Anyone else been feeling a little bit like you’d might be seeking a less max stack cushioned shoe?? After testing hundreds of plush shoes, I found myself immediately drawn to the feel of the Brooks Glycerin Flex.
Brooks is calling this a more natural feel shoe, which brings to mind the Escalante and other zero drop almost no cushion shoes. That’s not what you’re getting here, the cushion remains. Whew, don’t come for my cushion I’ve come to really enjoy it.
The design of many running shoes now is controlling foot movement, which does provide efficiency in movement, but might be throwing off how our body wants to move. It’s why we advise against stability shoes for the majority of runners.
So Brooks asked can we give people a flexible shoe to move with their foot that’s NOT thin, boring and lacking the cushion we have all come to love? They went deep on technology to produce something that I think a lot of you are going to appreciate. Ok, at least I am appreciating it!
Who Is It Good For?
- Wide Feet: Knit upper will stretch, so it might accommodate a wider foot
- Heavier Runners: Plenty of cushion and durability.
- Long Runs: Great option to have cushion without being in a max cushion shoe.
- Front of the Pack: Can pick up the pace, but not a super fast race shoe.
The Glycerin Flex is a great daily trainer with fairly light weight, plenty of cushion and going to move easily with your foot. It’s going to be a shoe that could also go with you for gym classes, pickleball, and some other workouts.
Brooks Glycerin Flex Overview
My first step in was not love, so that makes it all the more interesting that now I’m head over heels for this shoe. But only for running, not for walking, which is all due to the gel pads instead of foam in the heel cup.
That’s obviously not the important thing about this shoe which has a super unique modular outsole, creating the ability for the shoe to seriously flex. But comfort and fit is still priority one, so let’s run through all the things you need to know about this shoe.
Why is this different?
As shoes have gotten bigger (read more cushioned), you’ll see that most are fully connected along the midsole and need a meta rocker or other features to help with that roll from heel to toe. Not everyone loves this feeling and it does mean the shoe is doing some of the work for you.
Here the forefoot and midsole are de-coupled, allowing for that full twisting motion you see. Which means that your foot can also roll through a full range of motion or more easily change directions, dash side to side with less rolled ankles.
Natural still feels like a debatable term here as we do have a lot of cushion. But sure, it does give more freedom of movement.
The DNA tuned midsole still has that great Glycerin cushioned feel that we enjoyed in the Glycerin Max 2, BUT on a much smaller scale making it more like my go to Saucony Kinvara. This feels like you can pick up the pace, even though it doesn’t have a rocker it’s just not as much shoe.
How does it feel?
Cushioned. Instead of feeling over cushioned, it just felt nice. It still had a little bounce, plenty of under foot comfort, but there was no sinking in to the shoe. I put it on for daily runs up to 8 miles (sorry right now I’m working through injury and that’s my max!). I would happily wear it for longer, but I think might cap at 13.
If you haven’t been doing any kind of foot strength, you might feel like your feet and ankles need a little adjustment to this shoe.
The upper is very different from other Glycerin shoes. The knit may not feel as locked in for some of you, I happy to love this style of shoe because it does feel more flexible and harkens back to the other shoe that I went through like 10 pairs of the Nike Flyknit React.
Brooks Glycerin Flex Specifications
- Brand: Brooks
- Usage: Daily Trainer
- Previous Model: None
- Weight: 8 oz women’s, 8.8 oz men’s
- Stack: 36 mm
- Heel toe drop: 6 mm
- Available in 4 colors
- Not available in wide
- Available on Brooksrunning.com for $170
Quick Take
- 6mm drop is great to see in Brooks.
- Good cushion at lower stack.
- Allows for natural movement of the foot.
- Gel pads in heel cup.
- Not good if you need some stability.
- Tongue not attached.
The outsole is also sticky for some great grip. I wouldn’t hesitate to wear this on wet roads and I mean I guess in the snow except your feet would be very cold. I’d also consider this for pickleball and some other quick gym movements.
Brooks Glycerin Flex Fit
As alluded to at the beginning I did have a fit issue. The heel cup uses little gel pads and they just kind of stick out. Every single time I put this shoe on, I almost immediately take it off thinking I’m going to have a blister there. But as soon as I start running the sensation is gone.
However, walking I still feel the pads and dislike. I want to not think about my shoe at all while wearing it.
Length standard Brooks sizing, the mid-foot I do think is a bit more narrow, which might just be due to the knit upper and flat tongue.
Those components are going to give it a more fitted feel and that’s something I generally like in running shoes. It means nothing is moving around.
The tongue is not attached on the sides, which feels like a no brainer at this point. Keep it from moving and make us all happy. Kind of oddly shaped, so it looks like the tip could dig in to your ankle, but again no issues. And yes, part of what we do in testing 200+ shoes a year is get really picky so you know what to expect.
Brooks Glycerin 23 vs Brooks Glycerin Flex
The Glycerin has been a staple cushioned shoe in the line up for years, so let’s see why it’s different and which one you might prefer. Our full review of the brand new 23 is coming out in a few days.
- Glycerin 23 is a 8mm drop, much more standard for Brooks
- Glycerin is more cushioned to feel really comfortable for marathon long runs
- Flex is lighter and feels easier to pick up the pace
- Flex isn’t going to guide your foot as much, meaning you’ll notice if you have too much pronation
Similar Shoes to the Brooks Glycerin flex
- Saucony Kinvara 16 – 29mm stack height, but still cushioned and love the 4mm drop and lightweight
- Hoka Mach 6 – Another moderate cushioned shoe that’s light
- NB Rebel V5 – Softer underfoot, similar drop
There you have it, our Brooks Glycerin Flex review.
As always, love to hear feedback if you’ve taken the shoe out or if there are other models you’re curious about.
We were immediately taken with the feel of the Glycerin Flex, providing the cushion we enjoy but with less shoe underfoot. It feels like the direction we think more daily trainers will be going and we approve. It’s not for those who need any stability, but a great feel and durable thanks to the outsole rubber.
</b>Our Verdict<b>
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Hi Amanda, can I assume that if we wear orthotics, these shoes wouldn’t be the best as the flexibility would be made redundant by stiff orthotics? Or still worth a try?
Thank you
Hey Jess, I’d say you probably won’t get the benefit of the shoe as it would be fighting the orthotic in some ways.