Nike Zoom Fly

Name: Nike Zoom Fly
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.5 (89 reviews)

Racing · Neutral · Road · 8.6 oz · 8mm drop · 40/32mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Zoom Fly 3 replaced it

How it ranks

The Nike Zoom Fly ranks among the stronger racing shoes in our data. Looks and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 90 runner reviews and 5 other rated shoes in the Zoom Fly product line.

Good

86/100

Overall

Good 86

Appearance

Exceptional 99

Cushioning

Excellent 95

Comfort

Good 84

Value

Decent 76

Durability

Bottom-tier 58

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.

See the product line's history

Confidence

98/100

Very high 98

Prefer this shoe over another

63% 41/65

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers find the plate propulsive and favor it for tempo runs, long intervals and races.
It weighs 8.6 oz on a 40mm heel stack, and reviewers find it cushioned enough for marathon-distance runs.
Three reviewers say their legs feel fresher after long, fast efforts in it.

Cons

Six reviewers wear through the outsole or foam between 150 and 350 miles, while three get 400 miles or more.
Five reviewers find it unsteady on turns and uneven ground.
Four reviewers report poor traction in wet or snow and an upper that soaks up water.

Zoom Fly rates 86. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Nike Zoom Fly

Each dot is one version of the Zoom Fly, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

64 2016 86 2017 67 2019 64 2021 92 2022 81 2024

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Zoom Fly 6

2024 · 27 reviews

81 Good

87 Confidence
Zoom Fly 5

2022 · 33 reviews

92 Very good

92 Confidence
Zoom Fly 4

2021 · 9 reviews

64 Below average

76 Confidence
Zoom Fly 3

2019 · 22 reviews

67 Below average

90 Confidence
Zoom Fly This shoe

2017 · 90 reviews

86 Good

98 Confidence
Zoom Fly 2 (2016)

2016 · 2 reviews

64 Below average

47 Confidence

Reader Ratings

90 ratings

5/5 53

4/5 31

3/5 4

2/5 2

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.6 oz
Release: 2017 Q3
MSRP: $190
Stack Height: 40mm heel - 32mm toe
Drop Height: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

The shoe that introduced Nike's dominance

5/5

Overall

Being a product of the research done for the Vaporfly 4%, the Nike Zoom Fly was the best training shoe of its category at the moment of its release. Super responsive, brings your foot at the front for a bouncy stride. The cushioning and shoe height make it easier than equivalent competitor's shoes on the legs. More responsive than the Pegasus because of the nylon plate. Awesome for jogs, long runs, tempo runs, long intervals.

Anonymous runner · Mar 26, 2020

60 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 1080 v8

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Great but...

4/5

Overall

I want to give this a 10 but had some resulting issues with plantar fasciitis. The ride is fabulous; extremely comfortable and cushioned. Have heard the Zoom Fly 3 has less drop but the new upper is awful so I'm passing on them.

Anonymous runner · Jan 27, 2020

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adizero adios 5

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

Zoom fly review

5/5

Overall

Great daily trainer

Anonymous runner · Jan 14, 2020

came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Responsive, Versatile, Durable

5/5

Overall

I'm usually a Brooks kind of guy, but after moving to Germany, I took a chance on the Nike Zoom Flys, since reasonably priced Brooks shoes are hard to find here. I usually run 70+ miles per week at 6:30 regular run pace. I run my tempos in the low 5 minute range and would consider my 5k and 10k PRs to be 'semi-elite'. The versatility of this shoe is truly impressive. It has enough cushion and durability for daily running and enough responsiveness and bounce for road workouts. The shoe hugs tight around your foot and has enough of a heel-toe drop to encourage fore-foot striking without feeling like you're running on platforms. As a severe under-pronator, the fabric on the outside edges of my feet usually tears within a month or two. It took nearly half a year and many rainy runs to tear through these shoes. In terms of durability, these are some of the longest-lasting shoes I've ever worn

Anonymous runner · Jan 6, 2020

70 mpw came from the Brooks Pure Flow 4

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

A great shoe for training and racing

4/5

Overall

The Zoom Fly Flyknit is a great running shoe for anyone who wants to explore the world of full-length carbon fiber plate running. The sole offers a great energy return on each stride making this a great training shoe for longer tempo and interval workouts and also a fantastic road racing/marathon shoe. It is not a great shoe for trail/mud running or running on rainy days because of the minimal treads on bottom that raise the risk of slipping. This shoe is built around the sole and does not offer much upper foot support since it is thin mesh. That makes the shoe really light but becomes an issue for people with weak ankles or a tendency to roll their foot on uneven terrain. Overall a great, fast shoe for hard, flat surfaces!

Anonymous runner · Jan 1, 2020

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 32