Vaporfly Next%step from being banned by crushing their 10k pb.

Nice try Brooks wrote:

I forgot about Adidas, but there seems to be less open knowledge and clear images of their prototypes, so it is hard to say. If they can move on from boost, they should be able to be more competitive. I think Saucony is in the best position right now for what we actually know.

With the new rules, we will probably see NB and Saucony releasing their shoes soon as well.

I don't think Adidas is far enough along for that based on the lack of public info and clear images.

There are pictures of Adidas' prototype riffing on the Vaporfly style of shoe. Protosofthegram (instagram) has them. Dat boi is thicc

reed wrote:

dollars matter wrote:

I own a store and we have 48 pairs sold already and we don’t receive the show until June 1st. Brooks ha s huge following and have been waiting patiently for this to come out.

where the heck is your store? 48 pairs pre-sale? must be in a big city. seems unrealistic unless the store is in Seattle or has some Brooks connection

I don't see how this can be true. I work at a huge store (it's infamous in the US it's well known throughout the country) and we aren't set to get it until May.