The vaporfly thread
88 watchers
Oct 2020
10:34pm, 23 Oct 2020
4,847 posts
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Windsor Wool
sorry HoD but thought it was better to leave it to someone who’d written it up more expertly already... multisportmojo.com |
Oct 2020
11:03am, 24 Oct 2020
35,120 posts
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Hills of Death (HOD)
Thanks
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Oct 2020
1:02pm, 24 Oct 2020
304 posts
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ZenTaoPlurp
HOD, my thoughts from running in all three. I haven't ran in the 4% or ZF. Vaporfly Next% They allow for the most natural and smoothest running gait of the three. The forefoot design is relatively normal and far less "in the face" than the Alphaflys or Tempos. The fit is snugger than the Alphafly; particularly in the midfoot, but it will still fit a slightly wider forefoot. The "energy return" element is there but it's less invasive and more forward rollingly propulsive than airborne - it's subtle but comfortable. I don't feel the plate and foot fighting each other. They feel unstable in the heel at walking and slower pace but that disappears as pace increases. I initially preferred the slightly roomier fit of the Alphafly over the Vaporfly, but the upper material and initial wear of ~40 miles is suggesting that the Alphafly will loosen more than the Vaporfly over time. Tempo Next% SKR may disagree, but I loathed them and it wasn't for lack of trying. The fit is similar to the Alphafly - the dimensions and look are very similar - and the forefoot air bags, high stack height and higher drop give them a particularly pronounced forefoot feel. I really wanted to like them as the fit was better than other Nike shoes, e.g. the Pegasus 37 that, to me, felt stiff and narrow. But, the Tempos felt awkward and interfered with my gait. They'd feel fine at first, and then rapidly start to introduce aches around the edges of my feet within a mile and then become progressively more uncomfortable. The tongue-less and sock-like fit is similar to the Alphafly and a reasonable lockdown is achievable, but this design with less drawing-around of the shoe around the ankle can lead to having to over-tighten the shoe over the top of the midfoot; more so in the Tempos than Alphas. It feels like they've chucked a bit of everything at the Tempo to make it look like the Alphafly - whilst not being the Alphafly - and the results is a cumbersome and clunky forefoot acher. The drop may have something to do with it: Alphafly: 4mm, Tempo: 10mm. That, coupled with the nylon-ish plate is perhaps why I didn't like it. I'm not convinced by nylon plates and I've had a similar foot-fatigue experience with the Saucony Endorphin Speed vs Pro; albeit not to the same degree of progressive discomfort. At £169 the Tempos aren't a cheap shoe for what they offer. They're definitely suited to faster pace, as the name suggests, but they're uncomfortable - and not in the racing flats vs easy run shoe kind of way. Alphafly A much softer underfoot feel compared to the Tempo. The fit is similar but better and the ride is far bouncier. Compared to the Vaporfly, it feels like the Alphafly give more air-time with some propulsion. They take more getting used to, as the forefoot air bags are prominent in the feel with forefoot stability being a "feature". If I'd ran a half or marathon race with them out of the box, I'd have been disgruntled as damage was inflicted on the initial longer run - broken blistering on the arch immediately behind the ball of the foot. I've since rationed their use and measured acclimatisation has been successful. The Alphas feel snug around the ankle initially and it's tricky to get your foot into them, but they loosen fairly quickly. I run faster in both Alphafly and the Vaporfly but there are significant differences in feel, ride and bounce between the two. I bought all three from Nike as the price and risk combination of not getting on with any/all of them was too high for me and I needed the Nike 30 day trial safety net: one of my better decisions. |
Oct 2020
3:24pm, 24 Oct 2020
994 posts
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SKR
Zen to be honest, i find all three of them to be uncomfortable. If the VF Next% was £50 i still wouldn't do my easy runs in them. For workouts though i think less about how comfortable they feel on my feet and more about how well they ride when running faster paces. I like that you can almost forget you're wearing the VF next%, the Tempo Next% not so much but they still give a pretty good ride for the price. |
Oct 2020
5:49pm, 24 Oct 2020
71,771 posts
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Gobi
The 4% (original shoe) is lovely and if I could get more I would train in them
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Oct 2020
2:45pm, 25 Oct 2020
75 posts
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unsliced
Zen - thanks for the comparison. I've just taken my first baby steps in the Tempo Next% and they're bloomin' rockets. Loved 'em. Felt like cheating. Your comparisons with other shoes belie an experience I don't have, but I loved the feel, the responsive kick and just the joyous bounce; you could feel the energy return through the toes and midfoot. I am a mid/front striker and the stack under the heels did encourage that a little more than I'm used to. They are not going to be my everyday shoe for the longer easy miles (that's still the inov8 G270) but for the faster days or going for times, I've got my new go-tos. |
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Oct 2020
4:39pm, 25 Oct 2020
305 posts
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ZenTaoPlurp
unsliced: like all shoes, the Tempos will work for some and not for others and power to your running if they work for you. I was surprised that I could get on with the VF and AF but not the Tempos. The new breed of shoes does feel like cheating and I scorned them for ages before deciding to see if the hype was justified... and then took a 40s off my 5k time. If you like the Tempos, you'll very likely love the Alphaflys and somewhere there's a pair sitting on a shelf with your name on them.
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Oct 2020
8:20pm, 25 Oct 2020
410 posts
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Lee78
Agree with Gobi about the 4% I dream of a shoe and it’s shit Nike don’t make them anymore! 😡 |
Oct 2020
8:55pm, 25 Oct 2020
32,097 posts
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SPR
I didn't think the VF Next% was that big a change from the original? That's still going right?
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Oct 2020
11:26am, 26 Oct 2020
411 posts
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Lee78
A dream of the shoe I mean! I don’t dream of the shoe.....ok maybe sometimes! 😆 |
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