Brooks Running Shoes Review

Customer Reviews

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
Wonderfully light, but...
By Eduardo Nietzsche
Just a little over 9oz, so about the same as the Nike Lunar Trainer. This was the main reason I bought it, wanted the lightness of the NLTs but with the amazing Brooks fit. The Nikes had a sloppy fit up front, gave me blisters on my toes and made me supinate on runs over 10 miles.Out of the box, found it too stiff as is often the case with Brooks shoes before break-in. So I walked around in it for several days. 50 miles of running later, it's now a good bit more flexible. I'm thinking that at 100-150 miles it'll be perfect.The laces are EXTREMELY long for some reason. I tuck the loops under the laces, so it's not a big problem but I wonder why Brooks made them so long. Was thinking that maybe the upper has too much give, so that I had to pull the laces pretty tightly together in order to get a snug fit across the top of my fore/mid foot.Am very ambivalent about the cushioning in this shoe, though. Very little road feel, though it's not as squishy as the NLTs. Yet somehow it doesn't feel like there's much energy return happening. It held up well for a 17 miler on asphalt and concrete though, legs and feet felt fine afterwards. Although it's a "neutral" trainer, the wide outsole and forefoot naturally allows for a good bit of stability. So I could definitely see running a marathon in this, and expect very decent longevity out of it, probably on par with say an Adrenaline.The shoe that I keep comparing this to is my Brooks Ghost (1), which despite being a good 2-3 oz heavier, somehow FEELS "faster" especially on soft surfaces---could that be due to the Ghost having firmer cushioning and the sprung toe, plus the tighter/narrower fit?The bright red and orange color gave me pause when I was looking at it in the store, but since my running clothes are mostly black, gray or white, I don't mind that much. It draws more attention when walking around than while running. What I initially felt was garish is steadily growing on me, lol.As usual, I wish Brooks would make a shoe with a low heel for midfoot strikers like myself, at least on par with the New Balance 790. The Launch still feels flatter than say an Adrenaline of course, and I appreciate its absence of excessive arch support unlike the NLT.I don't hate this shoe, but am wondering if I should've gone with the Nike Lunar Racer instead...Rating: 7 out of 10.====UPDATE, 1/21/2010:Well, I did get the Lunar Racer. It actually made me appreciate the Launch more! Love the lightness of the Lunar Racer (about 3 oz less) and it feels great for my Tabata sprints and tempo runs, but the Launch is simply a more rugged and comfortable shoe especially for long hauls, 10-20 milers, esp. if there's a little off roading involved. So maybe next time I'll experiment with a 1/2 size smaller on the Launch, maybe that will snug things up a bit.Revised rating: 8.5 out of 10.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Gratest road running shoe
By albertus
Possibly the best road running shoe I ever got, I simply love them. Comfortable like no other, soft cushioning, great dynamic sensations, enough support and a perfectly smooth ride always and in many different terrains. I'm mostly a trail runner and use them for purposes they were not designed for, and even out there on the trails, when not overly technical or rocky, they're also perfect.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Fast competition shoes that should last 500 miles
By John Saf
After 450 miles the original insoles are toast so I replaced with a pair of blue Spencos. Also the tread in the ball/forefoot area is wearing smooth, but the rest of the shoe is holding up well. I hope to get another 50 to 75 miles out of them.I am 5'11" 168# and have used my Size 10 Launches for everything from speedwork to 22-mile long runs. I average 50 to 70 miles per week and alternate 3 pairs of shoes a one time. You can really feel how much lighter these are than my Brooks Defyance and Ghosts (also cushioned neutral), so I prefer them for speedwork.I like the black/green/silver color combo much better than my orange/red shoes, but nobody cares what your shoes look like at 6:00AM during the winter because it is too dark to see them.450 miles with no complaints. Time for another pair.