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

5/5

Overall

I run in 3 shoes typically. Saucony Freedom, brooks Launch and then the Zoom Fly. The Zoom Fly has taken over all my runs. I got it just for long runs but now I find myself grabbing these over my other 2 favorites. I popped my Achilles two years ago and this shoe’s shape really makes my Achilles feel safe and not too stressed. My only complaint is that you have to go a half size up and the shoes cushion shows stress lines pretty quick but the shoe seems to be lasting a long time. I have 3 pairs all in different colors and they all look good.

Anonymous runner · Jul 8, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO 2

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 7, 2019

40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18

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

Zoom Fly

4/5

Overall

Only disadvantage related to comfort is that the heel can sometimes be hard to keep upright while putting the shoe on. Despite being light, shoe remains comfortable for long runs.

Anonymous runner · Jul 7, 2019

50 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Great cushioning, makes me run faster

5/5

Overall

This shoe makes me run faster, probably not because of the rebound plate but because of the "rockered" nature of the forefoot that encourages you to run faster. I say that it's probably not the rebound plate because I am a md-foot striker, so the plate probably doesn't come into play for propulsion. The plate does help me with my hallux rigidus condition, which is a condition that requires a stiffer shoe. In my other running shoes and my walking shoes, I use a carbon fiber plate under the insole already to limit the bending of the big toe. The built-in "rebound" plate eliminates the need for the use of this plate for me. My only issue with the shoe is how tight it is. I have one pair of my "normal" size that I MUST wear a very thin sock otherwise my toes get all squished and uncomfortable. My 2nd pair is a HALF size larger which is far more comfortable and allows me to wear mid-weight socks, although a very thin sock still feels better. My shoes have flywire cables which has caused pain for me in previous Nike shoes but not in these, thankfully,. I see that the newest 2019 version flyknit has eliminated the flywires which for me is a good change. I will run in these for my next marathon. NOTE that I only run a couple of long pre marathon training runs up to 20 miles and a few 8 milers in this shoe and wear different shoes for daily training as the Zoom Fly soles are fairly thin, so I don't want to wear them out with daily training.,

Anonymous runner · Jul 5, 2019

28 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 6

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

Nike Zoom Fly

5/5

Overall

I personally believe that the Nike Zoom Fly is the best shoe ever made in terms of comfort and allowing me to continue to run even with extreme knee problems.

Anonymous runner · Jul 5, 2019

20 mpw