When it’s about re-engineering running technology, you bet Nike’s cooking up something. The running market is forever growing and Nike leaves no stone unturned to take the lead. The latest offering for runners out of its stable is the Free RN Flyknit. As soon as it came out, we got our hands on a pair and put it to a field test. Should you buy it? Here’s the answer.

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It’s literally weightless. Yup, as light as a feather, it feels like you are barely dragging a shoe along. The traditional FlyKnit upper combined with the tristar-sole makes it the lightest shoe we have ever reviewed. It’s so light that it wouldn’t be wrong calling them ‘socks’ instead of a shoe. 

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Nope, we didn’t really do it but if you squeeze it and roll it up on purpose, it might just fit into your pocket. Again, the magic here are the impeccably crafted upper and the foam tri-sole. Th upper is literally strength fiber woven together. We tried twisting and turning it every way possible and it bounced back right back its original form, unscathed. 

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The craziest part of this shoe is its sole. It is literally a grid of tri-star chunks of foam perfectly aligned together.  The logical behind this new ‘sole construct’ is that it lets the foot move in its natural ‘curve and extend’ movement. 

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After we were done playing around, we threw them on and hit the tarmac. We essentially ran on the road. Exactly how a lot of runners in India do it. The impact response of the shoe is pretty smooth. Instead of feeling a hard rebound thump on the foot, the sole absorbs the shock pretty effortlessly. There’s just a mere 4 mm drop on the heel on a sole 90% made of foam, so that explains a lot itself.    

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If you love running, this shoe is for you. It fits like a dream and enhances the running stance.  It’s light and looks pretty sturdy. But the interesting part here is that it can also double up as an ‘inside-the-gym’ shoe. Just don’t squat or deadlift wearing running shoes!