Non-Nike Athletes May Be F**ked - Nike WILL Release Alphaflys and they WILL BE LEGAL for 2020 Tokyo

I said this shoe would be allowed weeks ago. Nike reigns supreme. Get over it.

Highly doubt it, I personally can’t see it being that expensive.

Educated Guess, $320-$350.

The increase in ZoomX Foam, FlyPlate and Atomknit Upper will contribute to the price. As of now, nobody knows.

tarckstar wrote:

Adidas is going to be okay. Skechers will continue to surprise.

But Brooks/Saucony/Just about everyone else needs to buy out OnCloud yesterday to stand a shred of a chance. Nike has tried everything for the past 50 years, and they're putting it all in these shoes. Nobody has patents that will allow them to do anything remotely close.

Trials are going to Nike and Hoka. If Hoka grabs OnCloud IP, Saucony and Brooks are a memory.

Wait, Oncloud has valuable IP? They should start using it in their shoes.

Insiders say 275$

One other thing that Burns told me that is interesting.

I said, "Why don't the other companies just copy the Vaporfly?" He said something along the lines of. Some of it is patented so they will end up making a shoe that is "almost as good." This is already a niche shoe to begin with. So what's the point of spending a bunch of money to make an "almost as good shoe" that no one will buy .

"a Nike VP is quoted as saying the Alphafly is 39.5mm (for size 9) but that since Kipchoge wears a size 10.5, his legal shoes are 45mm."

Where is that quote? Can't be legit, no one who's been to school would come up with this kind of number !

Some simple math would be :

Size 9 = 26.2cm -> 39.5mm stack height

Size 10.5 = 27.5cm -> 39.5x27.5/26.2=41.46mm stack height

That was interesting. I hope he gets to the 2:10 territory again but a 5min improvement doesn't seem that likely at age 40. It's a huge slap in the face to his sponsor. NB just isn't up to snuff.

But I support him putting it all on the line for one more shot. Why not? I hope he can get future sponsorship money afterwards but this may have burned bridges?

Interesting contrasting response from DuChene who will stick with her sponsor (Saucony). That might be more due to the fact that her ship is more sailed (there are already 3 candidates who've already qualified for the 3 women's marathon spots).

The whole running world is really in chaos at the moment.

Great news!

Nike releasing shoe to the public on February 29, 2020. Nike Plus members will be the first customers to get a shot at them. I do have to agree stack height does look a little high but apparently it is measured inside the shoe and not inside. Nike has stuck to the one plate as its counting on the zoom airbags to make up for the loss of the 3 plates. Should be legal for Tokyo if Nike has rushed them into production this quick following the ban.

Am I the only one who feels no sympathy towards non-Nike athletes? I'm in favor of regulating shoes and am pretty anti-Nike, but no one is forcing the other athletes to stay with their sponsors. They voluntarily chose to take money from a shoe company with the understanding that they'd be racing in that company's shoes. That's a conscious, competitive decision they made -- now they're just living with the consequences of that decision, for better of for worse.

runharwell wrote:

Am I the only one who feels no sympathy towards non-Nike athletes? I'm in favor of regulating shoes and am pretty anti-Nike, but no one is forcing the other athletes to stay with their sponsors. They voluntarily chose to take money from a shoe company with the understanding that they'd be racing in that company's shoes. That's a conscious, competitive decision they made -- now they're just living with the consequences of that decision, for better of for worse.

Yeah because everyone is offered a sponsorship through Nike.

rojo wrote:

One other thing that Burns told me that is interesting.

I said, "Why don't the other companies just copy the Vaporfly?" He said something along the lines of. Some of it is patented so they will end up making a shoe that is "almost as good." This is already a niche shoe to begin with. So what's the point of spending a bunch of money to make an "almost as good shoe" that no one will buy .

If that's an accurate summary of what some manufacturers are saying, they are even more stupid than we think. Any executive saying this should be fired as they don't get brand and marketing 101. No running shoe is going to sell in huge numbers. But more importantly, it's about the recognition of the brand as the elite athletes wear their shoes in the top races.

The other companies should absolutely be copying the Next% and just putting some cosmetic tweaks and changes to be able to say it's different. But you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, as some say, and there will be no turning back. We are in a new era, and everyone needs to adjust accordingly to some slightly better shoe design.

I still maintain that the value of the Next% has always been the reduced leg fatigue due to the cushion, while still have enough of a spine to run quickly in it. Anyone who trains and races in the shoes will have faster muscle recovery, plus the advantage of running faster for longer.

rojo wrote:

One other thing that Burns told me that is interesting.

I said, "Why don't the other companies just copy the Vaporfly?" He said something along the lines of. Some of it is patented so they will end up making a shoe that is "almost as good." This is already a niche shoe to begin with. So what's the point of spending a bunch of money to make an "almost as good shoe" that no one will buy .

Are you seriously complaining about how companies respond to demand for niche products? Sorry Rojo, I’m confused, are you upset about the sport or about economics? Pick one.

Maybe stick to one coherent argument and you’ll get more support.

you was duped wrote:

rojo wrote:

One other thing that Burns told me that is interesting.

I said, "Why don't the other companies just copy the Vaporfly?" He said something along the lines of. Some of it is patented so they will end up making a shoe that is "almost as good." This is already a niche shoe to begin with. So what's the point of spending a bunch of money to make an "almost as good shoe" that no one will buy .

Are you seriously complaining about how companies respond to demand for niche products? Sorry Rojo, I’m confused, are you upset about the sport or about economics? Pick one.

Maybe stick to one coherent argument and you’ll get more support.

He's not upset about either.

KraftMacAndCheese wrote:

runharwell wrote:

Am I the only one who feels no sympathy towards non-Nike athletes? I'm in favor of regulating shoes and am pretty anti-Nike, but no one is forcing the other athletes to stay with their sponsors. They voluntarily chose to take money from a shoe company with the understanding that they'd be racing in that company's shoes. That's a conscious, competitive decision they made -- now they're just living with the consequences of that decision, for better of for worse.

Yeah because everyone is offered a sponsorship through Nike.

It doesn't matter. Everyone isn't owned a sponsorship through Nike. Logically, if you could get sponsored by another company, you could probably get sponsored by Nike (possibly for less), but it still doesn't matter. The point is anyone can race in Vaporflys if they want to. If you choose to take money from another company and commit yourself to wearing their inferior shoes, that's the consequence of your decision. The rules cannot and will not change this.

I watch track and field to enjoy seeing who the best runner is on any given day. There is no joy in that being merely who the best Nike runner is on any given day.

I did not realize that there was not a maximum height. I would have rather seen that so that we don't have disagreements. Otherwise, Nike will get clever and figure out how to fit people in larger shoes so that get more height.

breit leit wrote:

I watch track and field to enjoy seeing who the best runner is on any given day. There is no joy in that being merely who the best Nike runner is on any given day.

But if every runner is a Nike runner, then nothing has changed for you. You can still enjoy watching track and field.

Have Kofuzi or Jamison Michael made a review yet?!