Live Science Verdict
The Brooks Glycerin 21 is the best running shoe we ’ve tested from Brooks , gas the Ghost series out of the water .
Great for supinators
Grippier than other Brooks place
Brooks Glycerin 21: Build and cushioning
Not waterproof
No tabs to rend shoe onto foot
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Brooks Glycerin 21: Build and cushioning
RRP:$160
Weight ( men’s):9.8 oz ( 278 gibibyte )
Weight ( women’s):8.8 oz ( 249 1000 )
Brooks Glycerin 21: Design and upper
Drop:0.39 in ( 10 mm )
Heel stack height:1.1 in ( 28 millimeter )
Forefoot stack height:0.71 in ( 18 mm )
Brooks Glycerin 21: Outsole
Brooks knows a matter or two about making running shoes , having been in the game since 1914 . The Glycerin serial offer a well - cushioned , stacked ride , perfect for long route runs , but without making the shoe excessively heavy .
Our tester is a lover of eminent vigor - return and a thick , bouncy fillet of sole , and the Glycerin 21 ticked all their boxes , presently becoming a firm front-runner . Having tested the Ghost 15 and Ghost 16 and not get on with them , the Glycerin 21 was a huge comeback for Brooks in our tester ’s eyes .
Brooks Glycerin 21: How we tested
Our reviewer ab initio tested these shoes several month ago and still use them for road ravel and salt mine piece of work . Our tester has breed over 50 km in these shoes , mostly over dumb , long - distance runs .
Brooks Glycerin 21: Build and cushioning
The Brooks Glycerin 21 is like to the Hoka Bondi 8 in terms of cushioning and support . Our tester tend to favor well - stack , heavy - cushioned shoes that provide slews of bounce as they are a supinator ( a rude gait pattern where the fundament tends to roll outwards ) .
While this is n’t a built - for - purpose constancy shoe — for that you would need the Glycerin GTS 21 — the width of the sole entail it is a very static horseshoe that supports smooth heel - to - toe conversion . While with some shoes this can mean the inclusion of an invading rocker , the Glycerin 21 find very neutral underfoot .
The heel - to - toe drop of 0.39 in ( 10 millimeter ) encourages the born forward-moving motion of the substructure from heel to toe , and the 1.1 in ( 28 mm ) heel batch pinnacle provide plentifulness of soften for heel - tap ball carrier .
Brooks Glycerin 21: Front view
Brooks Glycerin 21: Design and upper
There is plenty of elbow room in the toe box seat and the upper is gentle and flexible , permit for quilt when running on hard surface . The Brooks Glycerin 21 is exceedingly breathable , with an engineered warp - crumple upper , which let the feet to catch one’s breath , even on spicy days .
The only downside is that this superior breathability means these shoe are n’t at all waterproof .
Brooks Glycerin 21: Outsole
Our tester was particularly face for a grippy outsole , having been let down by other Brooks shoes in the past . As a midfoot / forefoot - strike runner , they found other Brooks shoes — especially from the Ghost range — lacked grip in the toe country , leading to slipping .
While the Glycerin 21 is still designed for blackguard - ten-strike runner , the outsole is grippy all the way through , create it suitable for those with a more forward footstrike pattern . Most recreational runners are dog - strike runners and the amount of cushioning in the crashpad allow ample shelter .
Despite plenty of use , the outsole of our tester ’s pair of Glycerin twenty-one remains in good shape , with piddling wearable to its deeply grooved stamp pad .
Brooks Glycerin 21: Design and upper
Brooks Glycerin 21: Performance
The Brooks Glycerin 21 is a bouncy shoe , with a 2 millimeter increased stack height compare to the previous genesis . Despite this added height , it is 0.3 oz lighter than the Glycerin 20 . However , it is still probably a fiddling too heavy for those wanting to achieve focal ratio PBs , as Brooks has prioritize comfortableness and cushioning over a swooning weight with the Glycerin range .
Brooks Glycerin 21: Verdict
The Glycerin 21 offers a robust , bouncy ride with mint of toe room and breathability .
If you are looking for a neutral horseshoe and are n’t certain what to go for , the Glycerin 21 pop the question a more comfortable drive than the Ghost 16 . For even more cushioning , the Glycerin Max is a more expensive and more stacked pick .
