It’s been nearly 3 years since the release of the last Alphafly and even still every race start like that I’ve been to in this past year is lined with them speaking to the success of the last iteration. People love to complain about Nike a lot these days but you can’t deny that the Alphafly 3 was ahead of its time. Now the question is if the updates to the 4 have made a big enough jump to stay ahead or even with the rest of the pack.
What’s Changed
The Midsole
The midsole is now comprised of 2 different versions of Zoom X, both still Pebax based. The top layer is a new, lighter version which is supposed to be up to 17% lighter while offering 8% more energy return. What does this mean? The foam should be softer and more compressive. The bottom layer of foam is the traditional Zoom X that was found in the Alpha 3.
The zoom air pod
While this is technically the same technology, the bonding process to seal the zoom AirPod is different. The result is a lighter and slighter softer Zoom air experience which should complement the new foam nicely.
The geometry
The rocker of the shoe is similar but slightly different, having a slightly extended toe which we’re starting to see pop up in a lot of super shoes. The Nike team also stressed multiple times that the base of the shoe is wider which should increase stability quite a bit between the 2 versions.
The upper
The upper is still Atomknit but is dialed for a more precise fit.
The sound
Supposedly they have fixed the “CLOMP CLOMP” sound so you can now sneak up on your opponents
My actual thoughts
There is a lot of talk around the internet about how “we waited 3 years for this!?” When so many people are still choosing the Alphafly 3 as their go-to super shoe. I think we need to wait and see how the shoe actually performs before making judgements
What I will say for now, most super shoe advancements are happening in geometry, foam, and weight innovation. If you look at ASICS from last year to this year, it’s mostly foam. Adidas? Foam and weight. Puma? Geometry.
The Alphafly 4 looks similar to the Alphafly 3 but even visually changed just as much as most other super shoes from iteration to iteration. However the shoe has a more aggressive toe off, a new foam, and is lighter. Those are all the components of an improved shoe. Whether it all comes together though, well we’ll have to test it to find out.
