4% - Your Experiences

I'd like this shoe. Even just for fun. But seriously Nike, $250 or £200. It's just too expensive. Please play the game and stop being greedy MF's.

Vaporfly 4% actually also fine-tuned to go out to eat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF921bxHNro.

Material costs: < $10

Retail price: $250

LOL!!

Aficionado wrote:

Vaporfly 4% actually also fine-tuned to go out to eat

These shoes are not comfortable at all for just walking around. There are too many sheep in this world.

cyhawk wrote:

Aficionado wrote:

Vaporfly 4% actually also fine-tuned to go out to eat

These shoes are not comfortable at all for just walking around. There are too many sheep in this world.

+1, I don't get that guy at all, these are awkward as F to walk around in. They rock for half marrys and 'thons though

poor people be crazy, the real one wrote:

Material costs: < $10

Retail price: $250

LOL!!

Are there no other costs that go into these besides raw materials? If so, i may as well just go buy some and do it myself if there's no R&D or tooling involved. Thanks!

I actually bought another pair of Adios yesterday, but I've spoken to enough people who have had good things to say about them that when someone told me about my size being available, I took a shot.

They are really odd to walk around in. Soft like marshmallows. I ran a 4 mile race at about tempo pace today and they were really comfortable but still felt a little unstable. I've been told you get used to that feel. As a heel striking long strider, I thought that I was as good a candidate as any to get a benefit out of these.

I'm going to race Gate River Run in them and then decide whether to where them or my new Adios at Boston.

Aficionado wrote:

Vaporfly 4% actually also fine-tuned to go out to eat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF921bxHNro

.

Amazing. I wonder which are better for trips to Outback: the 4% or the Zoom Fly.

Smoove wrote:

I actually bought another pair of Adios yesterday, but I've spoken to enough people who have had good things to say about them that when someone told me about my size being available, I took a shot.

They are really odd to walk around in. Soft like marshmallows. I ran a 4 mile race at about tempo pace today and they were really comfortable but still felt a little unstable. I've been told you get used to that feel. As a heel striking long strider, I thought that I was as good a candidate as any to get a benefit out of these.

I'm going to race Gate River Run in them and then decide whether to where them or my new Adios at Boston.

Guess I'm kind of in the same boat as an Adios wearer. Of course I don't buy the 4% nonsense but I am intrigued by them. Had a chance to buy a pair myself but didn't want to drop the $250 - maybe I should've? I've been in contact with a friend at Nike in hopes of scoring a pair for $125 (employee store pricing); if not I'll likely try the readily available Zoom Fly as I can grab unlimited pairs of those at $75 a pop and they're apparently similar to the Vaporfly.

I'd be interested to hear what you think after Gate River Run...

HahaRiiiiiiight wrote:

I've been in contact with a friend at Nike in hopes of scoring a pair for $125 (employee store pricing); if not I'll likely try the readily available Zoom Fly as I can grab unlimited pairs of those at $75 a pop and they're apparently similar to the Vaporfly.

I'd be interested to hear what you think after Gate River Run...

The Zoom Fly is not at all like the Vaporfly. Different midsole material entirely. This mushy feeling everyone talks about with the Vaporfly, does not apply to the Zoom Fly.

I've worn all three.. and the Vaporfly is nice, you don't feel anything when you run in them and they're pretty light given the size. But, I put the Adios back on and was like "Ah yes, so this is what a proper running shoe feels like". Some people love and swear by the 4%, others (like me) just can't get used to it.

And all this stuff about "I felt fresh the day after my marathon with the Vaporfly!!" is nonsense.

Curious whether you've considered the placebo effect. Also, at your age, if you've never run faster than now, perhaps (1) you're still building endurance, (2) you've recently upped your training, or (3) your statement isn't true?

i am super excited with my 4% gain! man EPO is a hell of a drug!!

i know there are some that claim it doesnt work and demand to see top tier elites who have been busted with EPO to make them believe. they claim only sub elite mindweak people take EPO and it doesnt do anything for them in fact it makes them slower.

so since im a hobby jogger my 4% gain is only impressive on my strava boys....

Another data point wrote:

Dril wrote:

Ran in the ZF today. 800 runner dude was right. This older pair of ZF is definitely firmer than a new pair of 4% and probably a slightly used pair too. I missed the relative squishiness of 4% the first time around because its all in the heel. I don't heel strike so I hadn't noticed.

800 runner dude is right. ZF is much worse than the VF. I tried both. ZF cushion is very hard and the shoe has no flex. It's like running in stability shoes. VF, on the other hand, is the best shoe ever.

I'm not a Swoosh shill. If I were, I'd probably say the ZF was terrific for training. It isn't.

I went through a couple pairs of the ZF and liked them; recently got a new pair and they're sooooo stiff I switched off them. Weird. Less likely the shoe changed then something in my foot is aggravated, but still, for me now it's much too stiff a shoe.

I also had a pair of the VFs, which i had planned to use in a marathon. Soooo squishy for me I returned them.

So for me, a total goldilocks, I'm back to the Boston/Adios dyad. I run as fast in my Bostons as in my ZFs...don't think it's the shoe for me (though perhaps the light weight of each helps).

Real Dealio wrote:

Clearly the above indicates that the Nike 4% does give one an advantage.

Not necessarily.

1) Placebo effect

2) Might help you, might not help "one"

I'm a journalist and I'm writing about sports' equipment technology. Would anyone be willing to tell me about their experience running in the Nike 4% shoes? You can reach me at ccw448@nyu.edu.

Chloe wrote:

I'm a journalist and I'm writing about sports' equipment technology. Would anyone be willing to tell me about their experience running in the Nike 4% shoes? You can reach me at

ccw448@nyu.edu

.

Pics?

I'm 38 and have run 13 marathons. My current PR is 2:47 in the Vaporfly 4%. I've run sub 3 numerous times in the Boston Boost 5 and tons of training miles in the Boost Adios. Nothing compares to the VF 4% or the Zoom Fly IMO. Sunday I ran a half marathon training run in 1:19 with the VaporFly 4% . I'm curious to see how good the VF handle the downhills in Boston.

You are really trying to talk me into Zoom Flys over Boston Boost 6 for Boston next month haha

I honestly would run Boston next month in my Zoom Flys if Vaporflys were not available. I've had much better training in my Zoom Flys than the Boston Boost. Legs are much more recovered after workouts. After 20 miles in the Boston Boost my legs are toast.