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

Nike Zoom Fly Review

5/5

Overall

The Nike Zoom Fly is the perfect go-fast and go-long shoe. In order to enjoy the shoe, you'll have to be a fan of a high stack-height (less stable) and a lot of firm cushioning. I do the majority of my miles in this shoe with the only exceptions being true slow recovery days, and any type of short workout on the track or roads that includes repeats or other faster than race pace running. The shoes major downfall is the weakness of the blown rubber on the sole of the shoe. Normally this might not be a big deal, but the way the shoe is composed, once you wear through the rubber outsole. you will expose the plastic plate, this will quickly snap/break after being exposed and the shoes life will start to deteriorate pretty quickly from here on out. If you stick to the roads, you'll probably get your moneys worth out of the shoe, but if you take it on even one 20+ mile trail run, theres a good chance you can break through the plate in a single run. So trail runners beware, this shoe should be kept on the roads.

Anonymous runner · Nov 9, 2018

50 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the Nike Air Zoom Elite 9

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

Zoom Fly Flyknit Test

4/5

Overall

Really enjoyed the shoe. It is somewhat firm and makes you want to run fast. Overall not a ton of cushioning and seems like it takes 5-7 runs to really wear in the shoe. Shoe feels very fast and unless you are racing or doing a tempo run I wouldn't pick this shoe. Seems like a great pick for marathon day.

Anonymous runner · Oct 11, 2018

40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34

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

Right fits better than the left!

4/5

Overall

I found the Nike Zoom Fly at a Nike factory clearance store for $90, so I impulsed-bought them knowing they were a hot shoe at a good price. Wore them training a few times then in a local 10k. Comfy shoes, stiff, and oddly fit perfectly on my right foot (went up 1/2 a size) but my heel on my left foot feels canted toward the inside of the shoe. This seems ok to run with though, because you end up more on the forefront of the shoe. The Ginger Runner review said the exact same thing too. These are stiff shoes - my calves were worked after the 10k race. I also wore them for a 5k track workout and managed an 800m PR with them which I didn't expect.

Anonymous runner · Oct 3, 2018

5 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clayton 2

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Nike Zoom Fly is a fantastic shoe for mileage and long interval or tempo workouts on the road. It's stack height and lack of stability limits it as a road shoe but that's what it was made for.

bc23 · Oct 2, 2018

15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33

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

Nike Zoom Fly- Sacrifice Comfort for Appearance

4/5

Overall

This was my first Nike shoe ever. I usually go for a Saucony or a New Balance, but I was looking for the look of a Nike shoe. If you buy these bad boys, I strongly recommend wearing two socks, especially during the first few days. When I wore them in a road race for the first time, I experienced painful blisters as well as a tight fit. I did not get injured while running in these, but that is because I am not injury prone. I definitely would not buy these shoes if I had a history of leg pain. Also, they are not for a slower paced hobby jogger, as there are not designed for a 15 mile run. However, they can work well for a faster, shorter distance runner, particularly in workouts like a 4 mile tempo run. It is designed to transfer energy from stride to stride, and there is a lot of kinetic energy being felt as you run. However, they can get dirty very fast. I ran in a pair of white Nike Zoom Flies, and 2 weeks into cross country season as brown as a coconut. Overall, they were a decent pair of shoes for me, but I will probably go back to another brand in the future.

little_kid_lover · Oct 1, 2018

45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v3