BROOKS RICOCHET RUNNING SHOE REVIEW

Join us in this Brooks Ricochet Running Shoe Review as we explore whether this shoe should be on your shopping list.

If you’ve been following us for a while you’ll know that we are big advocates for only wearing quality, properly fitted running shoes for the type of running that you will be doing.

Cheap, old or badly fitting shoes will not only hinder your performance but, most importantly, may increase the risk of injury.

With that in mind, we regularly test quality shoes from the most trusted brands to help you make informed purchases.

Disclaimer – I purchased this these shoes with my own money and have not been paid by anyone to make this review. This is my honest, independent opinion.

Who Is Brooks?

Founded in 1914, Brooks initially manufactured ballet and bathing shoes from a small factory in Philadelphia.

Seven years later in 1921, Brooks moved into mainstream sports and began manufacturing baseball cleats. Over the years they expanded their product portfolio to include roller skates, football cleats, children’s shoes and softball cleats.

In 1974, the company turned its attention to running shoes and released their first running shoe, the Villanova.

The rest, as they say, is history and today Brooks have a very extensive range of purpose built running shoes and are very well respected.

Brooks Ricochet.

The Ricochet is a light weight road shoe from the Brooks ‘Energize’ range.

In this review we are testing the Ricochet 2.

Designed to provide a springy, energy return running experience, the Ricochet is not overly cushioned and has a more minimalistic, purpose-built feel to it.

This is a neutral running shoe and will suit medium to high foot arch types. In this iteration it weighs 275g and has an 8mm midsole drop.

Why This Model?

Running shoes providing forward propulsion when transitioning from heel to toe are a great new feature of modern running shoe technology. For this reason, I was excited to check out the Brooks Ricochet which is designed with this feature in mind.

From their Energize range, the Ricochet uses Brooks DNA AMP foam to provide the promised ‘springy’ attributes.

Also of interest to me was the knitted ankle collar and one-piece upper design characteristics of this shoe. Modern running shoes generally spoil us with very soft and cushy collars around the heel and ankles. Consequently, it’s very rare that a new running shoe will cause blisters in these areas.

The design of the Ricochet offers none of this collar cushioning and I wanted to see if this minimalist style was comfortable and chafe-free.

SPECS

Here are the specs for the Ricochet 2 direct from the Brooks website.

Shoe Category	Neutral
Suits Foot Arch Type	Medium, High
Midsole Layout	BioMoGo DNA, DNA AMP
Outsole Technology	Abrasion-Resistant Rubber, Arrow Point Outsole
Upper Technology	Two-Piece Flat-Knit
Experience Type	Energize
Surface	Road
Weight (g)	275g
Midsole Drop (mm)	8mm

First Impressions.

Unboxing

Shipped in a basic cardboard box with paper wrapping around the shoes, the Ricochet’s came with no unnecessary plastic packaging, which is always pleasing to see.

Pulling the shoes out of the box, I was struck how restrained and essential these shoes looked and felt. They almost felt a bit bare-boned. After recent unboxing experiences of The Hoka Bondi 6 and Saucony Guide shoes which both seemed more substantial in design, the Ricochet’s appeared far more modest and unpretentious.

This was going to be an interesting test-drive.

How Does It Feel Out Of The Box?

Putting the shoes on for the first time, two aspects of the fitting were immediately apparent.

Firstly, the one piece upper produced a very snug fit, a little tight across the top of the foot.

Secondly, the shoe seemed to have a narrower fit than most other running shoes I have tried. Comparing the Ricochet to the Saucony Guide, the Brooks shoe is definitely narrower. The combination of these two elements made for a quite tight fit around the foot.

Would the shoe be too tight, or would this snug fit be an advantage?

First Run.

As a test run, I laced up the Ricochets for an easy Tuesday recovery run after the weekend long run. This would normally be around 7k at a comfortable pace.

Because of the relatively tight fitting upper of the shoe I found I couldn’t tie the laces too firmly, in fact the laces almost seemed superfluous. Tieing them lightly I headed out.

Immediately noticeable was the lack of cushioning around the heel and ankle. However, there didn’t seem to be any discomfort and my feet weren’t moving about in the shoe which could lead to chafing or blisters.

The tight fit of the shoes actually imparted a feeling of oneness with the feet. In other words, the shoe almost disappeared around the feet and I felt very connected with the running surface. Some shoes can be quite big and bulky and are very noticeable as something attached to your feet but the ricochets did not feel like that at all.

After about 1k into the run, I did have to stop and loosen the laces a little more, there was uncomfortable pressure across the top of my feet. The tongue part of the upper is quite thin and not well cushioned so you can’t tie the laces too firmly.

Comfort

Towards the end of the run, the shoes were feeling quite comfortable. As a result, I didn’t experience any discomfort from the tight fit or any problems from slippage or chafing etc.

As the shoes were also quite light there was no sense of weighty bulk around my feet.

About that knit collar around the heel and ankles. I have to admit I was sceptical that this could ever be as comfortable as the plush cushioned examples of the other shoes I’ve tested. However, despite the minimalist approach and zero cushioning it was never really a problem. That may change in a long-distance run.

Cushioning

There’s not a lot of cushioning in this shoe. That’s not its design brief. My instinct tells me that this is not a shoe for long-distance running, more cushioning is needed to mitigate the pounding effects of the innumerable amount of steps in a long run.

For shorter up-tempo workouts which may involve sprinting, stairs, hill running etc, the Ricochet is well suited.

Design Characteristics

As part of the Brooks ‘Energize’ range, the Ricochet is designed to provide a responsive transition from heel to toe with each step phase and an ‘energised’ launch.

Although just a brief 7k first run, it became fairly obvious to me that the ricochets weren’t really giving me much of that promised responsive launch. As your foot rolls through the transition from heel to toe there isn’t that sense that you are being propelled forward. However, these shoes do provide a smooth cohesive running experience and are conducive to effectual workout results.

The outsole of these shoes is firm and provides good grip on most running surfaces. Due to the firmness, they can slip a little easily on loose surfaces such as fine gravel. Although I didn’t get to test them in wet weather I have read other reports of slightly less confidence on wet surfaces.

Second Run.

Now that the shoes are ‘broken in’ it was time to test them in a more arduous workout.

For this, I wore them to my running clubs Thursday evening workout. This is always a high intensity one hour session involving sprinting, hills, stairs, intervals etc and all on a variety of running surfaces.

How did the Ricochets perform in this scenario?

Pretty well is the answer. Due to the snug one-piece knit upper and the low stack height, I found that the Ricochets just get out of the way and let you run in a more natural manner. There is plenty of confidence-inspiring surfaces feel allowing you to more accurately place your feet, which is particularly important with stair running.

Overall, whilst not as ‘springy’ as I had hoped, these shoes do allow for a pretty good running experience. A little more cushioning would be welcome, I found foot strike to be a little jarring at times. As for the knit upper, there was no sign of any slippage or chafing. Consequently, it’s unlikely that you would experience any ‘new shoe’ blisters, importantly, around the Achilles.

Styles and Colours

There are some nice colour choices, although a little understated and conservative. Check them out on the Brooks website.

• Womans Ricochet 2

• Mens Ricochet 2

• Womans Ricochet 3

• Mens Ricochet 3

Is It Good Quality?

As previously stated, these shoes felt a little underwhelming when taking them out of the box for the first time. However, having ran in them for a few times now I would say they seem to be well bolted together.

They should provide effective service for at least the 800 to 1000k running life we expect from running shoes.

The outsoles are constructed from a durable rubber material and aren’t showing any wear yet. Although it’s early days.

The upper is definitely the highlight of the shoe, the material used is pliable enough to effect a snug fit but doesn’t flex too much giving way to bunching up or rubbing.

The upper also seemed to have capable ventilation, my feet didn’t feel overly warm, even on the one hottish day that I ran in them.

Brooks is a well-respected brand. They have built up a reputation for excellent products. From my experience with these shoes, I am confident they represent good quality.

Pricing

In Australia the Ricochet 3 is priced at $229.95 and the Ricochet 2 is now available for $169.95 which represents excellent value.

They also have some of the original release Ricochets available at just $129.95.

At $229.95 for the latest model, they aren’t overly expensive. With top-end running shoes now breaching the $300 mark here in Oz, the Ricochets seem like good value.

Pro’s and Con’s

Final Verdict | Should You Buy It?

This road test was an interesting one. The Ricochets design represents a different approach to running shoes, particularly around the upper.

The two main features of this model from Brooks lie in the one piece knit upper and the ‘energize’ forward propulsion intent of the design.

With regard to the upper, it works well. These are comfortable shoes that provide a satisfying running experience.

As for that sense of forward propulsion, it’s there, but only slightly. In a recent road test of the Saucony Guide, read it here, there was a much more pronounced springy launch phase in each step.

Should you buy it? This shoe will definitely suit those runners who want snug and secure fitting and don’t want too much cushioning. As previously stated, for up-tempo workouts I found it to be a nifty performer. For long-distance, there are other more suitable models in the Brooks range.

Put it on your shopping list, try it on and test how that one-piece knitted upper feels. I have enjoyed running in this shoe, it won’t sit in the bottom of my shoebox festering, it will definitely get some solid future workouts.

Steve

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