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Track & Cross Country Running Shoes • May 7, 2022

Brooks Wire v7 Review: A Diamond for the Oval

brooks wire v7 cover

What You Need To Know

  • Weighs 5.4 oz. (153 g.) for a US M9/US W10.5 (Unisex sizing)
  • A much-needed update to the beloved Wire
  • Might just be a diamond in the rough
  • Plenty of cushion (for a spike) and plenty of pop
  • Available now for $130

MERCER: Brooks athletes have been balling out these past couple of months. Josh Kerr is chasing records and talking shit on the Sit and Kick pod, while CJ Albertson is making folks work in Boston and setting a PR in the process. With everything going on, I was hoping Brooks would take a chance and step out of its comfortable Ghost and Adrenaline lane. Oh boy, did it. The Brooks Wire v7 is more than just a casual update in the best way possible.

The only thing about this shoe that hasn’t changed is the spike plate, which I wasn’t a big fan of in the last version, but more on that later. With a full-length Pebax plate and a big ass slab of DNA Flash, we have a lot of stuff to go over, so let’s make like Des and take that right on Hereford and left on Boylston into the finish.

brooks wire v7 side

The Good

MERCER: I went into this shoe thinking it would be like the Hyperion Elite — more of a trainer than the race day option I was craving. I was blown away by how it performed and felt, so let’s get into it.

There are a lot of eye-catchers (for better or worse) in this shoe so let’s start with the highlighter yellow — or maybe green — DNA Flash midsole. It works. It’s no ZoomX, but it was never supposed to be, which I love about this shoe. The DNA Flash itself doesn’t feel revolutionary, offering a slight cushion on impact and plenty of bounce like most nitrogen foams. However, the volume of foam makes the Brooks Wire v7 sing. There’s just so much of it, and it’s thick enough to carry you the distance — whatever distance that may be.

Sandwiched in the DNA Flash is a Pebax Plate that I didn’t even know was in there until I got rolling. The geometry of the plate gives it a smoother and bouncier ride that you feel from the starting gun to the finish line.

Brooks uses an interesting upper in this shoe, it has the same stitching as Nikes Atomknit, but it fills the threads with a film to keep the shoe formatted around the foot instead of a floppy pile of mesh. The laces used are pretty stretchy, and there is A LOT of lacing to do, but you can definitely get that lock-down fit.

Brooks is itself in this shoe, and that’s exactly what I love about it. No more copying Nike, just make up your own shit and be proud to wear it.

Shop Brooks Wire v7 – Unisex brooks wire v7 heel and side

The Bad

MERCER: Like Josh Kerr’s facial hair, I felt this shoe was missing something, but it took me a while to figure it out. The answer is it’s that outsole plate. I think it needs to be a tad more aggressive to improve the stability and allow for greater compression of the foam as it spills over the edges of the plate.

While great and breathable, the upper was a bit too narrow for me and would leave my foot cramped for a bit after wearing it. Also, the sheer number of lacing holes makes it hard to loosen the upper easily.

Shop Brooks Wire v7 – Unisex brooks wire v7 outsole

Brooks Wire v7 Conclusion

MERCER: This is a great spike, and I’m excited to see what Brooks does in the future with the Wire v8. Right now, v7 holds the EU record for both the 1500m and 1600m. For the time being, if you don’t want to splash on Nike spikes or want the next best thing, the Brooks Wire V7 will be there for you.

You can pick up the Brooks Wire v7 for $130 at Running Warehouse (featuring free 2-day shipping and 90-day returns) by using the shop link below.

Shop Brooks Wire v7 – Unisex

 

Want to learn more about how our review process works? Check out this guide.

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  1. Anna says:

    These spikes are well cushioned and reasonably priced so could make a great training spike, but they don’t compare to the dragonflys or md x for energy return or weight. There’s a reason Brooks athletes hardly wore these, opting instead for the dragonflys or skipping right to the new version (v8) which is supposedly an improvement.

    Also they 100% run a half size smaller than the nike and New Balance spikes.

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Authors

mercer
Mercer Alden
College XC/Track Reviewer
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Mercer is a collegiate athlete at the University Of Lynchburg, majoring in being awesome. He’s also extremely talented at folding shirts during GRIT packing at the Believe in the Run HQ.

All-time favorite shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano Lite, Hoka Clifton 6, On Cloudmonster

More from Mercer
Shoe Size

9.5

Fav. Distance

5K

PRs
  • 57:50

    10 Mile
  • 15:55

    5K
  • 9:01

    3K
  • 4:35

    Mile
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