I’ve never been a fan of Nike Running shoes. I always
thought they were behind the likes of Mizuno, adidas and Asics when it comes to
quality running shoes. Heck I think they are outshined by the new brands in
Manila like Zoot, Newton and Hooka One One. However, Nike made a big leap with the release of the Nike Zoom Fly. The Zoom Fly is actually a take down of
the Nike Vapor Elite (which was released to elite athletes in their project Breaking2)
and the limited release Vapor 4% but in no way it lacks in quality and performance as its more expensive siblings. This shoe is making a strong case of changing my mind about Nike running
shoes.
Out of the regular orange box you can immediately notice the
lightweight-ness of the Zoom Fly. Weighing only 238g (Men’s size 10), it’s like pulling
out a pair of slippers or slides instead of a running shoe. It can definitely rival
the Adidas Ultraboost Uncaged in terms of weight. For triathlon events, I'd go for a light shoe because your legs are going to be tired from kicking in the pool/ocean and spinning on your bike. Any weight advantage in the run leg is a definite plus.
Nike used the single Engineered Mesh (or Fly Mesh) for the
upper to keep the weight of the shoe down and the design seamless. I’ve seen this
material in different Nike Basketball shoes (owned some of them) and I can say
that they are light, breathable, flexible and strong. They also implemented the Flywire support
in the lacing system which provides a lock down on the sides of the foot.
Eyelets and laces were nothing out of the ordinary as well as the design. The heel counter has enough padding in it that doesn't become a distraction and serves the purpose.
The outsole of the Zoom Fly is not that hard rugged rubber but rather on the softer side especially on the heel part. If you’re a heel striker and on the heavier side of the scale these diamond-shaped like rubber outsole might have a higher wear and tear. This pentagonal pattern and rugged rubber combination does provide great traction weather you are on the road or on the treadmill.
The Cushioning is the highlight of the Zoom Fly story. Nike went all
out with the Zoom Fly (just imagine what went in the Vapor 4% and Vapor Elite)
to give us mere mortals a peek at Nike’s Breaking2 project. First, the whopping 33mm heel stack height of the Zoom Fly. This might be the thickest
heel stack Nike has offered (or at least I've seen). This stack is just screaming cushioning and heel support. This is partnered with a 22mm forefoot stack giving
a very nice 10mm heel to toe drop. But Nike didn’t
stop there, they sandwiched a Carbon infused Nylon plate that extends from heel to the forefoot between the EVA foam
casing (outside) and the Lunarlon midsole. This combination gives a plush,
spring-like support and an excellent heel to toe transition which in turn creates a
push forward sensation. This gives the runner a feeling of effortlessly putting one foot in front of the other. The UA Anatomix Spawn 1 (which is a basketball shoe) had the same “rocker” profile and push forward sensation while running down the court. And I loved that pair! However, we've seen similar impact plates used on other running shoes particularly the Mizuno line. We've seen high heel stack with Hoka One One. And that "rocker" profile has been used with some of Skechers line. So Nike is not really breaking new ground here. Instead, they've taken what was already in the market put some of that Nike-tech and used it to improve their own running shoe line. And I think it works!
The only downside that I see in the Zoom Fly is the use of Lunarlon foam. Indeed it is one of the lightest cushioning that Nike has to offer but it also has a bad rep of "giving in" after some time. I don’t expect Nike to dramatically change the
Lunarlon used in the heel to forefoot of the Zoom Fly. So expect your (and my) Zoom Fly to loose that responsive, springy feeling and
transition once you hit the 200-300 miles of usage.
Overall I am very happy with my first run on the Nike Zoom Fly. I
can’t remember the last time I was excited to run just because of a new pair of
running kicks (I clearly remember not feeling that way when I got my Mizuno
Wave Rider 20). I’m not a heavy distance runner, the longest distance I join are the 10km
events (and that’s once or twice a year). I usually stay in the Sprint
Distances of 3km and 5km. I think the Zoom Fly will be perfect in those
distances as well as the run legs of Sprint and Standard triathlon events.
You can visit Nike BGC, Runnr BGC and SecondWind The 30th Mall to try on the Zoom Fly and see for yourself.
