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Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% Flyknit Review Score
generalize
There’s a reason so many professional athletes wear the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%. They are the fastest shoes on the market. While I’m not fast, they allow me to set up multiple PBs, which will be worth the high price for many runners.
- Performance – 95%
- comfortable – 90%
- price – 80%
advantage
- Comfortable, fast running (no injuries yet)
- Allows me to set up multiple PBs with minimal recovery time
shortcoming
- high price
- Possibly low durability
As a stingy northerner, the idea of spending £200+ on running shoes has always been crazy to me. The critics in me have always found it ridiculous that so many uncompetitive runners are wearing Nike’s famous line of Alphafly/Varporfly shoes for races like marathons.
But here I am, a non-competitive runner who bought not a pair but two Alphafly NEXT%.
background
Not that anyone is interested in my background, but I feel like it provides some context for the comments.
I’m a guy from fat to 30’s.after entering running In the first half, I suffered a very severe shin splint (because I ignored growing pains) that kept me from running for a while.
When I did a gait analysis a few years ago, I was told I needed stabilization shoes. The first shoe that didn’t seem to cause an injury was the Nike Air Zoom Structure 21. Whenever I try a different brand, I seem to end up in trivial pain, so I always seem to go back to Nike. Over the years, I seem to have gotten rid of the stability shoes and avoided any major running-related injuries. I’m a heel striker, but over the years I’ve improved my rhythm and I’ve landed as much as I can with the midfoot.
Starting with Zoom Structure 21, my evolution of Nike running shoes has moved to more and more expensive styles:
Odyssey React > Zoom Pegasus 36 > Infinity Run Flyknit > Zoom Tempo NEXT% > Alphafly NEXT% Flyknit
I am a good runner. Using the Tempo NEXT%, I finished the marathon in 3:23:50 with plenty left in the tank. 5K is 20:10, but I didn’t train for it. 10K is 41:31, which I set during the Manchester Half Marathon, and I also set my HM PB to 1:28:35.
Before buying the Alphafly NEXT%, I had a knee injury and in January I also had a tummy tuck and hernia repair. So I’m not peaking using these, but I’m hoping to set up a 10K PB before I start going back to a half marathon.
Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% Features
- upper mesh structure
- Nike ZoomX cushioning midsole
- Zoom Air Pod
- Carbon fiber board (flying board)
- rocker geometry
- Tongue socks and laces
- Lock Achilles Pillow
- 210g weight
- 4mm drop from heel to toe
Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% vs Tempo NEXT% Difference
Tempo Next% should be a daily trainer designed to be a training companion for Alphafly Next%.
They have so many similarities that it makes sense to market them as training companions. Felt the daily trainer a little stretched and found the durability to be low.
Both shoes have:
- Zoom Air pods in the forefoot provide more energy return than ZoomX foam
- ZoomX foam in the forefoot
- Rocker Geometry – This is the weird heel and toe shape that guides your foot
- Atomknit for a sock-like fit
There are several big differences:
- The Alphafly is classified as stiffer due to the carbon plate running through it.
- Tempo has composite panels
- The Alphafly is more cushioned, with a stack height of 39mm in the heel and 35mm in the front.This drops the Alphafly by 4mm, significantly less than the 10mm on the Tempo
- Tempo uses React foam on the heel
- Tempo is a heavier shoe
- The Tempo has a stiffer outsole and more rubber coverage, which should improve durability.
Alphafly NEXT% Fit and Feel vs Tempo NEXT%
First, it’s a nightmare. The sock-like Flyknit construction just crumples when you try to put your foot in it. Two pull tabs are essential.
Once you manage to get your feet in, they feel comfortable, they manage to feel roomy and comfortable at the same time, which I guess is the point of the Flyknit. I’m a size 9 and wear normal width shoes, I bought a size 9 for both the Tempo and the Alphafly. I found the Tempo to be a bit more restrictive in the toe box.
I use Superfeet green in my Tempo, paranoid about injuries, many people recommend them, when I buy Tempo shoes, can’t customize the insole due to locking etc.
With the Alphafly, I found the Nike insoles extremely difficult to remove, and I don’t think it’s worth the damage to such an expensive shoe. I found that I could get the slimmer Superfeet RUN into the Alphafly, although I needed to trim it a bit.
I might be able to halve the size of these two models. I found that the lack of structure in the Flyknit meant that my feet were pushed forward a little when running at high speed. I have Greek toes so my second toe is the longest and I find this toe suffers a bit.
My second toe was sore the first time I ran with the Alphafly. I think it helps to make sure they are as tight as possible, which is one of the reasons I wanted to try Superfeet Run.
Both shoes are springy, maybe I’m used to the Tempo feel, but the Alphafly feels weird. They’re very bouncy and it feels weird to walk around in them. I’ve also been trying to get them to jog, I know they weren’t originally designed for training runs, but I’ve even struggled to try jogging in them.
The difference in heel drop is a problem for me. When I had a shin splint, my physical therapist suggested that I needed to drop significantly to deal with the lack of ankle mobility. So far I haven’t really noticed much of a difference nor have any shin issues. However, it is too early to know for sure.
Alphafly NEXT% Performance
It’s probably not surprising that Alphafly NEXT% doesn’t get you significantly faster. But when I first started wearing them, it really felt that way.
The first few runs, they felt like I was going a lot faster, only for me to end up being disappointed in myself for deflating too quickly.
However, after wearing these for 16 days, Strava showed:
- 3rd Best Estimated 5k Effort – 20:28
- 3rd Best Estimated 1 Mile Effort – 6:07
- Running Festival 10K – 40:44.87
- 2nd Best Estimated 5k Effort – 20:17
- 2nd Best Estimated 1 Mile Effort – 6:01
- Best Estimate 2 Mile Effort – 12:13
- Best Estimated 5k Effort – 19:30
If I don’t have a cold and there’s no wind, I think I can push the 10K under 40m. I am very satisfied 9th However, when I was obese, I never thought this would happen.
While it’s hard to tell how much of a difference the shoes make, in my case they did seem to help me get up to speed.
I think I can get the 5K down to under 19m, but I’ll probably go back to HM training now and then aim for the Manchester Marathon next April.
Nike Store’s Special Return and Warranty Policy
I was hesitant to buy these at first. Even with the discount, I think £160 is too much for a pair of running shoes for me. I also managed to get the same pair from Keller Sports for £120, which feels like a reasonable price, and I do plan to return the Nike Store purchase.
However, I only recently learned that Nike has a special return and warranty policy.
When I ordered mine, Nike still had an extended 60 day return window. As I write this, it looks like it’s back 30 days (at least for UK stores, US stores still seem to say 60 days). While they look pretty standard, what’s significantly better than most other stores is that you can use as many Nikes as you want within those 30 days and return them for any reason.
The only company I know of that offers a similar service is Brooks, and they offer a 90-day trial.
Things get better. Nike offers an extraordinary 2-year warranty If your shoes fail after 60 days and 2 years, they will refund your purchase.
I’ve never worn a running shoe with a last for more than a year; even more regular sneakers wear out within a year. I’m not sure what the Nike fault was, but my Tempo NEXT% had a flat tire on my Zoom Air Pods less than a year old and Nike just issued me a full refund. I had to dig them out of the trash bag because I was going to throw them away! So it seems to me that the Alphafly NEXT% Flyknit only cost me £60 and there’s a good chance I’ll end up getting a refund under warranty.
The Nike Store’s return and warranty policy seems like an easy one to take advantage of, but to me it means that the Nike Store will be my go-to for any future running shoe purchase.
Price and Alternatives
Full MSRP Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% Flyknit for £269.95, and Nike stores no longer offer these discounts for men. You pay extra for the Ekiden model, I think it’s just the orange colorway.
The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 2 will be an alternative race shoe at £224.95.
The Tempo NEXT%, which I think is a very good match day shoe for the average person, is £179.95.
For carbon plate running race shoes, you have:
overall
The Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% is undoubtedly a great running shoe.I set up 2 big PBs with them and came 9th Of 235 people in one game. It might not be impressive to many, but for someone who has been fat and unhealthy for so many years, it’s an achievement I’m happy with.
Under the full RRP, I think these are still hard to casually recommend to anyone other than elite runners. However, I’ve fallen in love with the marketing that these are the fastest shoes ever, and I can totally understand why other runners do the same.
I’m very happy with the price I paid for them, considering the cost of running activities I don’t think £160 for a race day running shoe is a big investment.
