The Brooks Divide 5. All images: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
The Brooks Divide 5 ($110) is beginner-friendly, experienced-runner-approved, budget-conscious, mild path shoe — with the soul of a street shoe, and underfoot safety worthy of trails. It’s straightforward to neglect about on the toes so long as terrain stays comparatively gentle, and your tempo is decided extra by your temper than your watch.
The Brooks Divide mannequin has been a staple within the road-to-trail working shoe area of interest for the previous 4 years, however with this fifth iteration, it appears Brooks embraced what the Divide is. A number of upgrades within the cushioning and higher enable it to totally transfer into the function of a shoe you’ll be able to comfortably run some paved bike path miles in, earlier than connecting to grime roads and fewer technical trails.
The brand new Divide looks like the proper mix of the softer cushioning and suppleness of the Brooks Ghost line from the previous a number of years, blended with the wonderful traction and extra secure platform of the Brooks Cascadia 18 (with out the stiffness and weight.) It’s a uncommon path shoe that doesn’t really feel clunky on pavement, but nonetheless feels balanced on much less technical trails. It doesn’t discriminate between heel and midfoot strikers and, at the very least for me, it’s excellent for simple runs and tempo runs alike.
The Divide 5 has an 8-millimeter drop with an precise weight of 9.9 ounces (282 grams) for a U.S. males’s 9, practically a full ounce lighter than the Cascadia 18. For many who want a Gore-Tex shoe, the Brooks Divide 5 GTX ($140) can be out there, although we didn’t take a look at that shoe for this evaluation.
Sizing be aware: The Divide 5 is in line with my traditional Brooks dimension and on par with what I put on in New Stability, La Sportiva, Asics, and Montrail. It’s a full dimension bigger than what I put on for Salomon.
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Brooks Divide 5 Higher
A lateral view of the Brooks Divide 5.
The higher of the Brooks Divide 5 is a tender, snag-resistant, breathable mesh that permits for ample air flow however is lined with a clean inside layer to assist preserve sand and particles out and friction low. The impartial final and comparatively roomy toebox make for a really snug surroundings for the toes to do their factor via the gait cycle. Skinny TPU overlays present a little bit of construction via graphics medially and laterally alongside the midfoot and heel. Thicker overlays on high home the lacing slits that enable for a extremely snugly locked down midfoot, with out creating any eyelet stress factors alongside the highest of the foot.
The flat, woven laces keep tied higher than some footwear, however a good double knot is essential. The efficient, safe match via the midfoot and heel was particularly evident with cambered trails, washes, cross-prairie journey, and once I hit quick sections of extra technical path, I used to be in a position to preserve the tempo and turnover I desired with the boldness that my foot and shoe have been working collectively as most popular.
The well-padded ankle collar and durable heel cup additional enhance the consolation, safety, and confidence when working or climbing, and even straight out of the field, I had zero points with sizzling spots or break-in creases. On street sections, the padding and clean inside preserve the foot and ankle stress and blister free even because the tempo and repetitive nature of the foot strikes improve. The rand across the toebox is extra substantial than a street shoe, which is good for the occasional incursion into cement sidewalk lips and path options alike; it additionally helps present appreciated stiffness for shorter, steeper hills when being up on the toes is vital. Toebox quantity is lofty sufficient that even with the protecting entrance, my toenails stay friction free and blissful.
Fortunately, Brooks hasn’t tried to reinvent the tongue as has been the case with another manufacturers. The usual wanting tongue is comparatively low profile however has simply sufficient padding to guard the highest of the foot from locked down laces, but is skinny sufficient not to absorb water when a rock-hopping stream crossing will get a bit splashy.
As a part of their dedication to sustainability, Brooks states that the higher is made with virtually 60% recycled supplies. In my 140 miles within the shoe, the consolation, flexibility, and performance of the higher remains to be pretty much as good as when new out of the field. I see no put on patterns or creases within the higher and have but to have even one friction level, though I’ve worn them with traction gadgets connected to navigate some latest persistent icy and packed snow sections of street and path. Highway footwear hardly ever maintain as much as traction gadgets properly with out placing odd stress on the toes and toes — the Divide 5, nevertheless, is performing flawlessly.
Brooks Divide 5 Midsole
A medial view of the Brooks Divide 5.
The midsole of the Brooks Divide 5 is the place Brooks appears to have spent most of their improve efforts. The dynamic cushioning is now 4-millimeters thicker and feels softer and extra responsive, due to the DNA Loft v2 midsole compound. The rockplate remains to be current, however it interacts seamlessly with the EVA and goes unnoticed apart from the safety provided underfoot. The elevated midsole cushioning stack comes at solely a 0.2-ounce improve in weight, however at the very least for me, it’s properly value it for the consolation it brings.
Earlier variations of the Divide have been typically recognized as being too agency or not feeling cushioned sufficient to deal with street miles properly. In my expertise with the Divide 5, once I did find yourself working some miles on the pavement to get to the crushed gravel or smoother singletrack, my legs nonetheless felt good and springy as if I had a correct street shoe on. But on the singletrack, the shoe supplies the safety and torsional stiffness wanted to deal with the various angles and occasional chunks with out feeling overbearing. Returning to the pavement to attach again to the automobile, once more, the street shoe resilience and springiness nonetheless shines.
Heel-toe roll via is clean and simple and the shoe feels pretty mild on my toes. I put on a pair different forms of door-to-trail footwear, and the Divide 5 is the closest to the street shoe expertise out of any of them, whereas not sacrificing mild path efficiency.
I didn’t take a look at this shoe past 15 miles at a time. It did appear that round that distance is the place the consolation began fading a bit. A part of which may be my physique’s distinct choice for extra elevation change and fewer flat, poundy terrain throughout longer runs, however I believe the midsole of this shoe might be extra of a daily-running-miles shoe quite than an extremely/long-run shoe. Your expertise might differ. I’d want a bit firmer resilience, significantly via the arch, to make use of this shoe on longer outings.
Brooks Divide 5 Outsole
The outsole of the Brooks Divide 5.
The Brooks Divide 5 outsole options wonderful traction, due to the TrailTrack Inexperienced compound Brooks makes use of all through the underside. Multidirectional 3-millimeter lugs in various chevron and triangular shapes are properly spaced over the whole sole, besides the place practical grooves are carved to each lighten the load and enhance the pliability and torsional mobility via the outsole.
This compound works exceptionally properly on moist rocks, roots, grime, and pavement alike, and since the lugs aren’t too outstanding, they don’t stack clay-mud very deep earlier than you’ll be able to fling it off with a well-placed little mid-air kick. The traction additionally supplies ample confidence on hilly crushed gravel and sand layers over arduous grime street, path, pavement, and even on steeper descents.
Fall-winter affords such mercurial climate experiences, that on any given hour you would face quite a lot of underfoot circumstances. This outsole makes it simpler to simply preserve working. Whereas the Divide 5 will not be essentially designed for snow, on well-packed snow, there’s simply sufficient grip from the lugs and the outsole compound to maintain slippage to a minimal, and the outsole works rather well with a specific traction system that allow the lugs do their factor with overlying small enamel.
The outsole may simply be the best performing facet of the shoe — rising properly above its “station” as a door-to-trail shoe. For those who occurred to take just one pair of footwear on a visit that would come with street and path working and climbing, the outsole alone would show you how to get away with extra technical terrain in a pinch, though the Divide 5 actually excels on calmer surfaces.
Brooks Divide 5 Total Impressions
A high view of the Brooks Divide 5.
At solely $110, the Brooks Divide 5 is a powerful possibility providing street shoe vibes and path shoe traction in a really safe, snug bundle. Whether or not you’re a street runner dabbling in trails, or an skilled path runner who connects pavement and grime roads to some gentler singletrack, the Divide 5 will get you the place you should go with out fanfare or drama.
Presumably the very best praise I might give this shoe is that while you lace them up and head out, you simply don’t take into consideration them very a lot. There are undoubtedly lighter, sooner, extra technical footwear on the market, however for the day by day miles on light blended terrain, the Divide 5 is a terrific alternative. Up to now, I anticipate I’ll get the standard 350-400 miles out of those, primarily based on the sturdiness and resilience thus far. Runner math positively holds up properly then on the cents-per-mile value accounting — they’re a terrific deal!
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