There is an article about the Nike Zoom Vaporfly on the main page. For those that have been following, you likely know that the Vaporfly 4% are sold out and have been sold out and the only source is the aftermarket at eBay. Personally, I am interested in this shoe if nothing else to do some of my own independent testing. I had debated pulling the trigger on a pair for $330 but ultimately I can’t even stomach paying full retail, let alone above retail even though if I even made up one place in a race they would pay for themselves in prize money alone. In the past 10 years I don’t think I have paid more than $70 for a pair of running shoes.
Anecdotally I have noticed 3 pros who have been racing in them including Jesse Thomas, Patrick Mckeon and, Kirsty Jahn. Of the 3, the most notable performance was Patrick’s at Ironman Wisconsin. I don’t think people have talked about this run, but his 2:43 was insane. If you were to believe Nike then Patrick running a 2:43 with the Vaporfly is a 2:50.
So my question to you… are you willing to pay more than retail for the Vaporfly??? I just read about the next wave of these shoes coming out from Nike and it will be a limited release again, which means the scalpers will just buy up all the stock. Personally, I would love to see Ironman ban the shoes for the time being until sufficient stock is available for anyone with normal means to acquire a pair.
Addition
I had a discussion with someone tonight who is in the know and they said the Vaporfly 4% isn’t really that special of shoe, that it doesn’t really have the full carbon plate and special foam. I didn’t ask about more details but they said Nike released the actual Breaking2 shoe or a specific version of it publicly last week and 99 pairs were sold for $500 a piece. I looked up the eBay completed sales and sure enough a whole bunch between $900 and $2400 were sold when I thought they said the actual Breaking2 shoe would never be released way back when this whole thing came to light this spring.
Personally, I would love to see Ironman ban the shoes for the time being until sufficient stock is available for anyone with normal means to acquire a pair.
That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve read this week.
Personally, I would love to see Ironman ban the shoes for the time being until sufficient stock is available for anyone with normal means to acquire a pair.
That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve read this week.
Why would it be dumb, it goes along with a general policy that you don’t let people use experimental equipment that is not available to the public. Doesn’t the UCI or some other body use this policy?
Personally, I would love to see Ironman ban the shoes for the time being until sufficient stock is available for anyone with normal means to acquire a pair.
So should have the p5x been banned at Kona last year? Should the canyon speedmax be banned now? Should your and my 9 series speed concept be banned?
Like really… cmon Thomas…
Maybe you should post some more links to your website and amazon (and driving traffic away from here) so you can scrap up some more cash to afford them even at above retail.
… 2:43 was insane. If you were to believe Nike then Patrick running a 2:43 with the Vaporfly is a 2:50.
Their marketing says it makes some runners up to 4% more efficient, but that does not mean that it will cut 4% out of your total time.
You can find the cheaper, $150 pair much more easily. I have them and love how they feel. Now, if only I could score a pass to the Nike employee store and luck out when they have the 4% on the shelf…
The main page article is about the “regular” Fly, available for $150 and in stock at most specialty dealers in your area.
Jesse, I believe, is also in this version of the shoe and not the Vaporfly 4%.
The Vaporfly 4%, meanwhile, is difficult but not impossible to come by at retail. You just need to make friends with your local run shop that is a sizable Nike door.
Regardless, the plate in it isn’t all that revolutionary. Mizuno’s Wave plate called, wanting its gimmick back. The revolutionary part is the combo of cushioning with that plate, something Mizuno hasn’t really ever gotten right since they killed their Ronin and Musha flats.
I found them hit or miss.
I ran in them the very first day they came out at a special nike event (I’ve run with nike for about 10 years).
I found the shoes to be super fast… it was absolutely noticeable… but the arch and the bottom of the shoe was narrow, to the point that part of my foot felt like it was hanging off the side… which made me pretty unstable… I actually wound up returning the shoes.
So would I buy above retail? Im not even sure I would buy them on ebay, period… I would want a potential return policy because they were so extreme to run in.
The main page article is about the “regular” Fly, available for $150 and in stock at most specialty dealers in your area.
Jesse, I believe, is also in this version of the shoe and not the Vaporfly 4%.
The Vaporfly 4%, meanwhile, is difficult but not impossible to come by at retail. You just need to make friends with your local run shop that is a sizable Nike door.
Regardless, the plate in it isn’t all that revolutionary. Mizuno’s Wave plate called, wanting its gimmick back. The revolutionary part is the combo of cushioning with that plate, something Mizuno hasn’t really ever gotten right since they killed their Ronin and Musha flats.
Right the article is a review of the regular fly, which the author says there is a separate review coming of the 4%. But it still commingles some discussion of the 4%. I have edited the original line regardless to represent just the Zoom Fly.
Personally, I would love to see Ironman ban the shoes for the time being until sufficient stock is available for anyone with normal means to acquire a pair.
So should have the p5x been banned at Kona last year? Should the canyon speedmax be banned now? Should your and my 9 series speed concept be banned?
Should those old items be banned, no, the reason I think maybe new items should be banned is because the technology arms race puts off a lot of athletes, myself included. Yes I have personally stated, I wouldn’t mind seeing Kona be a Diivy race. Is it possible that old items become so rare and so valuable that the price increases, absolutely. In that case just make so more more, dig up the old molds, etc. I realize that may not be as easy, but usually new stuff comes out to push the boundaries of where we have come from and is at least marketed as better even if not.
And you know if he bought them there would be a blog post about it
Only if you started a post about a new pair of Roka shoes that were supposedly 10% faster and 100% more expensive than anything else. But yes, am I interested in this shoe, you bet, am I going to do some sort of test, maybe, but I would rather have someone else do it and just read it.
… 2:43 was insane. If you were to believe Nike then Patrick running a 2:43 with the Vaporfly is a 2:50.
Their marketing says it makes some runners up to 4% more efficient, but that does not mean that it will cut 4% out of your total time.
Which is kind of my whole secondary point in this. Nike quantify it for us, what does 4%?. Where is the efficiency coming from, what part is aerodynamics, what part of it is the return of either the carbon plate or nylon infused carbon plate. How much is from the lighter shoe. How much is from the human body being less beat up. 4% is a marketing term, but what does it actually mean and what does it get you. For 85 billion dollar company I wish I could get some more details
Personally, I would love to see Ironman ban the shoes for the time being until sufficient stock is available for anyone with normal means to acquire a pair.
So should have the p5x been banned at Kona last year? Should the canyon speedmax be banned now? Should your and my 9 series speed concept be banned?
Like really… cmon Thomas…
Maybe you should post some more links to your website and amazon (and driving traffic away from here) so you can scrap up some more cash to afford them even at above retail.
(Roll eyes)
As opposed to the links in your sig driving traffic away from here?
If you were to believe Nike then Patrick running a 2:43 with the Vaporfly is a 2:50.
Did you notice how, even with these shoes and every other detail absolutely perfect, the guy didn’t actually run sub 2 hrs? I have a pair of the shoes. They are not magic. They’re just lightweight shoes with a lot of cushion.
And then check out Mr Gerlach bumping this old thread here specifically to drive traffic to his site instead of just posting the discount code in the thread or putting it in his signature.