Surrounds foot
4/5
Overall
cathrw · Jul 12, 2018
35 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 20
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Nike Free 5.0
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.2 oz · 21/14mm stack · 7mm drop
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Free v7 replaced it
How it ranks
The Nike Free 5.0 trails most daily trainers in our data. Looks and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. Most runners who compared it with another shoe preferred the other shoe. The rating is based on 55 runner reviews.
Bottom-tier
Confidence
How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.
Confidence
97 Very high
Based on
The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.
- Our ratings
- Brand rating
- External ratings
What runners say
“Feel light and unrestricting, yet still have enough support for long runs and high mileage marathon training”
“Not a lot of forefoot cushioning; not recommended for athletes running 55+ miles per week”
“After 300–350 miles the shoe starts to deteriorate and legs feel sorer”
“Great for heavy runners wanting minimalist feel with good cushion”
“Feels slow and took a long time to break in; quite stiff for a few hundred kilometers”
“No significant injuries; flexibility builds foot muscles”
“Flexible shoe lasting about a year of 50–70 mile weeks”
“Light, very flexible, gives good feel of road”
“Very smooth; love the feel of ground with cushion underneath”
“Lasted 400+ running miles plus 1000+ miles walking”
“2–3 blisters from the fairly narrow toe box”
“Wide grooves in sole constantly pick up stones”
“Had to size up for toe box room”
“Very flexible, like wearing a sock”
“Perfect compromise—low rise with some cushioning”
“Heel to toe transition is excellent”
“Runs slightly wide compared to other barefoot transition models”
“Durability is light, ~400 miles”
“About 300 miles running, ~400 with other use”
Prefer this shoe over another
30% 10/33
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.
Pros
- Averaging 8.2 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is lighter than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers for sale, and reviewers find it light enough for fast running.
- Reviewers praise the flexible ride, several saying it gives ground feel with some cushioning under it.
- Two of fifty-three reviewers who answered report an injury, and eight describe years of running in it without trouble.
Cons
- Reviewers rate durability 3.8 out of 5, and four find it worn out between 300 and 400 miles.
- Two reviewers report blisters or needing to size up for the toe box.
- Two reviewers say there is little forefoot cushioning and would not run high mileage in it.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.
Better Shoes Rating
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 8.2 oz
- Men's / women's
- Men's 9.2 oz · Women's 7.2 oz
- Release
- 2014
- MSRP
- $115
- Stack
- 21/14mm
- Drop
- 7mm
Runner reviews
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Apr 16, 2016
25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Free 3.0 V5
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Dec 4, 2015
20 mpw came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 31
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 3/5
- Value
- 4/5
5/5
Overall
Pborden · Dec 1, 2015
20 mpw
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Aug 29, 2015
35 mpw came from the ASICS GEL-Excel 33 2
- Comfort
- 3/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Alternatives
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Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
Nike Free 5.0 In Context
Reviewers Also Ran In
- Mizuno Wave Rider 15 2 runners
- Nike Free 3.0 V5 2 runners
- Brooks Defyance 5 1 runner