Revision as of 04:38, 19 October 2017

The Nike Zoom Fly is part of Nike's "breaking 2" initiative to break the 2-hour marathon. That failed attempt to run a sub-2-hour marathon used the Nike Vaporfly Elite, a shoe you can't buy. There is a retail version, the Nike Vaporfly 4% which uses the same ZoomX foam and a carbon fiber plate in the midsole. This shoe, the Zoom Fly looks superficially identical to the Vaporfly, and you're probably reading this review to see how it stacks up to its sibling. The short answer is that the Zoom Fly is despite the looks, it's nothing like the Vaporfly. I rate the Zoom Fly as "worth considering" as it's not a bad shoe (other than the shape and drop), but it's rather overpriced and it's certainly no cheapskate Vaporfly. (I use The Science of Running Shoes as the basis of how I test running shoes and what you should look for in a running shoe.)

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  Nike Zoom Fly top

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  Nike Zoom Fly outside

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  Nike Zoom Fly bottom

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  Nike Zoom Fly inside

1 Characteristics

I'm going to focus on how the Zoom Fly compares with the Vaporfly, rather than doing a standalone Zoom Fly review.

• Cushioning . The Zoom Fly is heavier and less cushioned than the Vaporfly. It's not a bad cushioning-to-weight ratio, but after the Vaporfly it seems heavy and dead. The Vaporfly has an amazing level of bounce, where the Zoom Fly is pretty much like any other running shoe.
• Drop. The Zoom Fly has less unloaded drop than the Vaporfly, but when worn they are both about 8mm. However, I found the drop on the Zoom Fly to be troubling, as I would expect on an 8mm drop, where I've got on fine with the Vaporfly. The Zoom Fly feels like it's 8mm drop, where I find something about the Vaporfly feels rather less.
• Structure. While the Zoom Fly has a black line down the side, it doesn't have the carbon fiber plate of its better siblings. There's no noticeable structure of interference with your biomechanics, and there's not the instability that I find so troubling in the Vaporfly.
• Flexibility. Even without the Vaporfly's carbon fiber plate, the Zoom Fly has similar levels of flexibility. Without the carbon fiber, the Zoom Fly doesn't have the spring of the Vaporfly. It might still improve running economy, but the expected level of improvement would be hard to detect without a laboratory.
• Outsole. You can see the hard rubber outsole as the black areas on the sole of the Zoom Fly. Superficially, this looks very similar to the Vaporfly, but on close inspection the pattern is rather different. I'm not sure if the rubber outsole is the same material on the Zoom Fly as it appears to be harder than the Vaporfly.
• Shape. The Zoom Fly shape doesn't match the human foot, so the toe box compresses the toes. It matches the shape of the Vaporfly, and I found the Vaporfly gave me toe blisters until I cut open the toe box. (I recommend cutting open the toe box of virtually all running shoes, with the exception of a few shoes like some Altra shoes. When you have some worn out shoes, you should try cutting open the toe box. I've found that it's a big improvement, allowing my toes to move naturally and engage for toe off, as well as reducing the possibility of blisters.).
• Upper. The upper is another area where the Zoom Fly looks almost identical to the Vaporfly, but is radically different. The Vaporfly has small holes that are held together with a remarkably strong and fine mesh, where the Zoom Fly has two layers of upper with holes just in the outermost layer. The Zoom Fly is not a bad upper, but it's nowhere near as open and breathable as the Vaporfly. The eye holes for the laces are also different, with the Vaporfly using a double layer of upper material to form the holes and the Zoom Fly using cords. Things are not all in the Vaporfly's favor, and the Zoom Fly has thicker cushioning around the ankle opening.
• Tongue. Both the Zoom Fly and Vaporfly use a traditional style, without connections to the upper except at the base. Both shoes have thin and unpadded tongues, but the Vaporfly is more breathable.
• Lacing. The laces work well and remained tied. This is the one part of the shoe that appears identical between the Zoom Fly and the Vaporfly.
• Heel Counter. While the Vaporfly has no heel counter, the Zoom Fly has a small, stiff heel counter.

2 Visual Comparison with Vaporfly 4%

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  Nike Zoom Fly top

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  Nike Vaporfly 4% top

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  Nike Zoom Fly outside

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  Nike Vaporfly 4% outside

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  Nike Zoom Fly bottom

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  Nike Vaporfly 4% bottom

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  Nike Zoom Fly inside

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  Nike Vaporfly 4% inside

3 A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes

If you're looking for "the best of the best" running shoe, here are my top picks. Of course, the answer will depend a little on what you're looking for, so I have recommendations for various categories. Best All Round Shoe. The Altra Escalante is my current all-round favorite. It has plenty of cushioning for its weight, it has a very springy midsole, it lasts well, and it has a shape that's closer to the shape of a human foot than most shoes. It's a great shoe for any runner, including those Starting to run. It's also a fairly easy shoe to find due to its popularity. Best Maximalist Shoe: If you want something massively cushioned, then I'd recommend the Saucony Kinvara 8. It's remarkably light and remarkably cushioned, beating Hoka at their own game. Best Optimal Shoe: For those looking to trade cushioning for speed, the Nike Zoom Streak LT 3 was my top pick, but the latest version (LT 4) falls short of it's predecessor. There are lots of great optimal running shoes, which provide just enough cushioning with light weight and minimal frills, but all have their weak spots. Probably the best option at the moment is the Altra Vanish-R, which offers great cushioning for just over 5oz/150g. Fastest Shoe: If you really want speed, then check out the Nike Vaporfly 4%. It's light, massively cushioned, and has a carbon fiber plate. Nothing comes close, not even the now defunct New Balance RC5000‏‎ or New Balance RC5000v2‏‎. There are a number of caveats; it's really expensive, it's really hard to find, and there's a significant injury risk. Best Minimalist Shoe: Merrell Trail Glove. I recommend the trail glove for road running in spite of the 'trail' moniker. It's not a fast shoe by any means, but it's comfortable and will last well. All Terrain Shoe. For trail running, I've become a fan of Altra, and I think their best shoe is the the Altra Timp, though the Altra Lone Peak is really close. Honorable Mention: It's not really a running shoe, but the Vivobarefoot Ra is comfortable, minimalist and can more or less pass as a dress shoe. I've worn mine to weddings with a suit and they've not looked out of place. You can run in the Ra, but the leather means it doesn't breathe well.

For a more detailed on running shoes see the Recommendations for Best Running Shoes. This table lists the key attributes of What to Look for in Running Shoes. For more detailed information, on the shoes see detailed shoe comparison.

It's not a running shoe, but I love the Hoka Tor Ultra hiking boot and I've tested the Altra Lone Peak Boot, the Hoka Tor Speed 2, and the Inov-8 Roclite 325 hiking boots
Older shoe reviews: Saucony Hattori Review, Mizuno Cursoris Review, Skechers GO Bionic 2 Review, Hoka Clifton Review, Saucony Virrata 2 Review, Brooks PureCadence 3 Review, Brooks PureConnect 3 Review, Brooks PureFlow 3 Review, Skechers GO Bionic 2 Review, New Balance 980 Review, Brooks Transcend 2 Review, Hoka Huaka Review, Patagonia EVERlong Review, Asics 33-DFA Review, Hoka Conquest Review, Saucony Cortana Review, Puma Faas 100 R Review, Saucony Fastwitch Review, Nike Free Review, Asics Gel Lyte 33 Review, Skechers GOmeb Speed Review, Skechers GOrun Ultra Road Review, Nike LunaRacer Review, Altra Paradigm Review.