Nike Joyride Run Flyknit Review

From time to time, I find among running shoes a real gem. A shoe that from the first impression’s telling you that this time, the running experience will be something different. And without a doubt, Nike Joyride Run Flyknit belongs definitely to that group of running shoes as well. After having it tested on more than 190 kilometers ( approx. 120 miles), we will briefly look at its ups and downs in a few lines below…

Technical boost

Nike presented in summer 2019 this model with a completely new midsole technology. The Joyride midsole is specially designed with tiny Thermoplastic elastomer foam balls that are placed in 3 pillows. You can see them in the heel, middle and frontal part of the shoe. They are meant to adapt to every step of the runner, exactly according to the foot’s needs.

From the very first time I tried these shoes, I observed that this kind of midsole gives me a very unusual feeling. It is undeniable that the Joyride midsole functions as a good shock absorber. If you put all your weight on your heels and will remain standing like that, you will feel how softly the material reacts and bends below the heels and then bounces back to its original form when you step forward. That I found pretty cool. 

Aspects that still need to be improved

What surprised me more though was the matter of fact that sometimes I could feel the small beads in the midsole. Unexpected but true, those beads create a delicate, soft massage feeling. For some it may seem as very unnatural and rather disturbing when going for a run. Nevertheless, in my case, it was just a matter of getting used to it. And that happened thankfully pretty fast! Moreover, it was a small running difference in comparison to other running shoes, so I soon stopped even noticing that and kept using the shoe for every-day running and indoor as well.

The shoes are besides everything equipped with Flyknit, one-piece made upper without any seams and additional material. So it is nicely light. But because the midsoles and outsoles are a bit heavier, the overall weight still reaches over 300 grams in men version (more than 10.6 oz). So the shoes definitely belong among middle to upper weight models. And what more? If you have huge feet, with high arches or a bit flat feet, go one size up! Not just half but the whole one size up. The sizing is a very weak attribute at this shoe because for some reason, Nike made this model extremely narrow. I don’t have extremely large but rather normal feet and still it required me to go from 42 to 43. 

Lower durability

Nike Joyride Run Flyknit are very delicate, soft, comfortable running shoes that I really enjoyed. If it were not for the extremely narrow fit, I would give them 8.5 out of 10. Unfortunately, as the outsole and midsole are very soft, the shoes get worn out very fast. And as a long distance runner, I appreciate when I don’t have to buy new running shoes every half a year. Well, in this case, be prepared that when running on unclean surface, the material will gradually start disappearing. First, I noticed it at the top of these shoes, then notable changes also started appearing at the heels. That all happening just after 50 kilometers (30 miles) of usage.

All in all, if you want to take Nike Joyride Run Flyknit just to the gym or wear them casually, you won’t be disappointed. It is a stylish, comfortable interestingly feeling running shoe that finally brings something new to the runner’s world. I will be happy to try the next model from the line as well.