Details
Brand
Nike
Heel To Toe Drop
5mm
Breathability
8.4/10
Latest Version
Nike Flex Fury 3
Terrain
Road
Type
Racing
Key Features
• Nike Flex Fury• These are neutral shoes for the neutral pronate runner.• The upper sole has a seamless construction that fits the foot like a glove, comfortable and snug.• Excellent breathability and ventilation in the uppers with the layered lightweight mess.• The upper mesh is a one-piece construction that allows for more comfort and flexibility.• The design is minimal, lightweight and responsive. It feels like you are running barefoot.• Outsole coloring system designating different density – areas that are dark are firmer and areas that are lighter are softer.• Rubber outsole for better durability.• Dual-density foam in the midsole offers responsiveness and quick take-offs.• The toe box is roomy and reinforced for both comfort and durability.
Upper
The upper of the Nike Flex Fury is lightweight, with minimal construction to keep the shoe as a speed runner. The upper mesh layers are durable and offer breathability and an excellent fit. The mesh is one piece, and this offers more flexibility and comfort while still providing increased movement and ventilation. The construction is seamless, the reinforced toe box provides comfort, space, longevity, and durability. The layered yard is placed in such a way that it supports all types of movement. The overall design creates a low to the ground runner with lots of support and colorful styling. The feel is so good you could be barefoot.
Midsole
The midsole of the Nike Flex Fury is made of dual density innovative IU foam. This is placed strategically to give the runner a reliable and comfortable run. It adds to the flexibility, underfoot protection, and support of the Nike Flex Fury. Many have praised the Flex Fury for the flexibility that allows for the natural foot movement. It is more flexible than most traditional running shoes, but the Nike Free is more so. The foam does improve responsiveness and is responsible for the quick take-offs that the Nike Flex Fury is known for. However, there is one negative in that the insole tends to slip away.
Outsole
The outsole of the Nike Flex Fury is one of the most interesting sections of the shoe itself. With its state of the art rubber color mapped strategically for durability, the multiple colors also indicate the varying levels of density on the outsole. The lighter colored areas are softer while the darker areas are firmer. The Nike Flex sole with its rubber pods is great for the flexibility of the foot and naturalness of the movement of the foot. The materials used for the outsole are a high abrasion rubber in the areas of greatest wear and blown rubber in the areas for greatest grip. This shoe is praised for the level of grip the outsole provides. The Nike Flex Fury outsole gives the runner excellent performance on a lightly cushioned outsole. The flexibility comes from the flex grooves in the outsole.
Breathability
All good running shoes allow for excellent breathability and the first generation Nike Flex Fury easily falls into this category. The upper sole’s thin layered mesh provides good ventilation along with the advanced yarn placement. The Flex Fury is designed to allow for excellent breathability as well as being known as a low to the ground, fast start running shoe that is comfortable enough for the everyday runner. The Nike Flex Fury is rated in the top 20% of all running shoes worldwide, and its good breathability is one contributing factor to this success.
Comfort
For the most part, the Nike Flex Fury is a very comfortable running shoe. It is so comfortable that many runners have commented that it is like being barefoot. This is due to a few leading design factors beginning with the low to the ground lightweight design. The most important factor in comfort is the pressure mapped Nike Flex sole. The sole is filled with dual-density cushioning foam that offers plenty of comforts while running. The innovation IU foam also allows for a great responsiveness and jump off the line. The cushioning provides the protection needed for the daily runner.
Style
While designed for maximum speed and performance, the first generation Nike Flex Fury is also a pretty classy and good looking shoe. In addition to the classic Nike running shoe design that is flat and low to the ground, the Nike Flex Fury also offers a couple of color bursts to add to its style. First of all, there is the Nike color-mapped rubber outsole that is functional in its color as well as comfortable. The different layers of color indicate the various levels of density. Secondly, the shoes are available in a wide variety of colors. Many buyers felt the shoes good looks were as important as its functionality.
Durability
The Nike Flex Fury is a pretty durable shoe for a performance running shoe. While you do have to remember that it is a performance shoe, built for speed and quick takeoffs, it has excellent durability for the category. The rubber in the outsole is strong and durable. The multi-layered mesh and yarn on the upper sole also add to the shoe’s durability. There have been some complaints about the inner sole slipping in the Nike Flex Fury. Most buyers have reported that durability is very good for a performance shoe. They are not going to last you for years if you run every day.
Protection
Protection is good with the Nike Flex Fury. With its hard rubber, hard abrasion lower sole and the various colors placed strategically on the lower sole, the shoe offer as much protection as every day performance shoe can. The highest wear areas are well protected, and the dual-density foam in midsole also provides more. There is enough foam in the midsole to give the shoe excellent underfoot protection when you are running on concrete or asphalt surfaces. Finally, the toe box is tough and roomy. It is reinforced to offer more longevity, durability, and protection for the runner’s toes.
Responsiveness
Responsiveness is fairly good in a shoe built for speed and quick starts as is the Nike Flex Fury. This fast low to the ground, a flat running shoe is lightweight, flexible and minimally reinforced. It is very responsive when the runner leaves the line and reaches maximum speeds very quickly. The mid-soul adds to its responsiveness with the dual-density foam that offers to cushion and bounce. The innovative IU foam gives you a good responsiveness boost. This cushioning system was also very efficient. The advanced yarn placement on the upper soles adds responsiveness, traction, and good transitions as well.
Support
Support is offered in a variety of places in the design of the Nike Flex Fury, but once again it must be stressed that this is a performance shoe. This low, flat runner has support in the places where it is most needed and which receive the most wear. This is a neutral runner, so you know that the arch support is somewhat questionable. However the patterned yarn support on the uppers. Overall the Nike Flex Fury offers minimum level support because it is designed to be a fast, low to the ground performance shoe.
Terrain
The terrain that this fast, low to the ground Nike Flex Fury was designed for is the road. Whether the road is concrete, blacktop or asphalt, the Flex Fury is at its best on the hard, solid terrain. They are a race shoe, a performance shoe that does as well in the gym as it does on the road. However, the Nike Flex Fury was not designed for rougher surfaces such as mountainous or soft grassy or sandy terrains. It is not as rugged or durable as many other Nike running shoes with its emphasis on speed and performance.
Price
Many consumers find the price point of the Nike Flex Fury more than reasonable. In fact, some of the popularity of this shoe is based on its moderate price point. From the women’s’ Flex Fury to the means’ version the price ranges from $40 to $90 depending for the most part on where you purchase it. This is a great first-time racer shoe with its speed and quick starts. It is not a longevity shoe. This is reflected in the price. Because the price is so good and the Nike Flex Fury is such a good looking design, others buy the shoe for everyday casual wear.
Drop
The heel to toe drop for the first generation Nike Flex Fury is 5 mm in both the men’s and the women’s shoes. The heel height is 25mm, and the forefoot height is 19mm. This drop is a little less than the second generation Nike Flex Fury which is 6mm. Most runners of all sorts prefer a drop of 8mm. The drop of 5mm for the Nike Flex Fury favors the toe striker more than the heel but is relatively close to average. This means there is less shock on the runner’s legs and calves. Mid-strikers would also be very comfortable wearing this shoe.
Stability
Stability is not a strong point for the first generation Nike Flex Fury. This is a neutral running shoe with average arch support. Nike designed this shoe to have speed, quickness, responsiveness and low cost. It was not designed to offer stability for the runner who tends to over-pronate. It is a neutral performance running shoe designed for the neutral runner who wants speed. If you are a supinator, then the stability is splendid for you. It is ranked in the top 20% of all running shoes and brands worldwide, but it is not a good shoe for the runner who tends to strongly overpronate.
Flexibility
We have already discussed the responsiveness of the Nike Flex Fury, which is linked to its flexibility. You can tell however that this performance shoe was also designed to be flexible from the name of the shoe – the Flex Fury. This shoe has as much flexibility as a performance racing shoe is likely to have. The Nike Flex Fury is designed to be faster and quicker than it is flexible. Any good performance shoe must be flexible, and this one is. The shoe allows the foot to move naturally and feels like the runner is barefoot.
Traction
The Nike Flex Fury has little traction built into the design. With the shoe that is this specialized to fast and quick performances, there is less support for the amount of traction that other Nike running shoe lines might have. The Flex Fury is minimalistic in its construction so that its ability to be lightweight and fast is maximized. With this performance shoe, you are expected to reach maximum speed as quickly as possible. The traction that it does have comes from the rubber on the outsole, even though this is not nearly the traction of higher cost performance running shoes.
Bottom Line
For the Nike Flex Fury, the bottom line is that it is a very, very good performance and racing shoe. As the first generation of the Flex Fury, it laid the groundwork for Nike’s development in this area. It is well priced for the type of shoe you are buying. It is designed to be a quick start off the line, a fast trip to maximum speed and a fast finish. Speed is the name of the game for the Nike Flex Fury along with good flexibility and comfort. It is not designed to last for years, but rather to outlast other racers. As a moderate level performance shoe, it is worth as much as $90.
