How about Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT%?
A friend of mine got a pair and she loves them. They are about $136.
Cheaper than Invincible.

I did try those as well a little while ago, and found them very hard and clunky. I bought them from a place that doesn't take returns, so I just recently handed them off to a buddy to try.
That said, my legs are a mess when it comes to running and I have a really hard time being comfortable.
Lately I switch back and forth between Vaporflys and Endorphin Speeds.

They’re not designed to be a lower priced version of Vaporflys. They’re designed to be a highly cushioned, fairly light daily trainer. Probably to compete with Hoka.

I much prefer them to any Hoka I’ve ever run in, but I wouldn’t think of comparing them to one of Nike’s racing shoes.

I had the opposite reaction. I bought the Alphafly, Vaporfly, and Invincible in that order. I did not like the first two because of the prominent arch, especially the AF. The Invincible is the one shoe I put on and it felt good right away. It’s a training shoe so obviously it’s not meant to do the same thing as the other two. I am almost certainly faster in the AF and VF, but I really enjoy running in the Invincible.

WHUT?

When people like to say the thing that makes the Vaporfly is the foam is not accurate. What makes that shoe is the combination of the foam and plate. You lose a significant amount of "return" with no plate.

I wonder what Saucony version would be like since they went for a beaded pebax.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I missed the memo where these were supposed to be a lower priced version of the vaporfly...

It appears you failed to do the research on the shoe before purchasing. If you want a lower priced vaporfly you should buy used vaporflys from marketplace.

Oh lighten up Francis....
I said the type of shoe I was -hoping- for, not that I expected based on my scientific research. It uses the same type of foam as the VF, so I was hoping. And I was wrong, and am sending them back.

I have the whole collection, alphafly, zoom tempo, & invincible (along with zoom structure, tried infinity, VF next%, zoom fly etc) and agree that zoom tempo next SHOULD be what you want. I am a bit surprised that you notice such a big difference between the AF & Tempo but it is what it is, everyone feels shoes differently.

I do agree that the zoom tempo next is a bit awkward/clunky but felt the same about the alphafly (especially compared to VF next%) but in both cases, I still felt & ran significantly faster than I did in any other non-super-shoe. That's why I kept a pair of VF Next so I can use them in road racing that has more turns or varying surfaces

When I was testing out shoes back fall of last year, I did around 12k loop with a specific HR target and my time difference within two weeks of running in the zoom structure vs the zoom tempo was 3.5 minutes which is kind of ridiculous.

Unfortunately due to inflammation in my PTT I need to run in motion control shoes and while I haven't tested any time diffs between the invincible and the structure, I don't feel any difference in speed or effort, both are heavy and slow feeling. The zoom foam in the invincible isn't designed for energy return, i think, more just impact dampening. I am no expert but I imagine if it was designed for energy return that it would sacrifice the motion control aspect.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

I've been running in various Nike's post plantar fasciitis issues last fall. The heel/cushion on the Vaporfly/Alpahfly is incredible. Basically I walk around in Hoka recovery slides and Bondi's and have a pair of Alpahfly, Vaporfly and Zoom Fly 3's ffor training/racing.

Maybe what you're looking for is something more along the lines of the Zoom Fly 3? I know they're a bit dated right now and to have a new model soon maybe.... but outside of being a little on the heavy side they're great trainers IMO.

The ZF3 is by far for me the most comfortable of the Nike shoes I have. Running no socks with them is no issue at all. The Vaporfly/Alphafly in terms of uppers are okay with socks but sockless... blister and cut city. I race in the Alphaflys and have had to wrap one of my big toes and both sides of my heel for a nasty heel cup blister I was getting with them.

1. You did not do the proper research.
2. Then rant about a shoe that preform as it is described from Nike
3. Then you are sending the shoe back because you did not do your job

Do you think anyone wants you as a customer????

What a stupid reply.

I've purchased 4 pair of Vaporflys, and have a pair of alphafly's on the way (all purchased from Forerunners in Canada).
And I've purchased countless other pairs of Nike's over the years.
For the first time ever, I purchased a pair direct from Nike that I didn't like -and- am sending back.

YES, I'm pretty sure Nike likes me as a customer and would love it if all their customers spent as much as I have on their footwear.

Further, Nike very clearly offers a try and return policy. I don't HAVE to do 'research' to try a pair of shoes. I stated what I was HOPING for, NOT what Nike claimed. I was HOPING that the shoe would feel a little like a VF given the foam used, and it didn't. The end. I returned it via their policy.
Do you really think your comments are warranted? And I did not 'rant' about their shoes, I stated what I thought they felt like. Do you have that big an issue with that? Wow.

I might be misinterpreting the tone or purpose of this thread but basically it just seems like you just didn't do 5 mins of research which if fine, but what you were hoping for and what the Invincible is are just two totally different things.

Hey that’s fair. Again I was hoping I would like them based on the foam being used, and I was wrong. I never claimed that Nike lied or misrepresented them, just that I was hoping I’d like them. I didn’t and I described how they felt to me.
I like it when other people post reviews of gear. I didn’t think I’d be thrown under the bus for it. Ugghh...

This is accurate. Definitely not a racer, but a fairly light trainer with nice pop/cushion. My only complaint is I find them to have a bit too much squish. For daily runs....I find they work well. I also like the Infinity React, but the react's have more road feel and not nearly the level of cushion/pop back.

100% agreed. When I ran them the first time I thought to myself this is how I imagined Hokas to feel like before I ran them the first time. Long runs up to tempo no issues at all. I am rather light though and was also wondering how heavier people would find them.

I really enjoy the shoes up to marathon pace (~ 4 min/km), above that I feel they become too flexible compared to the VF and ZF3. Having said that, for my long runs slightly under marathon pace, there is no better shoe. I do find them quite clunky (my nickname for them is The Tractors), but that doesn't bother me while running.