Changes

* {{H:flexibility}}. The Transcend 2 has the stiffness you'd expect from a shoe this thick. The cutouts in the outsole help a little bit so it could be a lot worse.

* {{H:outsole}}. The Transcend 2 has patches of hard rubber that cover most of the lower part of the shoe, and all the contact surfaces. There is harder rubber on the forefoot and heel (black in my pictures), and slightly less hard rubber under the midfoot (read in my pictures). The outsole rubber is relatively thick, and has a pattern that reminds me of the mild tread found in some of the Hoka trail shoes (other than the [[Hoka Mafate]].) This thick outsole is probably a big contributor to the shoes excessive weight. None of runners who will buy this shoe for general use will wear it until the outsole is gone, and expect that to take quite some time. For runners, a shoe is generally worn out when the foam midsole wears out, which is long before the outsole.

* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible and seamless other than the transition from the unpadded forefoot to the padded rear foot, but that's hard to detect even when you're looking for it. The ankle opening is nicely padded, and other than the poor shape on the forefoot the Transcend 2 is a remarkably comfortable shoe. The Transcend has four straps on each side that go from the midsole to the Eyelets for the laces. This seems rather strange, as I would expect the material used in the upper to be quite strong enough without this reinforcement.

* {{H:tongue}}. The Transcend 2 has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces. The tongue is remarkably well padded and soft, which enhances the overall comfort of the shoe.