Medially, the GuideRails bolster the arch of the shoe to direct foot motion forward rather than inward. When running you will feel the weight which will limit the pace. On avg, I like to stay around the 8:00/mile mark. With these, I caught myself being comfortable at around 8:30/mile. I certainly didn't mind that though. When getting these, know that you will only use them for easy-paced effort. Transcend’s offset is 10mm, compared with Adrenaline’s 12, and Transcend features a full-length DNA LOFT midsole: it’s more plush and weighs about half-ounce more. I am a road purest, not so much to preference but because of convenience. Brooks Transcend 7was wonderful with grip when it came to road/sidewalk and gravel. I felt extra secure and even on wet roads, these babies gripped excellently.

Guide Rails are the latest introduction in Brooks technology and like all the others, it seems to veer in the direction of “we don’t correct your stride, we let your body define how to run”. This latest is about providing some stability without traditional stability technology (ie. dual posts). What the Transcend 3 has also done is to increase the heel bevel at the edge. On the lateral (outer) heel edge, it curves up more than the Transcend 2. What makes this technology incredible to me is that Brooks decided not to patent it, but to offer it as a “open source” innovation for any other shoe producer to use. Way to go! Brooks DNA It’s breathable enough for no overheating issues when running inside, but not so thin that cold air rushes right through, when facing temps well below freezing, outside. The Transcend 3’s Guide rail rim and the lower midsole are now co-molded instead of being glued together. So all that saved glue seemed to find its way in form of smudges over the shoe.

Stability” is essentially an effort to help the foot move efficiently, which guides the knees, hips, and overall movement toward injury-free performance, and Brooks has tried various technologies past into present. There is something to be said about conviction. Brooks built on the Transcend based on an idea that a highly cushioned shoe could be both supportive and smooth riding without relying on a medial post. They should have seen this through, instead of changing their minds midway and making the Transcend a Glycerin 13 cousin. We don’t particularly like this new feel of under-arch reinforcement. We’ve put over 40 miles on the Transcend 3, which included a single 15 miler. During that run, we felt that the pronounced under-arch support was too much of a good thing. The visually distinctive Transcend 1 had a generously flared midsole under the arch area. This when paired with the Guide rails and the wide footprint, helped the Transcend 1 produce a very supportive ride character. Under the midsole, the flat profile of the outsole made for super smooth transitions. The Transcend 3 (on right) has an exaggerated heel edge angle. This is clearly noticeable during runs, compared to the subdued edge of the T2.(left)

Brooks claims that DNA is the first cushioning technology that dynamically adapts with each foot strike to the ever-changing amount of force placed on the foot during the run. No matter what the age, weight, gender, gait… DNA adapts itself to deliver the right amount of cushioning.Another tester, who is a self-described pavement pounder, said the shoe “had great push off and was equal to or better than my Adrenalines.” Brooks maintained support in this upper while stripping away the overlay stripes that made Transcend 4 so unbreak-in-able, for me, which were partially maintained into the 5. Heel fit is unchanged, mostly. The medial (arch) side feels a little more supportive because of the elongated heel counter, and the Achilles dip is slightly softer – that’s all there is to it. Launched in 2008, BioMoGo is the material found in virtually all Brooks midsoles. Due to its formulation, BioMoGo is completely bio-degradable. While a standard EVA foam will take approximately 1,000 years to fully degrade in a landfill, BioMoGo can biodegrade in roughly 20 years when placed in the same environment.