Help choosing a “Super” training shoe

Most big brands now have a trainer to compliment their super shoe

Saucony Endorphin Speed (Endorphin Pro)

Brooks Hyperion Tempo (Hyperion Elite)

NB Fuel Cell TC (NB FC RC Elite)

Nike Tempo Next% (Alphafly)

Nike Zoom Fly 3 (Vaporfly)

Out of the big boys, Nike's training shoes probably have the worst reputation.

Others that can be used for training that aren't the brand's lead 'supershoe'

Adidas Adizero Pro (Adidas adios adizero Pro)

Hoka Carbon X2 (Hoka rocket X)

On Cloudflow 2 (On Cloudboom)

ASICS Metaride (ASICS Metaracer)

Vaporfly. No discussion.

Dairyland wrote:

Vaporfly. No discussion.

Not even remotely an answer to the question man. Good effort though. You should reply to more threads

pretty sure the speeds are considered the "best" training super shoe

Turbo 1 or 2 and vaporfly are a nice combo

Thanks for all the replies lads really appreciate it. Few more questions if that’s ok:

Why is the speed considered the superior shoe?If I was doing 15hard miles of running in the shoes per week how long could I expect them to last?

Is there a large price differential between the shoes or are they all priced similarly?

In order of preference for tempo work on the roads:

1) Nike Tempo Next%

2) NB Fuelcell TC Elites

3) Endorphin Speed

4) Peg Turbo 2

In order of presence for everyday running:

Reverse the order.

I don't understand why anyone buys the Nike Tempo/Zoom Fly shoes unless you get it at a very discounted price. You're paying 80% of the price of the Vaporfly for a much inferior shoe. If you just want to get the feel of a carbon plated shoe without putting miles on your vaporflys then buy an old version of the Zoom fly.

Endorphin Speed - lightweight, flexible nylon plate, resilient but soft foam. Best trainer out there IMO. I've put 400 miles on mine and they still feel good

It's a very different shoe than the Next%. Much more like the Alphafly.

It is also about 800% more durable.

Speed is lightweight, snappy, cushioned enough, somewhat durable and the upper fits nice.

Provided your on clean ground I reckon you get about ~ 6 months at 15 mile a week.

If NB or Brooks fit better though, don't sleep on them. Both fantastic shoes, but Saucony probably sits somewhere in the middle in terms of what it's best for.

Brooks tempo is definitely best for snappy stuff, and NB TC maybe better for long runs whilst the Saucony Speed sits in that nice middle ground somewhere. Same with price, i think it's in the middle ground of the 3. Maybe £40 between the Brooks and NB with Saucony in the middle.

Original Hoka Carbon X is possibly worth a look. They've the advantage of having a second iteraction out already so possibly worth a look if ££ is a concern (as it should be for a training shoe IMO).

roller coaster wrote:

I don't understand why anyone buys the Nike Tempo/Zoom Fly shoes unless you get it at a very discounted price. You're paying 80% of the price of the Vaporfly for a much inferior shoe. If you just want to get the feel of a carbon plated shoe without putting miles on your vaporflys then buy an old version of the Zoom fly.

I understand where you’re coming from, for me personally it’s that I don’t want to workout in a carbon plated shoe because I’ve heard they have a tendency to tweak hamstrings. I have a teammate who threw them on for a tempo and hurt her hammy and Ben True also mentioned that carbon plated shoes caused him to tweak his hammy a lot. My hamstrings tend to be fragile at the best of times so that’s my logic

I like the Nike Zoom Tempo. But in a few weeks Nike will release the Zoom Invincibles featuring a full Zoom X midsole and no plate. For piling on the miles or recovery runs they might be the cushioning answer you are looking for. I'm probably going to get a pair to replace my current daily trainer.

highhoppingworm wrote:

It's a very different shoe than the Next%. Much more like the Alphafly.

It is also about 800% more durable.

Agree on the first but not the second.

The pair I bought are tearing apart on the outsole just behind the airbags. Best part is Nike wont warranty that as a defect. I went to write a review on Nikes website and there were others with the same problem. Just FYI before anyone goes and spends $200 on an uptempo shoe. I replaced them with Next%

Crazy money for a daily trainer though.

If your rotation is Invincible, Tempo Next and Vaporfly/Alpha then that is mad money for 3 shoes.

Try the models out at your local running store. I'd probably go with the Carbon X for their durability compared to some of the others.

Like many other posters on here, I would recommend the Endorphin Speed. they seem to have the best reputation. I currently own the Nike Tempo next % and let me just say you need a bit to adjust to the stack height. I like to wear them for faster runs, they do terrible on my slow runs, as they ruin your form and make it harder to relax.

I have not tried the Peg Turbo but they seem super expensive and they keep discounting them, not necessarily a good sign.

npurdy1112 wrote:

highhoppingworm wrote:

It's a very different shoe than the Next%. Much more like the Alphafly.

It is also about 800% more durable.

Agree on the first but not the second.

The pair I bought are tearing apart on the outsole just behind the airbags. Best part is Nike wont warranty that as a defect. I went to write a review on Nikes website and there were others with the same problem. Just FYI before anyone goes and spends $200 on an uptempo shoe. I replaced them with Next%

My pair of Next %'s were already torn on the little bubble on the side when I got them. I didn't bother to send them back since I already waited 3 weeks to come in the mail. They still function properly and so I like them. They are very stiff at first, but I think that is the same with all running shoes. I am starting to break them in and they are very nice.

As a heavier runner, the Tempo Next is just amazing. Lots of cushioning and I use them for anything from LT work to easy runs.

They're better than the Endorphin Speeds IMO and you can get them cheaper too. Speeds basically don't go on sale ($160) and Tempo Next has been $150 for several months now at certain retailers.