Nike Free 5.0

Name: Nike Free 5.0
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.4 (54 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.2 oz · 7mm drop · 21/14mm stack

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. The rating rests on 55 runner reviews.

Bottom-tier

53/100

Overall

Bottom-tier 53

Appearance

Excellent 93

Cushioning

Decent 70

Comfort

Below average 68

Value

Bottom-tier 59

Durability

Bottom-tier 54

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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

Confidence

97/100

Very high 97

What runners say

“Feel light and unrestricting, yet still have enough support for long runs and high mileage marathon training”

5/5 Full review training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 15

“Not a lot of forefoot cushioning; not recommended for athletes running 55+ miles per week”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“After 300–350 miles the shoe starts to deteriorate and legs feel sorer”

5/5 Full review training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 15

“Great for heavy runners wanting minimalist feel with good cushion”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon

“Feels slow and took a long time to break in; quite stiff for a few hundred kilometers”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Free 3.0 V5

“No significant injuries; flexibility builds foot muscles”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw

“Flexible shoe lasting about a year of 50–70 mile weeks”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon

“Light, very flexible, gives good feel of road”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon

“Very smooth; love the feel of ground with cushion underneath”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon

“Lasted 400+ running miles plus 1000+ miles walking”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

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 Sep 14.

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 on 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.

Free 5.0 rates 53. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Reader Ratings

55 ratings

5/5 26

4/5 28

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.2 oz
Release: 2014
MSRP: $115
Stack Height: 21mm heel - 14mm toe
Drop Height: 7mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Very smooth. Love the feel of the ground but the cushion underneath.

honestwinters94 · Sep 10, 2014

80 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

great flexible shoe that lasts me about a year of 50-70 mile weeks. My third pair in three years.

Anonymous runner · Sep 9, 2014

60 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

This shoe is more comfortable than any other shoe I've run in. There is not a whole lot of forefoot cushioning, so I would not recommend it to athletes running more than 55 miles per week. I had a pair of Nike Free Run 2.0s and they lasted 400+ running miles, plus probably over 1000 miles walking. They are surprisingly durable shoes. Suffered from an achilles tendon tear after running in Saucony Kinvaras for 6 months, but have not had any pain since switching into the Nike Free Runs.

Anonymous runner · Sep 9, 2014

30 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

KendallFire · Sep 9, 2014

15 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 3/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Heel to toe transition is excellent on the Nike Free. And though not marketed as a daily high mileage trainer, holds up remarkably well. Heel drop, ~8mm seems to be a sweetspot - neither minimalist nor traditional maximalist shoe. Cushioning is good. Durability is light, ie. ~400miles. Biggest annoyance are the wide grooves in the sole which constantly pick up stones. It's a relief when switching to flatter soles (like the Puma FAAS 500 for example)

Anonymous runner · Sep 9, 2014

60 mpw training for a half marathon