Article by Joost de Raeymaeker
Topo Athletic Fli-Lyte 4 ($110)
Introduction
Joost: I know of only two brands of running shoes that were named after their founder. One of them was founded after the two brothers Rudolf and Adolf “Adi” Dassler split their original company Gebrüder Dassler, Sportschuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Sports Shoe Factory) and each went their separate ways. Apparently, their relationship was not the best. One of them founded Adidas and the other Puma. It’s pretty easy to guess which one of the two brothers created Adidas.
Topo is another such company. Tony Post didn’t need a family feud to create Topo Athletic with a very clear vision: make natural running shoes, but with some of the features of mainstream trainers.
Topo running shoes have a very distinct look: a wide toe box that lets your toes splay freely and a foot shaped last. They sometimes remind me a little of some of the Campers models like the Beetle in terms of aesthetics.
The Fli-Lyte sits somewhere in the middle of the three categories Topo uses to classify their shoes: balanced cushioning, neutral support and moderate pliability (flexibility). But what does that actually mean from a brand that’s known for their more natural feeling shoes? Well, balanced cushioning in this case means a 20/23mm forefoot/heel stack, including the ortholite sock liner. There is noticeable arch support, but apart from that, the shoe has no other support elements, and it has a low 3mm drop.
This is the fourth iteration of the Fli-Lyte and changes have been made both to the upper and the midsole and outsole. You can read our review of version 3 here. The Fli-Lyte 4 still has an engineered mesh upper, but the lacing system (our version 3 reviewer’s main gripe) has changed. There seem to be other minor upper changes as well. The midsole is now entirely ZipFoam, instead of just as a core and the outsole rubber location and geometry has also changed slightly. Read on to find out what we thought of the new Fli-Lyte iteration.
