Does anybody have experience running in the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3? How do they compare to alphafly 1, new balance sc elite 4, and asics metaspeed paris edge?
I guess that’s not a popular shoe with the slowtwitch crowd
I have a pair and rate them better than most current shoes on the market, but they are not as fast for me as the original Alphafly 1. The foam on the shoes is not Peba, supposedly has higher energy return, and I do think you can feel that they are somehow different than most other super shoes, but nonetheless they are a more normal feeling ‘super shoe’ in terms of upper and general wear, like you wouldn’t be sad to go for a walk in them like I would in alphaflys. There’s a popular YouTube channel, Ben is Running, that just did a completely unscientific test of these shoes vs Adios Pro 4 and the Metaspeed Sky, and the Puma won. For me, I think the Adidas Pro 4 are the best shoe right now and actually the first shoe that I think may be faster than the original Alphafly.
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Thanks for the response, I’m going to check out the video now. I actually just bought the saucony endorphin elite 2 and I was shocked at how sloppy it was. Definitely super cushioned, but it didn’t have that pop and upon landing it just ate up the ground. So I returned them and I’m trying to find something to race in this year. I really liked my alphafly 1’s, except they always gave me a hotspot on my arch around mile 8. I really like my metaspeed 1’s, but those are pretty hard to come by now and the next few generations weren’t as good in my opinion. I liked my sc elite v4 last year, but the heel cup is brutal on my achillies after about 6 miles, but I like the blend of soft/firm and the bounce back. From what I had read it sounded like the deviate nitro elite 3 might fill that gap. So thank you again fro your response.
I have tried the Saucony as well … I don’t have a fully developed opinion on the unusual cushion or performance of the shoe, but I thought the upper fit was terrible (not overly sensitive to this type of thing normally), and turning corners is way too much of an adventure in them for me to want to race them. Going to use them for training when my legs feel extra beat up I guess.
I’m running in them and love them.
Very comfortable and the longer toe box works well for me.
I have the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 2. These are the only carbons I’ve ever worn, so can’t compare, but the consensus among reviewers seems to be that they are a lot more comfortable than your typical race performance-oriented carbon shoe.
One thing I can tell for sure after running a couple of races in these shoes is that they help spare the legs from the pounding (as you would expect from carbons).
Can you still find AF-1’s anywhere online? Bummer about the Endor Elite-2, was thinking about trying them but I see a lot of them being sold online used, so you might not be the only one that doesn’t like them. The Speeds 4 have been one my worst training shoe purchases, the shoes are simply dead, stiff and harsh. The Speeds 1 was one of the best shoes I have ever had. General rant, but why can’t Nike and Saucony simply keep the same model year after year instead of redesigning it to a crappier version.
I’m glad someone else dislikes the Speed 4, most people seem to love it and can’t understand why. I’m trying to decide on race shoes for this year, and my experience with the Speed is putting me off the Pro 4, even those these seem like they should be the most appropriate for my running style and pace on the IM run.
My experience so far (and disclaimer that it is individual) Speed 1, one hell of a shoe, if not my best running shoe ever. Pro 1, it was a solid plated racing flat although a bit stiff. Pro 3, kind of felt like a less bouncy than Speed 1 for me, but I liked it. Speed 4, nough said.
Take this with a grain of salt, bur read somewhere that the design intent of the Speed 4 was to downgrade the shoe to the discontinued Shift line level, and make the Pro 4 have the feel of the Speed so that the Elite becomes the only real race shoe. So I am kind of tempted to try the Pro 4, although I worry it will be a waste of money. Still have a Speed 1 with like 500 km, still feels much better than the 4.
I like the speed 1 and 2 and thought they were great shoes, but in the grand scheme of things they are simply not a supershoe or you could say on the level of the other supershoes. Their first iteration of the elite was their attempt to get on the same level as their counterparts, but there’s bound to be some mistakes in the first. My word of caution in the Elite 2 is that perhaps I’m just not a good enough runner for me to feel the effect. I did a 5k averaging around 6:45-6:55 per mile and it just felt really sloppy to me. As previously mentioned, cornering was wild but it ultimately had amazing cushioning but no pop off the toe. So it’ll definitely save your legs, but I doubt it has PR potential at the speeds I was using it at. One of the reasons I liked the new balance sc elite 4 was that it was like a supershoe for not so super humans. At 7:30 pace, it felt like a great balance of cushion, pop, and stability. From what I’m reading and seeing on youtube, it looks like the deviate nitro 3 might be the best successor.
Regarding changing models year after year, the worst culprit of that was asics. The first metaspeed was a revelation and then the second generation was so dull and just had this massive toe box that felt like a anchor. The paris generation is better in terms of cushioning and return, but if given the choice I’d still take gen 1 as it felt much more natural. It seems like maxing out the stack height isn’t always the best idea if it’s not engineered correctly, which makes running in them feel clunky.
I don’t mind the Speed 4’s, but they aren’t in the same realm as the Pro 4. I have both.
Speed 4’s are my shoe for my normal week day runs and then I pull the Pro 4’s out for my Sunday long run.
Racing i just switched over to the Puma Elite 3’s and they are a step above the Pro 4. I didn’t have the Pro 3’s, but I’ve heard them most compared to those. Either way, the Puma’s are significantly better than the Speed 4’s, and level up on the Pro 4’s.
I ran a half in them a couple weeks ago and they will be my shoe for 70.3 Galveston.
Just eBay/goat/stockX. I’ve got a couple new pairs still in the box that seem unnecessary now with the Adidas Pro 4.