
Primarily coming from a background of minimalist shoe running, I didn’t experiment much with the new carbon fiber plated super shoes and shoes with modern energy-returning supercritical foams. I was curious to experience those shoes. After reading the Puma Velocity Nitro review by GeeksOnfeet (review [here](https://www.geeksonfeet.com/blog/velocitynitro/)) and having them available at good discounts on Amazon, I took the bait. The intention was to use Velocity Nitro for easy runs and LSD runs. After a couple of weeks of running, I’ve realized it wasn’t light enough that it could be used for tempo runs and intervals.  I have chanced upon Liberate Nitro, and it seemed a perfect match.  

<ShoeCard shoeCode="005004000M"></ShoeCard>

### What makes up Liberate Nitro?

Aptly named Liberate Nitro feels like the stripped-down version of its “easy and LSD run counterpart”, the Velocity Nitro. It is a neutral shoe and does not interfere with your foot’s natural pronation. It is built as a traditional shoe with a heel drop of 10mm.  With a published weight of 178g (for US9) and 192g for size for my size US 11, it is one of the lightest shoes in the Indian market. 

<LightBox src="/images/lnitro-weight.jpg" caption="One of the lightest shoes in the Indian market" alt="" ></LightBox>

**Midsole**

Unlike the Velocity Nitro, the midsole has only one layer of foam i.e. the Nitro foam. Nitro foam is made by infusing Nitrogen into EVA. This is similar to the DNAFlash foam that is found in Brooks Hyperion Tempo.  Note: Velocity nitro has 2 layers of foam, Nitro foam and ProfoamLite foam (this is a traditional EVA foam) which is on the bottom layer. The single foam layer in Liberate is to keep the weight low.  The midsole has a 30mm stack height.

<LightBox src="/images/lnitro-midsole.jpg" caption="Single layer midsole with Nitro Foam" alt="" ></LightBox>

**Upper**

The upper mesh is a mono-mesh, is very light and almost transparent, and highly breathable. It also has a gusseted tongue that spans the mid and forefoot area. 

**Heel**

Heel of the shoe is flexible but is reinforced by a semi-rigid bar which manages to keep the heel locked in place. There is minor padding on the inside part of the heel.  But the top heel counter is not padded at all and is also quite high.  So it may rub into the Achilles part of the heel for a few. 

<LightBox src="/images/lnitro-heel.jpg" caption="Stable heel, but very little padding" alt="" ></LightBox>

### RIDE IN LIBERATE NITRO

**Usage** - The shoe did not really need any break-in, at least for me, and felt right from the start. I have clocked 60 km so far in this shoe.   I have used it primarily for tempo and longer intervals, barring a couple of easy runs.  I can say it is a very comfortable and light shoe.  It comes with a good energy return the ride gets better as you speed up.  After those runs, I do not feel my legs are beaten up, unlike my minimalist shoe experience.  

With a 30mm stack height, the cushioning levels are not too high.  The shoe works very well for distances up to 10k and can be stretched for distances up to HM, both for training and races.  For longer distances, it is probably better to look out for a shoe with more cushioning. 

**Grip** - The midsole foam, which is directly exposed in the outsole, does not show any sign of wear and tear until now and the roads that I run are not too smooth either. The rubber on the outsole, the PUMA Grip rubber, is also much more sparsely distributed, to minimize the weight( in contrast to the Velocity nitro).  Even without the “Puma grip” rubber not covering the entire outsole, the road grip remains solid on wetter roads.

<LightBox src="/images/lnitro-outsole.jpg" caption="Excellent grip, despite very little rubber" alt="" ></LightBox>


**Stability**

Similar to the Velocity Nitro, Liberate Nitro also has a TPU plate inserted into the heel area that provides stability when the foot strikes the ground. 

**Fit and Comfort**

The forefoot and midfoot parts are pretty flexible and do not have any particular stability constructs. You may feel a bit odd if you are used to stability shoes quite a bit. 

The toe box is perfect, for those who do not have wide feet. The foot is securely held in place by the structure around the midfoot and there does not seem to be any sliding movement of the foot with respect to the shoe floor.

<LightBox src="/images/lnitro-topview.jpg" caption="Roomy toe box, flexible forefoot & midfoot" gallery="Liberate Nitro" alt="" ></LightBox>

Overall, it gives a very cushiony feeling and feels very comfortable when one wears it. At the same time, it gives a good ground feel and can be related to minimalist shoe experiences.  

The shoe is true to size.

**Aesthetics**

I own a fluorescent green colorway (the official name: Elektro Green-Puma Silver) which looks gorgeous and has a unique look I have not seen before in other shoes. The reflective Puma logo on the front and the reflectors on the back definitely help visibility in the dark. 

**Review Summary**

<ReviewSummaryCard shoeCode="005004000M"></ReviewSummaryCard>

<ProsCard
  title="PROS"
  pros={[
    "Very light and works extremely well for executing intervals and tempo runs.",
    "Decent cushioning from the Nitro foam makes it comfortable. The bounce from the responsive Nitro foam at higher efforts is evident.",
    "Outsole has good traction and road grip.",
    "Good stability aspects with TPU plate and heel bar.",
  ]}
/>

<ConsCard
  title="CONS"
  cons={[
    "No padding around the heel counter and the jutting of the heel counter may give some discomfort and possible chafing for some runners in the Achilles area.",
    "No data on durability. Need to wait for a few hundred km more to check.",
  ]}
/>

<InfoCard title="RECOMMENDATION">
    Liberate Nitro is highly recommended for tempo runs and speed intervals, and races up to half-marathon distances. It fills the gap in ultra-lightweight and well-cushioned trainers in the Indian market.  For those training for longer distances, this makes a good rotation for speed work, and tempo effort runs.
</InfoCard>


One of the lightest shoes in the market. Low profile, medium cushioned, and is highly recommended for speed training. Works well for training and racing distances up to half-marathon.

Puma Liberate Nitro Review

The Nike Vaporfly(VF) series of shoes have become synonymous with distance running around the world with some serious fan following. The VF series of shoes came into prominence first in early 2017 when Eliud Kipchoge ran in them in an attempt to break the 2 hour barrier in a marathon. He fell short by 26 seconds, but history was in the making. The shoe Kipchoge wore for the run, a customized version of VF 4%, grabbed lots of eyeballs. When the shoe was first released to the public in late spring 2017, it sold like hot cakes. Since then the shoe has undergone multiple iterations and has become commonplace at the holding area. 

The Nike Vaporfly Next% (VF Next%) is the third iteration in the Vaporfly series and was released in 2019. The fully carbon plated Next% is primarily a race day shoe easily capable of handling distances from a 5K to a Marathon. A premium shoe by Indian standards (pricing wise), the Next% is best suited for your race day PR (backed by a solid training). If one is looking for a carbon plated shoe amongst the ones available in the Indian market, this would be the go-to shoe. 


<ShoeCard shoeCode="002002000M"></ShoeCard>

### What makes up Next%?

**Midsole** - Uses a “Pebax” foam underfoot which Nike calls “ZoomX”. The foam while being soft has high rebound, meaning you get more bounce with every step you put in the shoe. The midsole comes with a full length __carbon fiber plate__ that provides the stiffness and the springy sensation you feel during your run. 

**Heel Drop** - The heel to toe offset is 8mm making it slightly more stable than the previous versions. There is also more foam (15% more) as compared to previous versions under your foot. More foam, more bounce, more fun. 

**Padding** - The almost collapsible heel is slightly padded while the tongue isn’t. Both are insignificant during the run 

**Lacing** - The shoe comes with offset lacing which apparently releases lacing pressure on your forefoot. 

<div class="row">
    <div class="col-6 col-md-6 px-1">
        <LightBox src="/images/nnxt-uppper-new.jpg" caption="Offset lacing releases pressure on forefoot" alt="" ></LightBox>
    </div>
    <div class="col-6 col-md-6 px-1">
        <LightBox src="/images/nnxt-uppper-after.jpg" caption="Worn out Upper after 1000 km" alt="" ></LightBox>
    </div>
</div>

### Ride in Next%

**Usage** - The current pair of Next% has 956KMs (documented) and may have another 30+KMs (not documented) on them. The initial hundred or so kilometers were primarily races across 5K, 10K, Marathon categories. In 2020 with the pandemic setting in and races cancelled, I started using them for my daily runs as well. I have used them for easy, tempo, intervals, long runs, races and even to just plain walk in them (only a couple of times). 

**Durability** - As with every carbon plated shoe, the life of the shoe is debated a lot. As to how long can a shoe be used while retaining its “bounciness”. With close to 1000 Kms on them, I still find them good enough for my everyday runs. Though there is substantial wear in the heel region, the forefoot is still intact. The upper is held well in spite of multiple washes and runs in rain. The bounce is still comparable to any fresh out of the box daily training shoe (read Pegasus 37 /Kinvara 10 / Beacon V2 / Nimbus 22 / Propel V2). I may not use them for races, primarily because of the condition they are in (see images) but when it comes to feel underneath your foot, they can give any other shoe a run for their money even with 1000kms on them. 

**Feel** - The shoes perform well across all categories of workouts. The midsole cushioning is soft, however the rigidity provided by the embedded carbon fiber plate gives it a bounce/springiness which propels you forward. The shoe works well at all paces. You can take them out for your easy long runs, wear them for your track workouts and they will not let you down. However, I feel the shoes perform for what they are designed to be at paces faster than 5:00/km. So, if any of your training paces are slower than 5:00, one wouldn’t get much out of these shoes. 

There is a lot spoken about how your legs still feel fresh after running long/hard workouts in these shoes, I haven’t felt that way. At least not noticeably. Often a lot of undue credit is attributed to the shoe than to your own bodies which have adapted to the training loads and have gotten stronger. 

<div class="row">    
    <div class="col-6 col-md-6 px-1">
        <LightBox src="/images/nnxt-outsole.jpg" caption="Outsole held up well, despite worn out heel" alt="" ></LightBox>
    </div>
    <div class="col-6 col-md-6 px-1">
        <LightBox src="/images/nnxt-heelwear.jpg" caption="Heel wear after 1000km" alt="" ></LightBox>        
    </div>
</div>

**Stability**
I am an overpronator and these shoes are as unstable as they can get. But like with every other shoe, once you have run some distance, one gets used to the construction of the shoe. However, this distance varies from runner to runner.  If your initial runs haven’t gone as per your expectations, give it sometime. Run at least a couple of hundred kms in the shoe before you decide to give up on them is what I’d suggest. 

**Grip** - The shoe has a thick rubber outsole in the forefoot which grips well on road and track (surface I have used them on). The traction is good even in wet conditions and there is no slippage. The corners depending on how you tackle them can be a little tricky. I always feel one of my shoe will come off when I bend around a corner. Overall, the shoe does a decent job of tackling corners. 

**Fit and Comfort** - I use a US 10/ UK 9 in Nikes. The shoe runs true to size. The fit is just right, not too snug nor too loose. The toe box is wide enough and there is ample space for your feet to play. 

With asymmetric/offset lacing system, the lockdown on the forefoot is secure. One can play with the lacing to get the fit right. I am comfortable with the lacing that the shoe comes with and use a double knot for a tighter fit. 

Midfoot is where things start to get a little dicey, it is quite narrow and I get a feeling that my arch will fall off the shoe. More so on my right foot as it overpronates more compared to the left. This kind of settles down after you have run a few kms in the shoes. 



There isn’t much support in the heel and it is lightly padded. There is no heel slippage per se and one can use the additional eyelets for a more secure heel lockdown if one wishes to. 

The shoes can be used straight out of the box for your runs/races if you have been running in previous versions of the shoe. If these are your first pair, better to get some distance on these shoes before you decide to use them for races. 

**Aesthetics** - Nikes have always been aesthetically pleasing. The Next% look good, they look fast and feel fast too. The upper is an engineered mesh, Nike calls it the “Vaporweave”. The upper is water resistant and quite breathable. The shoe lacks visibility but that’s just a minor inconvenience. The outsole with its grooves does a good job of channeling water out from under your foot while keeping small stones away.  

### Why consider Next%?

The Next% is undoubtedly the best carbon plated shoe in the Indian Market. Consider these for your races and fast training runs if you are looking for some great bounce under your feet. The next iteration of Next%, Next% 2 is currently available with an updated upper.

### Review Summary
<ReviewSummaryCard shoeCode="002002000M"></ReviewSummaryCard>

<ProsCard
  title="PROS"
  pros={[
    "The Best carbon plated shoe in the market",
    "Aesthetically pleasing",
  ]}
/>

<ConsCard
  title="CONS"
  cons={[
    "Unstable",
    "Price",
  ]}
/>

<InfoCard title="RECOMMENDATION">
All kinds of runs- Long/Easy, Tempo, Intervals, Racing for 5K and above. Rotate with any other non-plated shoe so that on your race day, the plated shoe will make you fly.
</InfoCard>

1000 km review of Nike Vaporfly Next%. Verdict- The Best carbon plated shoe in the market.

Nike Vaporfly Next% Review

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Reviews

Puma Liberate Nitro Review

Nike Vaporfly Next% Review