Article by Matt Kolat
Inov8 Roadfly Zero ($145/£110)
Introduction
Welcome to Episode III of the Inov8 RoadFly series: ZERO. Last year I had the pleasure of testing what turned out to be one of my shoes of the year - the original RoadFly. It was a no-frills, budget friendly, fun loving, stable-neutral daily trainer. Earlier this year Inov8 released a beefier version of the RoadFly - the Max. While it retained the spirit of the original it was less stable but more long distance oriented, can’t have it all, but still a great shoe all-around. Third, hopefully not last, installment in the RoadFly line is the Inov8 RoadFly Zero. As the name suggests it is a zero drop shoe intended for fast training sessions, racing and to help promote natural running - sounds like Inov8 are back to their roots. Please join me in this review to see how the shoe really performs!
Pros:
Very accessible priced
Swiss knife shoe - doubles as near perfect gym/HIIT shoe
Incredible grip
Great foothold
Very lightweight
Fantastic anatomical fit of the forefoot
Cons:
Firm, zero drop ride not for the faint hearted
Narrow midfoot
Less stable than the original (but not unstable)
Most comparable shoes
Inov8 Road Fly
Inov8 Road Fly Max
Stats
Sample Weights:
men’s 9.95oz / 283g 12 US 11 UK
Stack Height: 12mm heel / 12mm forefoot
Platform Width: 89 mm heel / 62 mm midfoot / 121 mm forefoot
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
When the Zeros first arrived I got them out of the box and they looked exactly how I expected them to look, a streamlined version of the original RoadFly. The upper is made from an engineered mesh and feels ever so slightly thinner than the RoadFly Max and substantially thinner than the original RoadFlys. Clearly lessons have been learnt here as the Zero is considerably less warm on runs than the predecessor - really good timing as we are in the summertime. The mesh is very comfortable and holds the foot very well, there is a little bit of structure to the heel counter albeit it is still fully collapsible.
The laces are flat and stay in place really well and the tongue is fully gusseted.
As per the stats the midfoot is on the narrower end so if you are sensitive to that - please consider this before purchase. I have a slightly wider foot and had minimal midfoot overhang but without any hot spots to report. The sample I received was in the ‘wide’ fit but please keep in mind that this refers only to the width of the forefoot, this is by no means a 2E wide shoe.
Size wise I would recommend sticking to true to size, runs about average.
Midsole & Platform
The midsole is a nitrogen infused Flyspeed foam. We get 12mm of it with a generous Boomerang footbed on top. Boomerang adds a touch of softness. Despite the Flyspeed being a modern foam do not expect any bounce here we are very much in a firm territory.
That said however I don’t think many would expect a bouncy shoe from a zero drop Inov8 offering. Please don’t feel that this is a disadvantage - the firm cushioning absolutely contributes to the positive offering of this shoe and I think it’s a conscious choice by the designers at Inov8. To understand why that is - you will have to patiently wait till we get to the Ride section of the review.
Outsole
The outsole as always in the case of Inov8 is top notch in terms of grip and lasting power. We had some serious downpours in the NE of Scotland as I am happy to report that the shoe is as grippy as they get.
Please also notice the multiple cutaways which greatly contribute to the flexibility and how nimble the shoes feel on the run.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Let’s start with the ride. It is definitely on the firmer end of the spectrum, very much intended for runners who are not afraid of ground feel. You need to enjoy full proprioception to make the most out of the Zero. What that does however, together with the very low weight of the shoe, is create a good old fashioned 5k racer. Remember the shoes of the yesteryear like Brooks T4 Racer? That’s what you get.
Obviously the light framed and efficient runners amongst us will be able to use this in ranges beyond 5k, up to half marathon perhaps but for most this shoe will work perfectly in the 5-10k range category.
The above parameters make the shoe an absolute joy on hard training days when all the focus is on speed, putting your head down and almost red-lining it, the transitions are super fast and the shape of the shoe almost encourages a forefoot landing, feeling quite aggressive.
That brings me to my next point. I am a natural heel striker, forefoot landings are very much a conscious choice for me and when I get tired I always return to heel striking. Due to the narrow midfoot (please see the stats at the top of the article) the shoe can feel a little unstable if you slow down and have relatively flat feet (like I do). That said however if your gait is neutral this should not be an issue.
Another great advantage of the Zeros is that they are actually a very good gym shoe. The zero drop makes them excellent at all the big lifts like deadlifts and squatting and the firmness makes them very stable overall for all sorts of training. What that means in turn is that they can be your one training shoe you take with you on holidays.
When it comes to recommendations nothing immediately comes to mind so I will do a little left field recommendation. Why not make the next sibling in the RoadFly family be a stability shoe? But not a boring stability shoe, but rather an Inov8 stability shoe. Light and nimble. Here is the recipe:
Take the original RoadFly
Make the midfoot wider
Firm up the heel area
Add a touch of structure to the heel counter
Extend the heel counter on both medial and lateral side creating stability for overpronators and supinators alike
Would you be interested in a Inov8 stability shoe? Let us know in the comments below!
Matt’s Score: 8.8 / 10
Road: Ride 9/10 (50%): Fit 8/10 (30%): Value 10/10 (15%): Style 8/10 (5%):
😊😊😊😊😊
Comparisons
This time I decided not to compare the Inov8 Road Fly Zero to similar shoes but to the rest of the Road Fly family.
Inov8 RoadFly (RTR Review)
To put things simply the RoadFly is far less challenging to run in than Zero. It is wider, more cushioned and more stable. If the Zero sounds too racy for you please consider the RoadFly OG - it is a very likable shoe for a broad range of runners.
Inov8 RoadFly Max (RTR Review)
The Max is another step up in terms of comfort and cushions compared to the OG and about 3 steps up from the Zero. It does sacrifice some of the OG’s stability because of the additional softness and cushioning but it is still a very friendly and fun shoe to run in. It will also be more appropriate for runners looking to train for half or full marathons where the OG might be not cushioned enough.
Tester Profiles
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 39 years old, hailing from Poland but pounding Scottish pavements and trails since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs for beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s opinion sometimes may differ from other RTR testers as he is the slowest of the bunch (5k at 25:38). Matt also uses running as a way to stay healthy having shed 106 lbs so far (and counting).
Europe only: use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products
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