Original Nike Pegasus Turbo was the first daily trainer with Zoom X foam and is innovative and a trendsetter. It was supposed to be a training companion for VaporFly 4%. Fun fact the original Pegasus Turbo is reportedly built at the request of Eliud Kipchoge to have a training shoe that closely mimics his race day shoe. The YouTube promo video for Pegasus Turbo featuring Kipchoge is slick.

I have had two pairs of Pegasus Turbo and loved that flying experience of using Zoom X foam. It is light, extremely agile and bouncy, one of the best speed trainers I've had. Unfortunately, Nike stopped the Turbo line after v2.

When I heard of Pegasus Turbo Next Nature I was all excited. However, to my surprise Turbo Next Nature has a totally different story, but equally innovative as the original. It is all about sustainable shoe development.

Finally, I got to try the shoe. This review answers some of these questions and more

• How does it compare to the original Turbo?
• How is it different from the classic Pegasus line?
• What purpose does it serve as a running shoe?

RunRepeat Score

Weight
N.A

Heel Drop
N.A

Support Type

Terrain

Best Used As

Lowest Price: ₹ 0

See Details >

What makes up Pegasus Turbo Next Nature?

The shoe profile is similar to Pegasus 40 then to the original Turbo. Here is a graphic that overlays the outlines of Pegasus Turbo Next Nature, Pegasus 40 and the original Pegasus Turbo.

When compared to the original turbo, the toe spring is less pronounced so is the heel bevel, but is better than Pegasus 40. The girth at the toe-box is much higher than the original Turbo and Peg 40.

Pegasus Turbo Next Nature has some unique features. It is the second of Nike shoes which are branded “Next Nature”, which is Nike’s line of sustainable shoes that have more than 50% of the weight made of recycled materials.

Midsole

The midsole uses two different foams - Zoom X and possibly React. This is similar to the original Pegasus Turbo, and more recent Nike Vomero. However, the key difference is the Zoom X foam used here is recycled scrap generated during the manufacturing process of other Nike shoes.

Like Pegasus, the shoe has a 10mm drop heel-to-toe drop, making it a versatile shoe and can accommodate a variety of foot strike patterns. Stack height is 32mm, which is 1mm lower than Pegasus 40.

Midsole on the Durometer shows quite soft at about 24 HA. Shoe as a whole weighs in at about 282 grams for Men’s 10 UK, which is on the lower average of daily trainers, and 10-15 grams lighter than Pegasus 40.

Upper

The upper is FlyKnit, which is Nike’s brand of knit upper. Interestingly Nike claims, the yarn used is 100% recycled, and was dyed using a new process that saves 70 litres of water for every kilogram of yarn. The upper differs from Pegasus 40 which uses an engineered mesh. I have run in a few Nike’s FlyKnit shoes in the past (Nike Free RN, Zoom Fly FK), but this upper is the thickest I have seen.

The upper has a vibrant and intricate pattern with multiple colors, including shades of blue, pink, black and white. The swirling lines and color contrasts throughout the Flyknit adds to the visual appeal but also adds a lively look to the shoe, and makes the shoe stand out.

The upper has five inlets for the laces, and is also missing the extra inline for heel lock lacing. I guess this decision is because FlyKnit fits very snug to the foot, hence eliminated.

Heel

Heel has decent padding, and has a stiff counter. However the pull tab is surprisingly missing which comes as standard on all the Nike’s Flyknit shoes. The extended bevel at the heel and harder foam

Outsole

Outsole has plenty of recycled rubber, which means better grip and more durability. The lug pattern is quite unique but does have the signature of the pegasus series, and has a very good aesthetic appeal.

Why did I consider this shoe?

I have had two pairs of Pegasus Turbo and loved that flying experience of using Zoom X foam. When I saw the pictures of Turbo Next Nature, it looked cool. The swirling lines and color contrasts throughout the Flyknit added to the visual appeal, and made the shoe stand out. But it's not cheap, and the price was a deterrent.

Thankfully, it went on sale after a year or so, and I was like, "Alright, why not?" I mean, it's a Turbo, and I always loved FlyKnit. It turned out to be a good daily trainer for base building for my upcoming marathon.

Ride In Pegasus Turbo Next Nature

I've put over 150 kilometers on this shoe so far, and it's proving to be a very good daily trainer. No break-in is needed. I have run a few long runs over 20K including a 30K. I have also used it for a speed workout which involved 16 repeats of 400m at VO2Max.

I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed with the bounce. Despite the softness of the midsole, it feels surprisingly firm. The thin insole is probably the culprit there. It feels different from the regular Pegasus in terms of ride, and the lack of Air Pockets makes it feel much flatter.

That being said, it doesn't get in the way of your running. For easy runs, it's incredibly comfortable and feels very natural. It's become my go-to shoe for those days. On speed runs, it lacks that pep and bounce I was hoping for, but it gets the job done. For long runs, it feels less "underfoot" than I'd like.

Fit & Comfort

The upper though is of FlyKnit it is thick and not as breathable as the Pegasus. But it offers a good fit. In fact, it's one of the best-fitting shoes I've ever worn. The toe box and forefoot are just right and mold to your foot. It reminded me of the Nike Free RN – I always loved those knit uppers. It feels very light and just fits like a glove. It’s flexible and moves with your foot. Fit wise it is much better than the Pegasus.

Stability

While it doesn’t have any stability features, it does feel quite stable for a shoe with a narrow base and Zoom X foam. It's as stable as the regular Pegasus. The midfoot feels stable enough. No issues there, considering the relatively lower stack height.

The heel is perfect too. Lacing is good too. The lack of extra eyelets didn’t bother me much because the fit is perfect. That said, the laces were a bit too long and required some attention to keep them in check.

Road Grip

I've found the grip to be excellent on regular roads. I couldn’t test it on slippery surfaces, but based on what I’ve seen it would probably perform well.

Aesthetics

This shoe is a head-turner. One of the best-looking shoes I've ever seen. Especially the upper, vibrant and intricate patterns, the swirling lines and color contrasts throughout the Flyknit it stand out. I really liked that color asymmetry that I see on my pair. I can wear it all day long. It’s a conversation starter in the running group for sure.

Review Summary

Aravind

Aravind is a techie, running geek, and a marathoner. He is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. He loves all things technology and technology in running, with special interest in running form analysis.