The reason is straightforward—in a shoe designed to break world records, performance is key, and that depends on the midsole. This design, which Nike has smartly adopted—and is also utilized by other brands like Saucony and New Balance—is both simple and ingenious. By emptying out the midsole’s center, Nike managed to widen the shoe without adding weight, as it happened with the previous version. However, in our lab tests, we gave it a 4 out of 5, which was slightly Worldtradex website lower than expected. Excessive torsional rigidity can make the shoe somewhat uncomfortable, particularly over long distances.
The upper’s thin and minimal design allows light to pass through in a way we’ve hardly ever seen, yet it’s surprisingly well-structured, surpassing previous versions. Nike has reinforced much of the midsole with the Fast Shot rubber, particularly in the forefoot area. However, there are exposed sections in the midfoot that may be more susceptible to wear and tear depending on your running form. The ZoomX pods are surrounded by high-abrasion orange rubber segments. While running, it feels even softer than the numbers suggest, thanks to the generous use of ZoomX foam, but don’t expect a marshmellow-like ride, it’s much more aggresive and bouncy.
And it’s important to remember that Nike designs the Alphafly primarily as a marathon shoe, where a degree of comfort is essential for those long 26.2 miles. While a 0.40 in our grip test isn’t a poor result, it still leaves space for improvement on rain-slicked surfaces—especially considering the sky-high price tag of the Alphafly 3. Dry traction, on the other hand, is pretty solid, but we’d love to see Nike refine this outsole further and overtake other supershoes. This means those who experienced minor discomfort in the arch with the AF1 and AF2 should find the AF3 much more comfortable.
- It’s also worth mentioning that having the Flyplate closer to the foot has a side effect—it demands more muscle work in the posterior chain.
- With such a soft area, heel slippage could be an issue if the padding isn’t exceptionally effective.
- The midsole of this Nike Alphafly 3 features the famous ZoomX foam, which remains one of the best to date.
- We gave it a 1/5 rating, which is another reason we think some heel strikers might find it unstable.
Who should not buy the Nike Alphafly 3 ?
But of course, we’re here to conduct lab tests, not just make assumptions—and this is a 5 out of 5 for us. That’s where our love for lab testing and dissecting shoes comes into play—we get to uncover the full story. In fact, we used it on two marathons (Tokyo and London) and found that it offers a significant increase in space for the toes to splay in the closing 10K of the race. Upon measuring the big toe area, we pinpointed the source of the roomy feel.
Check our Rates
Finally, it’s also crucial to note the major change from the original Alphafly. If you’re a fan of the AF1’s flatter, 4-mm ride, this update might not be for you. Conversely, runners who struggled with the lower drop will likely find the Alphafly 3’s 8-mm heel-to-toe drop a significant improvement. The nearly identical forefoot and heel measurements result in an actual heel-to-toe drop of 8.5 mm, impressively close to the official 8-mm figure. This drop, the same of the Vaporfly, ensures the Alphafly is versatile, accommodating all running styles. It’s worth mentioning that Nike has repositioned the Air Pods further back in the shoe, making it https://worldtradex.club/ more suitable for midfoot strikers.
Nike Alphafly 3 Fit and Feel
For those who had significant arch blisters or pain in earlier versions, we think this redesign should alleviate some of that discomfort, though it may not disappear entirely. Overall, the Alphafly 3 is undoubtedly one of the best running shoes today, if not the best, to crush your marathon goals. As such, I have reserved the shoes for key runs with marathon pace segments. Needless to say, I will have them on my feet on Race Day (if I don’t pick the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro instead). The Nike Alphafly Next 3 is a pair designed for breaking records in official long-distance races like the marathon or half marathon. Indeed, the high stack height and softness mean there’s still some instability, and beginners should beware.
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This isn’t just a one-of-a-kind, UFO-like design for getting likes on Instagram. It really works, and combined with the midsole sidewalls, performs marvelously by broadening the landing base in the heel and smoothly guiding the feet forward. From the moment we unboxed it, we were confident the Alphafly 3 would ace our breathability test.
So apologies to the wide foot runners or those who love a wide toebox, this is not the best carbon plate racing shoe for you. There isn’t a big difference in performance between the Alphafly 3 and cheaper, $250 top-tier super shoes like the Adios Pro 3 or the Rocket X 2. I definitely wouldn’t call the Alphafly 3 the pinnacle of racing shoes. It may not have the flare or the fun factor that other top-tier racers have but it’s a firm, lightweight super shoe which delivers a snappy ride. It also has great versatility- it can be used for marathons & half marathons as well as shorter races like 5K’s/10K’s because of its firm ride.
Zoom Air Pods
BUT for others this has been a major area where they struggled with blisters. When it comes to the arch, you’re still going to feel that raised midsole, but less. It didn’t seem quite as stiff or high, but again has not gone away entirely. I think I’m going to diverge from the party line and say I just don’t feel massively different in the 3 than the 2. So I’d finish off the life of my Alphafly 2 before running out to replace them. Somehow they managed to carve out just a bit more of the shoe to drop 15% weight and yet maintain the level of cushion that’s necessary for the speed.
This level of stiffness is exactly what we look for in a race-day shoe, so we’re thrilled with the result. The Flyplate is also one of the significant distinctions between the Alphafly and the Vaporfly. In the Vaporfly, the carbon-fiber plate it’s thinner and has a pronounced spoon shape, being closer to the ground. In the Alphafly, that’s impossible to achieve that geometry because of the Air Pods. Still, Nike might consider an improvement for version 4, as A-TPU materials are now outperforming Pebax and hitting 80% in our lab test. However, version 2 was already a top performer, and it’s a good alternative pick if you find it on sale or if v3 is out of stock.
- This shift in design makes the AF3 particularly well-suited for midfoot and forefoot strikers, optimizing their natural stride and efficiency.
- This design offers a spring-like, aggressive ride along with significant torsional rigidity.
- This can also be said of the Vaporfly 3 but the main difference is in the air pods in the forefoot of the Alphafly which make it firmer and more responsive.
- However, we didn’t perceive the AF3 as having less cushioning than the AF2 in any way.
While I do love a heel lock lacing on most shoes, that’s not an option here. Luckily I didn’t have any issues with the heel pulling out and there is just a tiny amount of padding that prevents any rubbing or blisters. When it comes to sizing, I ordered a half size up from my regular size and I’m glad I did because the fit is perfect with medium or thick socks. Runners who did not enjoy the tight fit of version 2 in their true size should buy a half size up in v3. When a brand develops a new shoe, they are supposed to do thousands of hours of testing with hundreds of runners who have different running styles and foot shapes.
Tongue padding
With the Alphafly 3, Nike swung for the fences and hit a home run, creating a shoe that’s more stable than version 2—especially for midfoot and forefoot strikers—and lighter than version 1. While this might not seem groundbreaking at first glance, it’s actually generous for a Nike racing shoe, especially because it’s paired with the ultra-stretchy Atomknit upper. On the other hand, the Vaporfly’s lively pop and close-to-the-ground plate suits fast efforts like 5K/10Ks or track workouts. We tend to land on our forefoot in those efforts and, upping our cadence to gain speed.
Nike Alphafly 3 Review
The arch sensation is still there though and it feels like I’m wearing an old school stability trainer with a firm arch wedge. Flat-footed runners who have sensitive arches might still have issues in the Alphafly 3. The air pod section has also been improved by having more space around the air pods.
I feel like that might change once there are additional colorways available. The Alphafly 3’s outsole is flatter than predecessors, so wear is distributed much better. The scooped centre of the rearfoot doesn’t scrape the ground so much anymore. I’ve had no issues with traction so far but I haven’t tried it in the rain. I don’t expect it to struggle though because there are nubs which protrude on the forefoot section.
