Each year there are some shoes from different companies, that are a little bit unnoticed. The Nike Rival Fly 3 is one of such shoes. Well it’s not a 2022 model, the shoe came out in 2021 but since this is the current model of the shoe it’s the one I will be reviewing.
But before I start with my thoughts on the shoes, a disclaimer: I purchased this pair of running shoes with my own money and no one has payed me to do this review. It is just my honest opinion on the shoes. With this out of the way lets take a look at the socks.
How I used the shoes so far
I started to use this shoe early 2022 and by now I ran more than 300 kilometers in the shoe. In the picture you can see the shoe after 300 kilometers and what you will see is, that the shoe is holding up great. It has some wear on the outsole in the lateral heel area and the forefoot. But other than that, the shoe looks almost the same as the day I first took it out of the box.
I did a lot of different runs in the shoe: from short easy runs, to interval sessions, tempo workouts, steady middle distance runs and I took the shoe even to some long runs. So just about everything.
Upper
The upper is the same as it was the first day. The shoe has a roomy toebox, much roomier compared to the Pegasus lineup of Nike running shoes. Due to that fact I used slightly thicker socks with the shoe and the combination was just perfect. The thin upper makes it a great shoe when it’s warm outside and even when running in rain I could not feel much water getting through it.
The laces are long enough to make a runners knot but I never used one. The lockdown was just perfect for me. I had no heel slippage, no hotspots or blisters. In my opinion the Nike Rival Fly 3 has a much better upper than some of the more expensive running shoes in the Nike lineup. However the tongue of the shoe is a bit too short and this can cause some issues.
Mid sole
The mid sole is still responsive and has at least 200 to 300 more kilometers of life in it. I would suggest that the Rival Fly 3 could get you to around 500 to 600 kilometers, if not further. The midsole is made of Cushlon, a material that was former used in the Nike Pegasus lineup. Somehow in recent years Nike moved away from Cushlon towards React and ZoomX, but in this case the Cushlon has returned. There is also a small airbag in the forefoot of the shoe, smaller than the one you will find in the Pegasus.
The Rival Fly 3 has much more of a ground feel than the Pegasus and the ride is a bit firmer. Also the airbag is much more present underfoot and the first few times I ran in the shoe I had some issues with it, it was hurting my feet. So I almost gave up on the shoe but I am glad that I did not. After a few runs the midsole softened up a bit and the ride became smoother.
Outsole
The outsole has a lot of grip, is quite thick and is a bit loud on the first few runs. Never ever had I any issues with the outsole. It grips well on roads: in dry and wet conditions as well as on some harder trails. But I would not recommend the shoe for trail running. The main purpose of the shoe is road running. After running over 300 kilometers in the Nike Rival Fly 3 I still trust the shoe, even in wet conditions and the wear and tear on the outsole is really only in two areas.
Usability
This shoe is best for tempo workouts, even some interval sessions and steady pace middle distance runs. You could use the shoe even for some 5k or 10k races. The shoe is responsive and it makes you feel fast. The transition from heel to toe is smooth. Now while in marathon training I personally use the shoe for my 2-4k intervals at marathon race pace and for my 10-15k tempo runs.
But still I would not suggest the shoe for longer runs, there are better options out on the market. Due to the Cushlon midsole your legs will be quite beaten up after 24 or 27 kilometers in the shoe, even if you are running at a slower pace. And due to the ground feel the shoe is also not the best options for your easy and recovery runs.
Would I recommend the Nike Rival Fly 3?
Yes, absolutely. Especially if you are looking for a non carbon plated training shoe to do tempo workouts ans interval running in it.
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