SHOE REVIEW: Brooks Cascadia 16 – the unicorn of trail shoes?

If only for the colourway…

Brooks Cascadia 16 - unicorn approved (*men’s colourway shown*). BYO unicorn.

The lairy yellow just screams in unicorn lingua franca ‘Afterglow Trail Fun Run’, right?

True, the paint job boffins could have added sparkles and a flash of rainbow on the heel to really keep the trail unicorns appeased, but it’s still a fair foray into fluro fashion nonetheless.

*Not into yellow? Women’s and Men’s range*

It has to be mentioned early, however that there’s a downside (given this is a review): the eyeball scorching, unicorn-pleasing colourway is only offered in the men’s version along with a more demure ‘Oyster Mushroom aka grey. But even that has a flash of orange peeking from the sole. Sadly, the ladies options are limited to a bland black or aqua… so it’s a case of add your own rainbows and sparkles.

That said, we’re reviewing the new Cascadia 16 (men’s / women’s) for function more than form …we guess… (?), sooooo…

It’s a shoe that has been a perennial if traditional go-to on the trail scene (what other trail shoes can lay claim to 16 iterations – anyone?). Indeed, we tried to find out when the first ever Cascadia stepped onto the singletrack scene, but couldn’t establish a birthing date. We assume at least 16+ years ago, likely way more, which is well before the ‘trail boom’ in Australia really hit. A lot has changed since the early noughties. In trail running land. In trail shoe design. In trail unicorn tastes.

So how does a mid-range, traditional, ‘staple’ trail shoe remain relevant in a wild universe awash with extreme philosophies from minimalist/sadomasochist to maximalist/protectionist/Valium-ist?

Besides adding a splash of yellow, we mean?

The answer is in adding a little nuanced flair and subtle improvement while not straying too far from your DNA as a rugged, built-for-anything, bulldozer trail shoe that handles the widest range of trail environments. Then match with a foot fit that suits the broadest range of podiatry profiles (not too wide, not too thin, where ‘average’ is deemed desirable).

The Cascadia built a solid reputation for being the middle-road reliable go-to, bombproof shoe, one often favoured by those just getting into trail running as a somewhat conservative but reliable and low-risk option. Dependable, no fuss, very much in the austere Quaker tradition from whence its brand sprang in 1914 (Brooks was originally the Quaker Shoe Company, a manufacturer of bathing shoes and ballet slippers).

So you can very much feel those 16 iterations in the latest of the lineage, but there seems to be a little extra rainbow alchemy in this one. Something a little magic.

It still feels like the heavy-duty trail runner of always, its solid ballistic rock plate, 5mm lugs, and highly protective mesh welded upper delivering a put-on vibe akin to the Avenger’s Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr.) slipping into his Iron Man suit. Feels pretty beastly. Just like Stark, a little over-confident, even. The analogy is chosen if somewhat clumsily with some purpose: at first glance Stark’s Ironman suit looks heavy, clumsy, cumbersome, impenetrable, if snuggly and safe on the inside. Yet when Stark fires the rockets and starts flying around to save the world one smart-arse smirk at a time, it’s all so agile, light, floaty and frenetic. Just like the Cascadia 16. On your foot it is flightier than first impressions – in a good way. It feels the raciest of the Cascadias yet, fast on the foot for its visual heft.

It’s not the lightest shoe on the market but hardly overweight, and on par with its contemporaries at 298g (comparable with The North Face Vectiv at 285g, or 283g for the Salomon Ultra Glide).

Updates on the 16 include a new DNA mid-sole (V2) which has added 2mm of foam stack, yet still stiffened up the shoe a smidge – great for serious mountain terrain, but not quite as peppy for ultra buff trails. That said we found the shoe still pretty spongey for a traditionalist outing, the forefoot giving nice ride and the rear wouldn’t want to be any more mellow lest it push into Hoka territory. That balance of beef with an ability to give good energy return while also offering great protection courtesy of the ‘ballistic rock plate’ puts the Cascadia into the Goldilocks zone of not too harsh, not to soft….ahhh just right.

As someone who over the past few years has leant into the Altra zone somewhat - meaning my toes are now used to their personal space – I really liked the roomy toebox that then tightened up a bit in the mid to rear to give a good secure fit. This in turn lead to stability and confidence on techy trails. A bulldozer still beats at the gritty heart of the Cascadia, even if a unicorn has painted its appearance somewhat. Some reviews place the Cascadia in the mid to rear as narrow for some, and if you have big slabs, that may be the case. But for most the architecture of the upper will suit.

The 33-25mm stack height is on the higher side, but delivers a mid-range 8mm drop which is my sweet spot. The hearty 5mm lugs are again perfecting the Cascadia’s art of nailing down the middle ground – they are no football boot but they shine in most technical trail conditions from soft through to buff.

So, is the Cascadia 16 suitable for Afterglow trails and if so, why?

Honestly, you can wear pretty much any shoe on Afterglow trails, including dare I say it, road (washes mouth out with rainbow soap). From the slightly techy first climb up into Ironbark forest, the trails generally are non-technical, fairly buffed, and the final sections are a sand stretch and town gravel path. I’ve seen people do it in a pair of thongs.

But yes, the Cascadia would rock the Afterglow Night Trail Run Trails…in fact they’d eat them up and you’ll probably finish so fresh you’ll be signing up for the event’s sister run, the Brooks Surf Coast Trail Marathon as soon as you cross the line. But not before getting your unicorn on for a Greatest Hits of the Eighties boogie on the beach, cheering in your unicorn trail mates.

RATINGS:

Grip: 4/5
Cushion: 4/5
Responsiveness: 3/5
Protection: 4.5/5
Support: 4/5
Weight: 3.5/5
Fit: roomy toebox, standard-to-narrower midfoot
Good for: everything a trail can throw at you, new to trail runners, traditionalists, Aussie mountains
Not good for: die-hard minimalists or maximalists, women who like a bit of colour
Price: $239.95