Brooks, one of the four major brands of running shoes and also a century-old brand, was the first to use EVA midsole material in its works. Over the years Brooks sells very well in more than 80 countries and regions and has made some remarkable achievements in the circle. In the field dominated by carbon-plate running shoes, Brooks’ non-carbon Hyperion Tempo, however, has an important place and impresses people by its performances.
Judging from the shoes’ appearance we can know that it is a pair of shoes that aims to improve the wearer’s pace. Its simple yet “spell able” structure and streamlined appearance seem to motivate us and give us the impulse to exercise right away.
After putting on the shoes, the first feeling that pops into my mind was that they were super lightweight. A single shoe of size 9 weighs less than 206 grams, which, arguably, makes the shoes one of the most outstanding in this respect. From the perspective of personal preference, a running shoe weighing about 200 grams is the most suitable and favorable.
The vamp adopts only a layer of mesh that is very thin and there are quite a few “holes” in the fore part, ensuring excellent air permeability. To those people who can’t bear the heat under their feet, Hyperion Tempo may be a nice choice.
In terms of the shoe tongue, it is also made lightweight, with merely a single suede layer that fits perfectly with the wearer’s instep. To avoid the tongue from skewing, there in the middle is a perforation. However, from the practical point of view, the tongue tends to shift toward the outer side, and the perforation therefore may not be as effective as it should be.
The upper is not filled with too many foams, yet it is very compact and wears comfortable. With the exact amount of filling, the overall wrapping of the shoes is certainly satisfying for the majority of people. On top of that, the built-in hard TPU ensures the badly needed stability.
A midsole drop of 8mm and a moderate upturn at the front and back ends make the shoes generally suitable for speed running required by the natural transition of gait.
The midsole requires to be made particular mention of. Brooks adpots DNA FLASH technology which is Brooks’ first innovative technology that infuses nitrogen into the midsole, stably transforming liquid nitrogen into gaseous one and then evenly forming numerous closed airbag-like structure. Judging from my several running tests of the shoes, I can see that the overall energy feedback of its midsole is quite sufficient. The cushioning is exactly right for me who weighs about 75 kg, neither too soft nor too hard.
Nevertheless, there is still something that I quite expect of the shoes. Now that it is in winter, most shoes’ midsole somewhat become harder than they usually are, and their cushioning, rebound and feedback are remarkably reduced. But this is not true for Brooks Hyperion Tempo, which helps reduce the risk of injury. Therefore, based on the excellent performance of Brooks Hyperion Tempo, I wonder if its energy feedback can be further improved in summer when the temperature is high. This actually leaves me with great expectation.
Overall:
In short, for those experienced runners, Brooks Hyperion Tempo can be used for training of improving speed. And for other types of runners, it is still more than suitable to be used for daily training or contests. Chances are that after trying, you may find more surprises in it than you had imagined.