Nike Free 3.0

Nike Free 3.0 v5

No matter how you feel about Nike running, they are an innovative company. Sometimes they are too innovative. Sometimes they get it right and then sometime they discontinue those great ideas. The Mayfly is one such example that flew too close to an idea. Change and innovation. One of the times that have got it right and stuck with, sort of, it is the Nike Free.

The Nike Free was one of the first shoes incorporating the concept of barefoot running. However, it was never going to be near enough for Malcolm McDougall's new-age minimalist cohorts because it was unforgivably a shoe. Nevertheless, it brought flexibility never quite seen before with enough padding for it to catch with more than a small cache of runners. With the minimalist movement falling away slightly now, Nike may we have been right all along. 

I have used the Nike Free 3.0 v5 for the bulk of my marathon training. They are my favourite training shoe for up 15km and whenever I run on the track. They feel responsive during speed work and padded enough for your easy recovery runs. 

The upper 

The upper is made of two parts. A stretchy outer mesh and an inner mesh that is like a sock liner. The upper is clearly cut and your foot is well supported and fits snugly into the shoe.

Slide your hand into the shoe and you'll find an absence of seams. It really is like sliding your hand inside a sock. The only loose item to be found is the tongue guard. This is attached to the top of the shoe and then is loose all the way down. As the upper wraps around your foot completely the tongue ends up being extra padding as at no point can the laces come into contact with your foot. It is the only inconsistency in the shoe where the upper is generally a one piece affair. The tongue can slide around and bunch. 

The lacing system consists of wide stiff plastic eyelets glued down the side of the tongue. Because the eyelets are 1 cm wide and lie horizontally to your foot there is too much friction for the laces to tighten and loosen effectively. I also found that the stiff rubber of the eyelets especially towards where your foot flexes is very noticeable given the soft upper upper and it was the only part of the shoe that rubbed when I ran. The lacing

Tears in the outer mesh

system in the Nike Free 3.0 Hybrid is far better. 

The upper in the v5 is a vast improvement on the v4 NanoPly which was by far the least breathable shoe I have ever encountered and was about as breathable as a Wellington boot. Even walking around I found the shoe too hot. The upper in the v5 is much improved and is a lot more breathable. However, they are still warmer than most other shoe offerings on the market and on hot training days it is very noticeable. 

The stretch outer mesh is not that durable and I found that the mesh began to tear. 

The Sole

The sole is the core concept behind the shoe and it delivers - it is flexible. It has diagonal cuts which are a departure from the earlier versions and are meant to encourage a natural foot motion. Whether this is the case is debatable, especially as the new v6 will have a honeycomb slice pattern in the sole.  Either way, it is a sole that works. With a 4 mm offset, it really does encourage a natural gait and with the padding allows you to run in comfort on the asphalt. 

What I like

• The flexibility of the sole
• The amount of padding 
• 4mm offset

What I don't like

• The upper - I feel that this version still is not quite right
• The lacing system - if you are lookign to use this shoe for running, look at the Nike Free 3.0 Hybrid

Wish List

• The sticky rubber - the sticky rubber should be extended to the ball of the foot. Adding the rubber

  

  Adding the more durable rubber to the forefoot area would
   provide better grip and prolong the life of the shoe. 

  there will not only prolong the life of the shoe but make it far more suitable for road training. Racing on damp streets aren't very slippery, but the sticky rubber grips the road like crampons on ice. 

Long story short

• 242g for a US 12
• 4mm offset

This is one of Nike's best shoe offerings out there that has stuck with the barefoot concept. The 4mm offset might not be enough for some folk but it's compromise allows you the comfort of road running that often with other minimalist shoes begin to bite you back if you take them off the trail for more than a few kilometres. it is a big improvement on the previous version and with a few changes it is a shoe I would buy again and again.