Brooks Cascadia Elite vs Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5

Two popular shoes in the same category, compared on measured geometry. Each cell carries a provenance badge; open a shoe for sources.

Image or embed

Brooks Cascadia Elite40/34 mm · toe rocker 38 % · heel bevel 12 %
Topo Athletic Ultraventure 535/30 mm · toe rocker 34 % · heel bevel 11 %

Illustrative profiles, not photographs: drawn from published stack heights and photo estimates of the unloaded shoes on a common length (300 mm), heels aligned, toe to the left; dots mark where each toe rocker starts; the dotted vertical line is under the heel bone (12 % of length), so a heel curve reaching past it is a bevel in front of the heel bone. Dotted lines use typical values where a shoe has no measurement. Exact values are in the table below.

Which suits you

If you want	Pick	Because
A smoother roll at toe-off	Brooks Cascadia Elite	38.1 vs 33.7 % toe rocker
More cushioning under the heel	Brooks Cascadia Elite	40 vs 35 mm heel stack
More under the forefoot	Brooks Cascadia Elite	34 vs 30 mm forefoot stack
A lower drop	Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5	6 vs 5 mm drop
Less weight	Brooks Cascadia Elite	266 vs 303 g

From the values below, with differences inside measurement noise shown as about the same. This describes the shoes, not what is right for your feet; comfort in the first few runs decides.

Metric	Brooks Cascadia Elite Trail · Trail	Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5 Trail · Trail
Heel-to-toe drop	6 mmDerived	5 mmDerived
Heel stack	40 mmStated	35 mmStated
Forefoot stack	34 mmStated	30 mmStated
Weight	266 gStated	303 gStated
Toe rocker	38 %est.	34 %est.
Rocker radius	47 %est.	44 %est.
Rocker rise angle	28 degest.	29 degest.
Rocker angle at toe	59 degest.	60 degest.
Toe tip over ground	46 mmest.	38 mmest.
Visible rocker lift onset	73.9 %est.	75.4 %est.
Toe spring (relative)	20.8 %est.	19 %est.
Heel bevel length	12.4 %est.	11.3 %est.
Heel bevel height	19 mm*est.	19 mm*est.
Midsole width (forefoot)	116.9 mmMeasured	—
Midsole width (heel)	100.9 mmMeasured	—
Toe box shape	79 %est.	—
Interior forefoot width	92.6 mmMeasured	—
Toebox width	71.6 mmMeasured	—
Longitudinal stiffness	39Derived	—
Midsole firmness	23Derived	—
Plate	Carbon composite	No plate
Primary foam	DNA Gold (PEBA)	ZipFoam
List price	$275	$155

Key differences

Brooks Cascadia Elite's heel-to-toe drop is 6 mm, 1 mm higher than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 5 mm.
Brooks Cascadia Elite's heel stack is 40 mm, 5 mm thicker than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 35 mm.
Brooks Cascadia Elite's forefoot stack is 34 mm, 4 mm thicker than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 30 mm.
Brooks Cascadia Elite's weight is 266 g, 37 g lighter than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 303 g.
Brooks Cascadia Elite's toe rocker is 38 % of length, 4 % of length longer than Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5's 34 % of length.