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

Race Day or Any Day

5/5

Overall

Originally purchased these for a half marathon as I did not want to use precious miles on my vaporflys. I was previously running in the first version of the zoom flys so I expected to love these shoes just as much. Did my shake out run in them the day before the race & couldn't get over how much more fun these shoes were to run in than the OGs! I felt a much greater pep in my step, running sub 7 (I'm a 1:33 ~ 1:36 half) felt much easier. Updates to the shoe include the tongue being sewn in to the shoe which is great as the prior version's tongue always seemed to get bunched up. One thing I would advise folks to do is to wear higher than normal socks- this shoe will rub against the back of your heel. Overall i enjoy these shoes so much , i do not keep them reserved for tempo runs or races- i wear them any day that i want to switch it up. The cushion makes them great for easier and slower running too!

Anonymous runner · Jul 5, 2019

50 mpw training for a marathon

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

Solid higher-effort shoe, if a bit flimsy

4/5

Overall

Love doing my road races and tempo runs in this shoe! My only complaint is that the cushioning breaks down pretty fast. Lasted me about 200 miles, so you could probably find a shoe that does a similar thing but costs less.

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

45 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 2/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 3/5

this shoe flys

5/5

Overall

I'm a guy who trained in marathon flats through college. I love responsive, lightweight shoes, and the Zoom Fly Flyknit is the best of them that I've worn. With the sock-like upper that is truly comfortable, they're hard to beat.

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adizero Boston 6

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

browski · Jul 4, 2019

80 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Zoom Speed Rival 6

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

Great marathon shoe

5/5

Overall

Comfortable upper, great cushioning, especially on long runs at higher pace. "Springy" feeling due to the carbon plate. It´s like a slightly heavier, "poor man´s version" of the Nike Vaporfly 4 %. The only downsides are unusually bad traction on snow/ice, and low water resistance due to the mesh upper.

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

75 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adiZero adios 3 Boost (2018)