Try It: Brooks Glycerin 18 and Transcend 7
The thing with Brooks is that you can always count that the brand will do their best to evolve. They’re not going to change anything to be contrarian; the changes they make at Brooks all have to do with what already works great and what else doesn’t work great in their performance end-goals. And while they are stepping up their designs to be more attractive to consumers who don’t fit into their core running audience, everything that Brooks does always starts from the desire to make a product from the inside out. In a sense, that push to make changes to evolve the brand are most evident in their sister shoes, the Glycerin 18 and the Transcend 7.
Glycerin 18
The Glycerin 18 is very radical for what I’ve known from the Brooks brand; and, I say that in delight, not derision. The G18 feels like a water moccasin posing as a running sneaker; it’s like a slipper, and the engineering of the silhouette is a big reason for this. The slipper-life feel owes to the upper construction and the midsole, principally.
Starting with the midsole, the DNA Loft foam is full-length, which is a significant change from its initial implementation from the heel in prior models like the Ghost 12 (an absolute beast performer, FYI). This iteration of DNA Loft in the G18 is way soft — so soft that I was concerned upon my first wearings that it wasn’t going to hold me, but that changed in the break-in process. The foam is heavy in the cush and very soft, but surprisingly supportive despite that. It’s not mushy, so much, but soft in the way that one might expect of a very dense memory foam — and it is thick. There is a literal lofted feel to DNA Loft, like the foam is built up in soft layers.
The upper, on the other hand, is primary built of what Brooks calls a “stretch double-jacquard mesh” which overlaps as an evolution of Brooks’ own proprietary version of Engineered Mesh, that itself is overlaps as the brand’s 3D Fit Print stretch mesh, for a strong, flexible, ergonomically-shaped covering over the feet. The combination of the upper elements and the very full-feeling DNA Loft give the G18 its unique moccasin feel, and it’s as much interesting as it is comfortable.
Other really good things include stuff like the inner, which is extremely smooth, silky, and elevated and luxurious in a way that I can’t place for any other sneaker that I’ve experienced. The tongue construction is excellent — it’s not too short, not too tall, not too thin, and not too thick — it’s like Goldilocks’ preferred porridge. The heel is well-sculpted and provides really strong security and stability for the overall fit.
While the G18 feels a little short in the toebox (which honestly made a little self-conscious about how my feet appeared to me), what Brooks did was shave a bit of unnecessary room of that area to really allow the 3D Fit Print-Engineered Mesh to show what kind of supportive flexibility it really has. In short, the fit in the toebox is great and my feet spayed fine with zero issues.
Putting it all together, the G18 is just short of divine, but that is only because its sister shoe, the Transcend 7, goes just a little farther in premium performance attributes.
What I Like:
- sleek, one-piece stretch construction and moccasin-like fit
- soft, lofted cushioning
- great fit around the collar and in the heel
What I Would Change:
- the G18’s implementation of DNA Loft is just a touch softer than my preferences (the Transcend 7’s version is perfect)
- more jacquard knit into the upper would be interesting to experience
Transcend 7
As good and unique and truly evolved as the Glycerin 18 is a modern running shoe (to me, it’s almost post-modern in its actual fit and feel), the Transcend 7 may be the best Brooks model to ever release — this after my previous declaration of the Ghost 12, which is a masterpiece in cushioning, support, stability, and performance. The T7 outdoes even that, and while it’s the sibling of the G18, it’s a bit more enhanced, and those enhancements make a discernible difference in feel and fit.
The biggest major enhancement is the T7’s use of the Brooks’ proprietary Guiderails technology. The Guiderails are a raised pronouncement of the Brooks midsole which cups both the medial and lateral sides of the foot in the midfoot and heel, so that feet stay aligned properly with the leg, from the ground up. The proprioception from the Guiderails helps to keep feet stabilize with each step taken, but they also aid the super-stable fit in the heels of the T7. Simply, the Guiderails are masterful in locking my feet in. It’s a major improvement in the engineering of what really could be seen as a Glycerin 18+, as I felt at times that while I was in the actual Glycerin 18, that I may slip off of the footbed; the Guiderails of the T7 allowed my feet to sit within the full-length DNA Loft midsole.
Speaking of DNA Loft, the full-length version that is employed in the T7 is somehow significantly better. It’s thicker than the already-thick G8’s midsole, particularly in the forefeet. It’s still as soft and cushy as it is said to be, but it’s denser in the T7, in a way that inspires more confidence in the platform altogether. It’s lusher, denser, more elevated, and more comfortable in the T7.
Other differences that appear in the T7 is the use of heat-welded applique, atop the stretch 3D Fit Print-Engineered Mesh and beefed-up outer foam pods along the heel for additional external support. If the G18 is Michael Jordan is its physique (sleek, muscular, and lower-profile), the T7 is LeBron James — a powerful, beefy, light and tight body, ready to hit the pavement.
The T7 itself fits more like an actual sneaker and is better for it for power workouts where the runs are longer and impact protection are a great necessity.
At the end of it all, the T7 is literally almost everything that the G18 is, but just better, and for that, the T7 may be Brooks’ biggest accomplishment yet.
Definitely Try Them out.
What I Like:
- lightweight, but still cushy
- extremely secure, but not bulky
- very stable, but also flexible
- luxurious fit and feel with premium cushioning
What I Would Change:
- it would be difficult to change what is easily Brooks’ best ever product
Try It is a Medium-exclusive series from lifestyle product expert Sandy Dover focusing on the experiences of products of all kinds, big name and upstart alike, made to enhance your living in some affecting and substantive way, while shooting as straight from the hip as necessary. Ultimately, of some of the products you see here, you may want to ‘try it’ yourself.
Special thanks to Brooks.
All photography and associated production, direction & composition by Sandy Dover.
All rights reserved — © Sandy Dover, 2020.
Disclaimer and Editor’s Note: The aforementioned thoughts and opinions of the work above are that of the author’s. Nothing has been sponsored and no expression of the above work has been manipulated for favorable opinion.
