Brooks Glycerin 22 Introduction
The premium daily shoe in the Brooks line up, the Glycerin, gets a pretty major update in its latest guise. Gone is the DNA Loft and its replacement is the new DNA Tuned foam. Furthermore, the Glycerin 22 has a sleeker look which cuts down the rather bulbous profile of the 21. Sometimes a major update can ruin a lovely shoe as has been proven many times before.
How does this remix fare?
The Glycerin 22 Delivers Brooks’ Traditional Comfort
As a Brooks shoe, we all expect a fantastic fit. Thankfully, the Glycerin 22 is no exception. The step in comfort is fantastic and the upper holds the foot in all the right places. There are some changes from the 21. Most notably the shape of the heel cup has changed. The 22 has an elastic pull tab on the heel which makes putting the shoe on a breeze.
Around the heel collar we also find more padding. The rim of foam extends deeper into the shoe which gives good heel lockdown as well as comfort on the run. Aside from the heel area, the tongue remains thick and cushioned. If you are short of somewhere to sleep, it would make a decent mattress. That said, in the current weather conditions which have been anywhere from freezing to 12 degrees, it has not caused me to overheat. It does, however, do a good job of reducing lace pressure on the top of the foot.
Correspondingly, tying the laces tighter for more lockdown causes no discomfort. The construction of the lace chain is fairly simple. That said, every other eyelet is replaced with a well anchored string. This is rather reminiscent of Nike’s Flywire shoes. The remaining eyelets have some reinforcement to increase the durability of the upper.
All in all, I have had no issues with the upper of the Glycerin 22. I would imagine that it would suit most runners’ feet and as Brooks also offer it in a wide version, everyone can enjoy the shoe.
From Loft to Tuned: Glycerin 22 Gets New DNA
Ever since the Glycerin 17, the midsole has been DNA Loft foam. Whether v1, 2 or 3 it has provided steady, stable shock dampening. Here in the Glycerin 22, we wave goodbye to Loft and hello to Tuned. This dual cell technology made its debut in the Glycerin Max. Our testers found it soft but stiff when built in such volume. With 7mm less in the midsole, how does that change the ride?
From my experience, it offers a good deal of dampening and a dose more liveliness than the Glycerin 21. While DNA Loft v3 was a single density material, DNA Tuned offers a dual feel. The large cells offer softness and cushion while the small cells offer response and pop. The bulk of the large cells are in the heel to midfoot area while the small cells are mainly in the forefoot. This ability to nitrogen inject to manipulate zones really does have an impact on the ride.
In this instance, the heel is very soft and the roll through to the forefoot is smooth. This is fantastic if you are a heel striker as you get the most of the process benefits. However, as a forefoot striker, I am really only getting the small cell technology. Whilst this is not unpleasant, I certainly don’t get the full benefit of DNA Tuned. This is in contrast to the other Brooks daily shoe I have been testing, the Launch 11. In this case, the softer DNA Loft v2 material is a puck under the forefoot so I get the bulk of the softness.
Heel strikers will really benefit from the geometry and technology in the Glycerin 22. Whereas those who strike further forward will get a very different experience of the shoe. As far as performance goes, it is a shoe which is comfortable at a range of paces.
While I haven’t been running full workouts as I build back from my post marathon slump, I have used it for some fartlek runs. At easy paces of around 5:30 – 5:40/km it feels comfortable and less clunky than its Max brother. On the other hand, the pop of the forefoot makes it easy to push when the paces increase. I have taken it to a decent (for me) tempo pace of around 3:45/km and it was perfectly capable of the work. I won’t ever be using it as a race shoe but, if I only had one pair of shoes in my bag, it wouldn’t be totally out of its wheelhouse in a workout.
The Glycerin Outsole Leaves Something to be Desired
For me, this has probably been the weakest part of the Glycerin 22. Being in the depths of autumn and with some very unsettled weather around, I have had the chance to run over some terrible surfaces. Mud, slimy fallen leaves and rain sodden concrete have been my playground. Sadly, the rubber can be a little skittish on some of them. Even at a very moderate pace, I nearly took a tumble when turning a muddy pavement corner. Definitely not a shoe for pushing at pace on anything but the most friendly of surfaces.
As far as coverage goes, it is fairly comprehensive. The majority of the outsole has coverage. There are pads on both lateral and medial sides of the heel. Meanwhile, the forefoot is almost fully covered with the exception of some small cutaways and flex grooves. There is some exposed DNA Tuned foam in both heel and midfoot areas. However, after about 70km in the Glycerin 22 so far, the only noticeable wear is discoloration from road muck. Finally, it is a very quiet shoe. The rubber really absorbs noise and keeps me feeling very stealthy (panting and coughing aside).
Glycerin 22 Conclusion: A Heel Striker’s Dream
The Glycerin 22 is a very dependable shoe as would someone would expect from Brooks’ premium daily offering. Whilst it has had a major overhaul, it is not one that should put a lot of runners off. The comfort and dampening remains but it just has a spark of liveliness and play built into the new midsole. It is definitely a midsole construction which favours heel to midfoot strikers with the focus on the cushion between those points. However, it still offers responsiveness and pop to those who strike further forwards.
I can see this being a very durable and dependable shoe which I will keep in my rotation for those days when I just want to pick up a shoe and run. The €160 price point is probably fair when conmsidering expected life span and quality of material. That said, if you are a forefoot striker who likes a light shoe, the Launch 11 is available in June for a considerably lower price