GuideRails! Brooks keeps making them better. Transcend 4’s chafed my lateral midfoot ever-so-slightly (along with the fact that I wore a half size smaller, and the upper was unforgiving).

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. Fun bicolor patterns peek through breathable holes in the forefoot; a top-notch heel counter rounds out the posterior and works synergistically with the now better-positioned GuideRails, to direct foot motion. The shoe is put together well and its heightened level of cushion and plushness will allow these to last for a long time which is good because the Transcend 7 is ideal for long distances. Excellent grip on dry and wet roads

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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.

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.”

Protection

The Transcend 7 had a real nice mesh upper with a plush tongue and collar. However, during the summer months when temps are in the 80s -90s, my feet were on fire! After my first run, I re-weighed the shoe, to make sure it really was as heavy as I’d initially found it (it is), since the ride is much lighter than ASICS Gel-Fortitude (which was .3 oz. lighter), New Balance 1260 v6, and adidas Supernova ST, the latter two of similar weight. 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). 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.

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. 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) I knew right away that I made the right decision to go up a half size from what I ran in for Transcend 4. The length is true, to slightly small, to size, but the width is narrow. We don’t hold an upper fit change (as long as it doesn’t lead to discomfort) against a shoe, because it ends up being a pro or con based on personal needs of each runner. Launched in 2010, DNA is a cushioning technology that is also present in most of Brooks’ running shoes.What I don’t understand about the concept of guide rails is, that it supposedly controls the foot above an uncontrolled, moving midsole. Is this not like expecting a seat-belt to hold you firm in a car with extremely soft suspension? A lot has changed on the Transcend 3. The upper is much more spacious, and we suspect that Brooks has used a different last than of the T1 and T2. Besides the evidently more relaxed upper fit, the reverse side of the insole has a different marking. It now says BP-104 instead of the BP-106 of the T1 and T2 insoles. We could be wrong, but usually these are numbers identifying the last (fit profile) of the shoe. The Guide rails cups the rearfoot and flares out under the midfoot as supportive structure, and hence the name – guiding the foot through transitions. The midsole is the Brooks SuperDNA midsole foam compound – incidentally the 2014 Transcend was the first to feature it. It looks and feels like an EVA variant with some other compound blended in. 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. This just in: the Brooks DNA LOFT midsole, which lives up to its claim of “soft, luxurious” comfort underfoot “without losing responsiveness or durability”.