Nike ZoomX Streakfly: Light and Fast – a 5K PB Shoe for 2022
Lighter running shoes really do make you faster.
If you carry a bag and then reduce its weight by 100g, it will make just about zero difference to how fast you run. However, if you make your shoes 100g lighter then you will save 1% or 12 seconds for a 20-minute 5K runner. That’s because the 100g is swung on the end of a pendulum, your leg, many times as you run. Your physicist friends will tell you the equation 😉
Nike Streakfly comes in at 170g which is about a 50g saving over a typical mens’ shoe of 230g.
Must Read: Lumen Review – the Fat & Carb Metabolism Burn Monitor
How much faster does Streakfly’s carbon plate make you? Errr. It hasn’t got one. Not to worry as I’m not entirely convinced that the carbon tech makes most of us ‘normal’ runners any faster.
I am, however, convinced that Nike’s PEBAX foam adds most of the speed for me with some Nike shoe models. Streakfly has PEBAX on the midsole to aid transition (heel-to-toe…not T1 😉 ). I reckon that the PEBAX foam on the AirFly makes me between 2% and 4% faster at any endurance speed. So Streakfly or VaporFly or AirFly really could knock 30 seconds off your 5K PB literally overnight.
Running flats tend to be light because they totally minimise material and that includes the sole material. Consequently, in the past, they tend to be much less cushioned than your ‘trainers’. Not so with the Streakfly. With a race-legal 32mm stack it has similar cushioning to the VaporFly Next%2, which I highly rate. I have some similar AirFlys next to me now but I’ve not run with them yet, they have PEBAX too.
Other 5K contender shoes for 2022 are Adios Pro 2 (again I have some that I’ve not used yet) and Takumi Sen 8, which I won’t try.
Streakfly is available now as of: 28 Jan 2022:
From: Nike.com
Price: £134.95
That price is significantly cheaper than for the AirFly/VaporFly models. Although over Christmas 2021, nike did reduce the AirFly temporarily to about £135 and I snuck in a pair at that price.
I don’t get freebies from Nike and this post isn’t sponsored.
Check out some of the new colours on other models…hmmm.
Reader-Powered Content
This content is not sponsored. It’s mostly me behind the labour of love which is this site and I appreciate everyone who follows, subscribes or Buys Me A Coffee ❤️ Alternatively please buy the reviewed product from my partners. Thank you! FTC: Affiliate Disclosure: Links pay commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Streak 6 and 7 were the best all-round shoe ever for me. The only difference was minor changes to the upper. I could wear them for any workout or long run or race or marathon.
The Streak 6/7 had a pebax shank and some kind of EVA foam and blown rubber outsole that was both grippy and long lived while the whole package was light.
Alas they are gone and Nike lost its mind with shoe designs and wacky foams. It remains to be seen if these are going to be the replacement. I’m not sure pebax foam like in the Vaporfly is ok for this lower stack application unless they firmed it up significantly.
I’ve heard the Adidas Takumi Sen 8 is evocative of the Streak 6/7.
i’d definitely try something with the pebax foam. definitely faster (for me)
The liner at heel has deteriorated after ~300 miles on my last four pairs of Nike running shoes. To invest in anything new with them they would either need to be heavily discounted on sale.
Tried the lace-lock lacing to try to minimize heel slip but no luck.
I can guarantee at 300 miles the midsole was trashed regardless of the model.
My larger issue with Nike is the rampant mysogeny in programs they have sponsored at University of Oregon and Nike Oregon Project. The canceling of contracts for pregnancies. And turning a blind eye to (or encouraging) doping.
I have spent quite a bit of money on Nike kit over the years and I have been making a point lately to look everywhere else for viable alternatives.
The ubiquitous pursuit of profit and success creates uneasy bedfellows for all of us. You have to make a personal call about the issues that arise and live with it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/sports/alberto-salazar-sexual-assault.html
170g is more of a 60 save over a 230g shoe. My mathematicians friends told me the equation :p
Anyway, I hope the ZoomX foam used in the Streakfly is more dense than the LS Pro in the Takumi, where I find that it compromises stability (softish yet responsive foam, with high stack…). But the Takumi is a really fun and efficient shoe to run in, and the protection underfoot is tremendous for such a light weight (200g in US10.5…)
Curious to see how it will turn for the Streakfly (had the Streak 6, really nice shoe indeed)