Nike Zoom Vomero 14 Review: Fast and Responsive Heavy Duty Run Trainer!

Article by Sam Winebaum

Nike Zoom Vomero 14 ($140)
The Vomero was a personal purchase at retail.

Introduction

The Zoom Vomero 14 is an entirely new run trainer from Nike. It only shares name, Zoom Air and the exact same weight with its predecessors. There is no question from my initial testing that the Vomero is designed to be Nike's new heavy duty faster, long and big mileage trainer. It is by far my favorite Nike heavy duty trainer in many years.

The Zoom Air is in a new full length patented configuration embedded in Nike's React foam. It is my understanding the Zoom Air unit swoops down in a curve similar to the Vaporlfly and Zoom Fly but here we have air instead of carbon for the plate.

At a reasonable shade under 10 oz (283 g) it is heavier than the Pegasus 35 (RTR review) and Turbo (RTR review) as well as Zoom Fly Flyknit (RTR review) and Epic React (RTR review). Not to worry it is a very dynamic riding shoe with a particularly well executed thinner, stable, firmer, yet well cushioned forefoot that likes to go fast and lively. My ground contact times as measured by RunScribe are close to the Vaporfly in the Vomero 14 which means I am turning over fast, always a good thing. Looking more closely at the stack heights we see the Vomero has a lower stack height at 27mm/17mm than its predecessor which was 31mm/21mm and is 1mm lower heel and forefoot than the Pegasus 35.

Update: The Zoom Vomero 14 was my 2018  Shoe of the Year. Read the article with run items in many  categories from shoes to apparel to electronics here

Stats
Zoom Vomero 14
Estimated Weight: US M9: 10 oz / 283 g
   Tested Sample US M8.5: 9.77 oz / 277 g
Stack Height per Running Warehouse: 27 mm heel / 17 mm forefootDrop: 10mm
Available November 29, 2018

Zoom Vomero 13
Weight Zoom Vomero 13: 10 oz
Stack 31mm heel / 21 mm forefoot, 10 mm drop

First Impressions, Fit and Run Feel
The Vomero 14 fits me true to size with a fit a touch more relaxed than Pegasus 35 upfront due to the less dense more pliable mesh there which creates slightly more overhead room. The top of the achilles swept back tab is less noticed in the Vomero than Pegasus.

It is also slightly more relaxed in fit up front than the Vomero 12. It is of course a different fit than the more performance oriented Zoom Fly FK with its Flyknit stretch knit or the very snug at the arch and mid foot for me Epic React. No such Epic React issues for me here.

It is more flexible with much more distinct flex point if a touch firmer up front than the Peg 35. I am not a fan of the lumpy stiff forefoot of the Pegasus. It is also firmer upfront and overall than the Vomero 12, yet, I have had remarkably little next day foot or otherwise soreness after faster runs in this shoe. It has shades of the Peg Turbo up front in being a thin forefoot but with more stable cushion and more response and overall stability.  The upper is comfortable and secure. The rear is more stable than the Pegasus Turbo and similar in feel to Pegasus 35 if a bit broader. It does not quite have the carbon plate pop of the racier lighter Zoom Fly Fly Knit and is a bit more cushioned up front and for sure more stable at the heel due to the upper, but the overall feel approaches Zoom Fly with a more subtle sense of falling forward then pop off the front. The substitution of Zoom Air for carbon plate softens the pop and makes the Vomero more forgiving for daily training,

Upper
The upper is a comfortable engineered mesh with Flywire.


The Flywire cords extend further down the outside of upper before entering and proceeding to the midsole which I assume is to provide a touch more padding from the outer mesh and to better wrap the foot in concert with the laces. It is more mesh like than the more knit like Peg 35 and certainly less plasticky than the Peg Turbo's upper, There is plenty of toe box room but this is not a wide toe box, and as with the Peg 35 and Zoom Fly Flyknit, I found not lacing overly tight relieves any front of the laces pressures from the FlyWire.

The ankle and achilles collar is very firmly, modularly padded and stiff but holds the rear extremely well.  Unlike the thicker Pegasus 35 or puffy Vomero 12 the tongue is thin and lightly if adequately padded if a bit short in length. It ties into a bootie which sits between the foot and lower entry of the Flywire.

The swept back achilles "thing" holds the achilles well with no top of achilles pressure or heel slip.

The resulting foot wrap is perfect: secure, snug, with no slop but more on the performance than relaxed side of uppers.

Midsole

The midsole and geometry is completely new with React foam as the main cushioning, a new full length Zoom Air unit instead of separate front and rear units, high rear sidewalls, and a deep underfoot decoupling and weight reducing groove. The stack certainly feels and according to Running Warehouse is lower with Vomero 14 at 27mm heel / 17 mm forefoot while the Vomero 13 is shown as 31 mm heel / 21 mm forefoot. We will confirm as the 14 may not include the height of the sock liner.

The side walls wrap the front of the heel cup.

The high rear side walls are partly cosmetic as they cover the heel cup to the rear but do extend a bit further forward than the heel cup normally does.

The sidewalls provide a very light stability element to the shoe following a recent trend towards guide rails and such. I do notice them and those with wide flat feet may notice them more than I do. I notice the side walls and a slight sense of heel blockiness more at slower paces than fast. At faster paces they clearly effectively direct the foot in the path of travel and disappear.

Outsole

The horizontal pattern outsole on the entire lateral side appears to be slightly firmer than the lozenge geometry outsole on the medial side. There is plenty of rubber here for many miles of training,

The deep decoupling groove is oriented to end way over on the lateral side upfront providing a wide platform of support. Based on what I learned from Salomon's Sonic RA line decoupling designs, such an arrangement provides more medial forefoot support and stability. I could sure feel this on the run as the toe offs were decisive and very stable as well. Unlike the Salomon Sonic RA Max, their most accentuated medial platform design, the transitions, due to the deeper groove I believe felt far smoother in the Vomero. Bottom line the Vomero 14 has some inherent forefoot stability I think contributing to balancing (with the Zoom Air in the mix for cushion) the performance snap from its distinct flex point and great road feel, and relative lack of forefoot shock or fatigue of a relatively thin forefoot.

Ride and Performance

Ride
The ride is on the firmer side but very well cushioned.  The combination of Zoom Air which provides both stability and firm cushion and the softer React foam makes for a very balanced ride and overall feel: highly responsive, stable, with none of the muted dull cushion React alone tends to have in the React.  More muted in response but a touch more forgiving than the new Zoom Fly Fly Knit, the ride here is for long fast miles. The transitions and toe off at tempo paces is smooth and snappy (my ground contact times prove this) with great front ground feel and minimal shock. At slower paces, the heel width and the side walls are more noticed so I might not first select the Vomero as a recovery easy days shoe and in the class would lean more towards the New Balance 1080v9, Peg Turbo, Skechers Ride 7, or Brooks Ghost.

Update: I ran the Vomero 14 on mostly hard packed snow with some road and they were sensational. With the exception of a touch of very front slip on steeper climbs they otherwise had great grip and the flexibility had me climbing easily. In colder weather today at  28 F -2 C I note the React and/or  the Zoom Air firms up some on pavement, a characteristic I also noted in the Epic React last winter.

The overall execution bridges performance and training, while for sure leaning more to training and more completely balancing speed and protection than any of its siblings, or in fact  other shoes in its class such as the Ghost, Launch, Skechers Ride 7, and Sweet Road 2. In the Nike scheme of things for me it replaces the Pegasus 35, a shoe I found blocky and lumpy if responsive, and the softer not particularly fast predecessor Vomero 12, the last version  I ran. With its light inherent stability front and back without posts or plates it may also replace the Zoom Structure a shoe I have not tested.  It  clearly becomes the heavy miles daily training companion to the fast days Zoom Fly Flyknit and race days Vaporfly given its low agile forefoot and solid cushion. I bet the heavy mileage Nike elites wanted this shoe for daily training.

Sam's Score: 9.85/10

A long lasting training shoe which protects and helps me run fast with a firmer stable forefoot and dynamic neutral ride is what I prefer. I deduct a small amount for the somewhat exaggerated rear midsole walls which while functional could be reduced along with weight and for firming of the midsole in  colder temperatures.

Comparisons
New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v9 (initial review)

This is the  closest obvious comparison is to the. It has a similar fitting upper. Choose the New Balance is you want a softer more relaxed ride and one suited to easy days, but still a lively one. Choose the Vomero, hands down if you want a higher performance faster training ride.
Saucony Triumph ISO 5 (RTR review)
The Triumph is one of the big surprises of 2018. It runs far smoother than its predecessors and "lighter" than is weight. It weights a considerable 1.5 oz more weight than the Vomero but has a quite lively more forgiving ride.  It is a softer more cushioned shoe with a more relaxed ride than Vomero from its combination of slightly bouncy Everun, more forefoot stack and a softer outsole. The upper is roomier.  I prefer the greater energy of the Vomero for most runs.
Skechers GORun Ride 7 (RTR review)
The Ride 7 is lighter by 0.75 oz and springier than the Vomero. While the Vomero is notably stable in the forefoot the Ride 7 is not. The forefoot performance of the Ride is more towards cushion and a rocker while Vomero leans towards performance through the deep decoupling groove and flex point. Heel cushion is quite similar although here to the Vomero is more stable and denser. Ride 7 has considerably less outsole rubber and a similarly fitting upper. The choice comes down to a more stable very fast ride with lots of durablity with Vomero vs. a springier lighter one with Ride 7. Considerably less money on sales you can probably pick up two for the price of one Vomero and you will likely need to to match miles.My preference is the Vomero 14.

Relevant Nike Reviews

Pegasus 35 (RTR review), Pegasus Turbo (RTR review), Zoom Fly Flyknit (RTR review) and Epic React (RTR review) 

Watch our YouTube Review with Comparisons to other Nike Trainers

Reviewer Bio

Sam Winebaum is the Editor and Founder of RoadTrailRun. He has been running trails and roads and run shoe and tech geeking for 45 years. As he turned 60 in 2017 he was thrilled to clock a 1:35.24 half as well as 2 days after his 61st birthday a 3:40 marathon.  He also runs trails in rocky rooty New Hampshire and smooth Park City, UT. 

The product reviewed in this article was a personal purchase at retail. The opinions herein are entirely the authors'.

Comments Questions Welcome Below!

Update: The Zoom Vomero 14 was my 2018  Shoe of the Year. Read the article with run items in many  categories from shoes to apparel to electronics here

RoadTrailRun receives a commission for purchases through the stores below. 

Your purchases help support RoadTrailRun's work. Thanks!

SHOP RUNNING WAREHOUSE FOR NIKE ZOOM VOMERO 14!

USA
Men's HERE Women's HERE

FREE 2 Day Shipping EASY No Sweat Returns
EUROPE

Men's HERE Women's HERE