Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite 2017

[marlio01]

5th run with the 4%, got a little adventurous and went on some dirt trails to see if the responsiveness felt the same on dirt/gravel and to see how the soles would hold up.

The off-road run was for about 1/2mile with moderate amounts of gravel and rocks, shoe still felt great but the wear on the Zoom X was surprising.

whoa, that is surprising. guess they are designed for indoors or a proper track. i plan to use mine on a treadmill only then have a fresh pair for actual events. looks like i'll need more than one pair to run in outside.....

 

[Ysatis]

order just arrived ( Zoom Fly ). shoes are slightly wider than airmax and pegasus 34. ample room for toes. TTS i would say.

 

[ZoomXRunner]

whoa, that is surprising. guess they are designed for indoors or a proper track. i plan to use mine on a treadmill only then have a fresh pair for actual events. looks like i'll need more than one pair to run in outside.....

I don't think this should be a shock. These are road racing shoes and are not intended for trail running.

I'm running a 5k in my pair tonight. Looking forward to seeing how these perform at a sustained fast pace.

 

[marlio01]

I don't think this should be a shock. These are road racing shoes and are not intended for trail running.

I'm running a 5k in my pair tonight. Looking forward to seeing how these perform at a sustained fast pace.

No doubt but half a mile? Let us know how your run goes. Mine on an American Airline flight from the UK JFK bound

 

[ZoomXRunner]

No doubt but half a mile? Let us know how your run goes. Mine on an American Airline flight from the UK JFK bound

My 5k went well tonight and the Vaporfly felt great. I ran the same race in June but finished about 15 seconds faster tonight in 17:35. I'm still getting back into shape but this was a step in the right direction.

I wanted to pick up an 9 when they were released from Nike but could only get an 8.5. I was debating on if they would work for me but I think they're a little small so they're going back. Luckily I was able to get a 9 from RW.

 

[Vaporay]

Anyone's Vaporfly 4% have an uncomfortable arch? Right shoe is feels fine. Left one's sole seem to be narrow, not glued down correctly. Sending it back and waiting for a re-stock.

Going from Vaporfly 4% to Vapormax is like night/day. Vapormax feels so flat, even though it still has that good bounce.

 

[Lunar_Loner]

Can't wait until Nike incorporates ZoomX in a more casual model, I know it's gonna be crazy

 

[agrizzly21]

I read earlier in the thread just once these may not be best for casual wear and full day use (walking/standing). Can I get some opinions for those that have done that? Not a runner, but I'm always hunting for full day or most of the day comfort. Thanks in advance!

 

[SlamShut]

I read earlier in the thread just once these may not be best for casual wear and full day use (walking/standing). Can I get some opinions for those that have done that? Not a runner, but I'm always hunting for full day or most of the day comfort. Thanks in advance!

I wore mine a few days ago and I can contest that my speed running into Baskin Robbins dramatically improved. I had my 2 scoops of butter pecan in record time. I wore them for a few hours and enjoyed the comfort of the shoe a lot. My only complaint is that these squeaked pretty loudly when I walked into TARGET. It was VERY noticeable. I'm not sure if the porcelain tile was the cause or not, I have wood floors at home and I didn't have this problem. I honestly don't know why wearing these casually would be an issue otherwise.

 

[vinylbeing]

I read earlier in the thread just once these may not be best for casual wear and full day use (walking/standing). Can I get some opinions for those that have done that? Not a runner, but I'm always hunting for full day or most of the day comfort. Thanks in advance!

wore it this morning around the house. was fine, but the thick sole becomes noticable after a while. felt a little unstable. felt high off the ground. switched back to my boost and felt more grounded. for casual wear, nike prolly need to half the sole to correct these issues.

 

[drisk34]

If you're not running in them, I always suggest just saving yourself the $100+ and grabbing the regular zoom flys

 

[dgar08]

wore it this morning around the house. was fine, but the thick sole becomes noticable after a while. felt a little unstable. felt high off the ground. switched back to my boost and felt more grounded. for casual wear, nike prolly need half the sole to correct these issues.

They aren't really for casual wear though. I strictly wear them for running and I know a lot of people in this thread do the same

 

[bluegrey]

 

[noblekane]

You the real MVP, just called and got a size 10 shipped to California. I appreciate it, super excited to give these a run!

how much were they total?

 

[illustrayt]

I'd like to swap my Neo Turqs FKR upper on a VF sole

 

[anht0an]

how much were they total?

$250 shipped, free UPS ground.

 

[hhelman7]

I'd like to swap my Neo Turqs FKR upper on a VF sole

Lemon is looking for someone to take the plunge. Hit him up.

 

[playaproved]

I read earlier in the thread just once these may not be best for casual wear and full day use (walking/standing). Can I get some opinions for those that have done that? Not a runner, but I'm always hunting for full day or most of the day comfort. Thanks in advance!

I've worn these all day on three different occasions and they've been awesome each time. The ultimate test will be when I wear them to Disneyland to walk around in all day, but I have confidence that I'll be fine.

I wore mine a few days ago and I can contest that my speed running into Baskin Robbins dramatically improved. I had my 2 scoops of butter pecan in record time. I wore them for a few hours and enjoyed the comfort of the shoe a lot. My only complaint is that these squeaked pretty loudly when I walked into TARGET. It was VERY noticeable. I'm not sure if the porcelain tile was the cause or not, I have wood floors at home and I didn't have this problem. I honestly don't know why wearing these casually would be an issue otherwise.

I was in a Marshalls and the squeaking was insane. I was borderline embarrassed with the noise. Kept checking the soles thinking they were wet or something, but nothing. Wondering if that goes away after I put some more wear on them.

If you're not running in them, I always suggest just saving yourself the $100+ and grabbing the regular zoom flys

I had both and actually returned the Zoom Fly even though I had no intention on running in either shoe. For me the Vaporfly had a better shape, more comfort and was lighter. Overall the shoe impressed me way more than the Zoom Fly did.

 

[magic872]

People have said the center part of the heel creates suction thus making the squeaking noise.

 

[Ysatis]

Getting aches on my heels and forefoot area. Asics nimbus is still more comfortable.

 

[us3less]

So I've had a few runs in these now and instead of doing a thorough review like I did with the VaporMax, I'm gonna switch it up a bit... don't know how to explain it, but the review aspects will be involved in the overall post (highlighted in green) about how the shoes contributed to improving my running along with other factors. I know I usually have a summed-up statement, but too bad; it ain't happening this time.

First off, let me show you the two 6-mile runs I've done. One is with the Air VaporMax, and the other is with the VaporFly 4%.

You can tell the obvious difference, especially with the dates given right there. From memory, I took the same few 15- to 30-second breaks throughout the run. Now I can say that the shoes did help, but this is more than just what the shoes can do to help me run more efficiently. There are a few other factors that contributed to this +0:29/mi difference:

1: It's a fresh pair of shoes vs. a pair of shoes about 100 miles in,
2: It's forefoot/midfoot striking vs. normal stride of heel/midfoot striking (more on this later on), and
3: Quicker turnover rate vs. normal turnover rate

Let me get this out of the way first... I've already stated that I'm a fan of the Flymesh on these shoes, so that's that. I'm not a marathon runner in any way, but I do love to take advantage of ways to make my runs more efficient and enjoyable, much like anyone else, I'm sure.

A fresh pair of shoes. This shoe is only 12.5 miles in. The VaporMax is now 180 miles in, and about 176+ when I got the Zoom Vaporfly 4% in. Whenever you have new running shoes, it's that rejuvenating feeling as if you're fully recovered and more well-rested than you ever were. That's already helpful to give people an extra boost to their run and go a bit faster.

The change in striking. Given that this shoe has a carbon fiber plate sandwiched between two layers of the ZoomX foam, the one thing I've read on here (and also from a comment from YouTuber Jamison Michael) is that the shoe benefits well when striking midfoot or forefoot, and it makes sense. I did a little brief search on how to modify striking to start things off, and I found this quick little video along with a few others that go more in-depth on the process:



So last week after a few runs or just whenever I can, I was working on some balancing, and then this past Sunday and Tuesday, I ran with multiple breaks to kinda ease my way into getting used to it. I've tried doing it all at once with the Zoom Flys... not exactly the best idea, haha. Every quarter-mile distance, I'd run with focus to land on forefoot or midfoot (at the least) and then take a short break. I did this with the Zoom VaporFly on that Sunday, and Air VaporMax on the following Tuesday. The result was that the VaporMax recorded a slower time of -0:11/mi. Not too bad though. Today's 6-miler and Friday's 5K involved just normal runs with striking midfoot/forefoot. Switching the stride has its greater benefits other than "running faster," because the body takes less of a hit, and that already saves you a bit of energy already. The knees don't take a hit (which explains my left knee feels fine right now after 6 miles in FOAM cushioning rather than Air), and for others, it puts less pressure on the hips, too. It also helps that the traction is FAR SUPERIOR to the Zoom Flys, because the rubber can grip very well on dirt/sand areas. Sorry, @rfx45, I couldn't make myself strike at the old way. However, one things I haven't told you guys is that the way I strike is interesting. My left foot can land however it can, no problem. The right foot can only land either heel or midfoot at best, because I have a bit of a sensitive Achilles (not sure if it's exactly minor tendinitis), so when I land on the forefoot, I'll feel a bit of pain. When I land on the midfoot, it's mostly non-existent, so out of natural reflex, I TOUCH with the heel, and strike with the rest of my foot. Also, I think in the VaporMax thread, someone told me about how there's the slightest supination to a natural stride? @soccerandkikz, I think it was you that brought it up... to respond to that post, I SEE IT NOW! I recorded myself to check my stride, and I saw that slight supination to the natural stride. Mindblown... haha. illustrayt - I really need to look into the Newton running shoes to see if those shoes can help me enhance my stride adjustment. I feel like it's getting there, but it's not fully there.

Turnover rate. One new term I've recently learned when I was trying to get opinions about this shoe is "turnover." I thought, "Apple turnovers? I like those." From my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong here,) I think "turnover" refers to how fast you're able to land and lift off to accumulate a certain amount of steps per minute. To make this fast (no pun intended), I am almost sure that I was faster off of my feet with these on vs. the VaporMax. Although the ZoomX cushioning and fiber plate is springy and responsive as **** (and as most others can say where I can agree, much more responsive to the very popular adidas Ultra Boost), that responsiveness doesn't kick in the same way as I run... but then again, I'm ****ing running, and it's pushing me forward faster. That action-reaction should tell you something as I don't have time to feel every little detail of that bounce to each step as opposed to walking in them. So for a faster turnover rate, it's not what I'm used to, but the less time spent on the ground is helpful to become lighter (I guess?) on my feet. By the way, I could be 100% wrong about all of this. I just wanted to say that the cushioning does something else other than saying the same **** that "it's better than the Ultra Boost." Like, damn, we get it; Ultra Boost this, VaporMax that, Vaporfly this. ****, give me a beneficial reason for the life of sport, not for the life of ****ing hype.

I don't know what else I can mention, but one thing I can say is that so far... I actually like these. It's only going to be part of my rotation, but not the main driver. However, these benefit so well for the long runs, and the VaporMax isn't exactly a great shoe to run long distances in. I mean, the VaporMax is fine to run 5-6 miles... but not really.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I feel like this doesn't get across to people questioning the price. The reason it's $250 is that the shoe comes with an actual carbon fiber plate. The new ZoomX midsole isn't exactly the big price-adjuster; it's the plate. Again, the Mercurial Vapor VII soccer cleat was a series that had a nylon plate retailing for $200, and a higher-end version for $400 with a full carbon fiber plate. The other reason: marketing. Someone's gotta pay the dues, right?

 

[illustrayt]

Nice read. Foot striking also has a great correlation to form. It's been a long time since I've heel striked. I used to lean back a bit when I started running, which lead to a heel strike. It's like putting the brakes on in stop-and-go traffic. Even though I was pumping out good distance numbers, I got injured a lot. I even ran with the injuries at the time. That's how stubborn I was. I even ran my first race ever, the SF Full Marathon, at 3:30 with heel striking. As I got more into the sport, I learned I was running wrong for the whole time lol...

I've developed and evolved as runner since then. If you have a slight forward lean while running, you'll have a forefoot strike. Leaning forward and having a forefoot strike will definitely make you run more faster and efficiently. By changing my strike and form, I've gotten faster and been pretty much injury free. Just imagine that forward lean, forefootstrike and the VFs... OMG!

Right now, I working my way back up to train for a race, 1/2 Mary (my first race in a while!). I'm not sure I want to go for a PR (sub1:33) or be pacer to and pace people to a sub2. I've been lazy AF after my vacation. I'm still using regular Zoom shoes. I'm waiting on a VF cw that's worth my money.

u3: Get a Garmin (fenix3HR or any version of the fenix5) if you want to analyze your runs with more depth. It has a lot of features and metrics that are useful to improve your performance. I mainly look at cadence (at least 180 steps/min is ideal), average pace while on the run, vo2 max estimate, etc. It also partners up with the NRC app, so your mileage will be counted.

 

[us3less]

Nice read. Foot striking also has a great correlation to form. It's been a long time since I've heel striked. I used to lean back a bit when I started running, which lead to a heel strike. It's like putting the brakes on in stop-and-go traffic. Even though I was pumping out good distance numbers, I got injured a lot. I even ran with the injuries at the time. That's how stubborn I was. I even ran my first race ever, the SF Full Marathon, at 3:30 with heel striking. As I got more into the sport, I learned I was running wrong for the whole time lol...

I've developed and evolved as runner since then. If you have a slight forward lean while running, you'll have a forefoot strike. Leaning forward and having a forefoot strike will definitely make you run more faster and efficiently. By changing my strike and form, I've gotten faster and been pretty much injury free. Just imagine that forward lean, forefootstrike and the VFs... OMG!

Right now, I working my way back up to train for a race, 1/2 Mary (my first race in a while!). I'm not sure I want to go for a PR (sub1:33) or be pacer to and pace people to a sub2. I've been lazy AF after my vacation. I'm still using regular Zoom shoes. I'm waiting on a VF cw that's worth my money.

u3: Get a Garmin (fenix3HR or any version of the fenix5) if you want to analyze your runs with more depth. It has a lot of features and metrics that are useful to improve your performance. I mainly look at cadence (at least 180 steps/min is ideal), average pace while on the run, vo2 max estimate, etc. It also partners up with the NRC app, so your mileage will be counted.

Thank you! Yeah, it's a huge difference on the body once you get out of heel-striking. I was looking into the Garmin sport watches a while back... I should look into them again.

 

[bigevan23]

just for fun...

 

[dgar08]

Gotta run in those SPs man!