This then begs the question – is more technology a good thing, and where is
the evidence for it if it is.

It sounds like Brooks may be getting a little too wrapped up in their marketing campaign of these shoes. It sounds like they are trying to get the message across that they are making high tech lightweight shoes. A little too much float vs feel, which is kind of cheesy any ways.

I think they should take a page out of the New Balance or Merrel textbook and talk about form and how their shoes help the runner with a more efficient gait a.k.a. getting off those heels. That is what we really want to hear.

I think they could make that case too because the split shoe design does seem innovative.

I am really excited about the most minimal one and I think that will sell the best, unlike Weber who thinks it is Pure Flow (another Kinvara). The Pure Connect seems to fit a missing part of the market right know because it is more minimal than kinvara and NB road, but more cushion than Merrell, Five Fingers, Evos, NB Trail. A get place that only a few racing flats are in right now (Hyper speed and Rockets)

Charlie

This is months late, but I’ll reply to your “jury is out” statement. I’ve worn Brooks, New Balance, Inov-8, and now Altra. I can tell you that the jury is in favor of Altra. It is the best shoe on the market. Comfort, foot shape, and zero drop. There is no better combination. I’ve put 450+ miles on mine and just got done running a 100 miler in them. My feet have never been better.

What’s interesting to me is that Brooks already makes half of a really good semi-minimalist shoe: the Green Silence. I have a pair that I occasionally use on longer runs (15+ miles) because I like having a little more cushioning at times, though doing the bulk of my mileage in VFFs, EVOs, the new Merrell Trail Gloves, and barefoot makes me only too aware of the rather thick outsole and significant heel/forefoot offset on the GS.

Which I guess is my slightly long-winded way of saying that if Brooks simply replaced the existing 23mm/13mm sole on the Green Silence with, say, a 5 or 6mm thick, zero-drop sole, they’d have an awesome (and much more “minimalist”) shoe that would be very light, quite comfortable, fairly durable, and suited to a wide range of distances.

The Pure Project shoes do look nice, though.

Agree on the Connect is way to narrow.. But im thinking of maby try out the flow. But can not find a good answer on whats the drop is in Flow some say 4mm other 8mm, do you have a “correct” answer on this if its 4mm or 8mm

I have the Flow – can’t recall if I’ve measured it, but they report it as 4mm and it certainly feels like 4mm on my foot.

I think I have to agree. Perhaps Weber’s statements have been taken out of context. “Less is more” is crap in his mind because they may be a more minimalist shoe…but more technology has gone into their design. Its not just taking away from a shoe to make it more minimal.