Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

Brooks Glycerin GTS 21

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 10.5 oz (men's) · 28/18mm stack · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Glycerin GTS 24 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Glycerin GTS 21’s rating is an early estimate. We’ve collected 7 runner reviews so far, with product line history and external ratings also informing the score.

Brooks Glycerin GTS 21

of 5

Decent

79
Overall
79
Durability
90
Cushioning
84
Comfort
81
Value
73
Appearance
72
Confidence

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

46 Moderate

46

External retailer ratings

We break apart ratings from mass-market retailers and specialty running shops since they serve different audiences.

The middle of the bar marks the typical shoe at each type of retailer. The dot shows where this shoe ranks in comparison.

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

  1. Product line track record
  2. External ratings
  3. Our ratings

What runners say

“Great option for people battling shin splints and stress fractures”
5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 9
“Arch support is incredible in comparison to others I have owned”
5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 20
“Essentially no pain in this shoe”
5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 9
“Stability rails to prevent overpronation”
5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 9

Prefer this shoe over another

50% 3/6

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 29.


Pros

  • Reviewers praise the arch support, one calling it incredible compared with other shoes he has owned.
  • One reviewer with a history of shin pain reports essentially none in this shoe.

Cons

  • Value draws the lowest ratings of any dimension, at 3.9 out of 5.
  • One of the seven reviewers rates it 1 out of 5 overall, saying it did not work out for him.
  • At 10.5 oz in the men's build it sits in the heavy weight band.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Glycerin GTS 21 rates 79. This shoe has moderate confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Glycerin GTS

Each dot is one version of the Glycerin GTS, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.
  • Glycerin GTS 24

    2025 · 0 reviews

    58 Bottom-tier

    0 Confidence

  • Glycerin GTS 23

    2026 · 5 reviews

    88 Good

    61 Confidence

  • Glycerin GTS 22

    2025 · 1 review

    85 Good

    48 Confidence

  • Glycerin GTS 21 This shoe

    2023 · 7 reviews

    79 Decent

    46 Confidence

  • Glycerin GTS 20

    2022 · 11 reviews

    81 Good

    51 Confidence

  • Glycerin GTS 19

    2021 · 3 reviews

    82 Good

    46 Confidence

Runner Ratings

7 ratings
5/5 4
4/5 2
3/5 0
2/5 0
1/5 1

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
10.5 oz (men's)
Release
2023 Q4
Stack
28/18mm
Drop
10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 1–3 of 3 written reviews

Worst shoe I've ever bought and very expensive

1/5

Overall

Sorry but it didn't work out for me. 

Anonymous runner · Dec 10, 2024

12 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 8

Comfort
1/5
Cushioning
1/5
Durability
3/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
1/5

Excellent pick for injury prevention

5/5

Overall

Have struggled with shin pain in the past—essentially no pain in this shoe. Of course there are probably conflating factors, but I can at least say this shoe doesn't contribute to shin pain. I think a combination of the stability rails to prevent overpronation and, counterintuitively, a stiffer (but decently padded) undersole to disincentivize overstriding and excessive tibialis breaking forces makes this a great option for people who are battling shin splints and stress fractures.  

mitrunner · Oct 23, 2024

50 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 9

Comfort
4/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
4/5
Value
4/5

Great shoe but like everything they are too wxpensive

5/5

Overall

Great shoe. Very comfortable.  arch support is incredible in comparison to others I have owned

Anonymous runner · Jun 25, 2024

20 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 20

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

More from Brooks

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Reference shoe
Lightest / Newest
Best overall / Best comfort / Best cushioning
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Stability
Stability
Neutral
Weight
10.5 oz (men's)
9.4 oz (men's) Lightest
10.9 oz (men's)
Stack
28/18mm
39/29mm
40/35mm
Drop
10mm
10mm
4mm
Release
2023 Q4
2025 Newest
2022 Q3
MSRP
—
$165
$165
Best price
—
—
$95
Ratings
Overall
79 Decent
58 Bottom-tier
97 Exceptional Best overall
Comfort
81 Good
79 Decent
99 Exceptional Best comfort
Cushioning
84 Good
80 Good
99 Exceptional Best cushioning
Durability
90 Very good
93 Excellent
96 Excellent Best durability
Appearance
72 Decent
61 Below average
75 Decent Best appearance
Value
73 Decent
71 Decent
77 Decent Best value rating
Specific shoe

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