Would you look at these beautiful things!?!?!
So here they are, ahead of the normal schedule and strangely at the end of the summer season (Northern Hemisphere) the 2019 Nike Sprint Spikes Superfly Elite and the Ja-Fly Elite.
In previous years you would find it hard to tell the plate apart either in person looking or at pictures with the only real difference being very clear with the upper styling.
Now Nike have of course maintained the diagonal uppers of the Ja-Fly but have at least offered with the same colorway upper. But as very clear to everyone, the plates are massively different, with a very drastic change in the forefoot of the Superfly, a deliberate change to bring the Nike sprint athletes into a better position during acceleration and into top end in a straight line. (Will this work?? Only time will tell)
The Ja-Fly do appear to have been “smoothed” out with lower profile, an obvious attempt at improving the bend running ability and the straight running where exact full top end isn’t quiet as important, or rather the aim is to be as smooth as possible when running 200/400
Both shoes in the above picture are the same size!
Worth saying no sign of the Zoom 400s as yet which if you read my last review, I don’t think Nike will fully continue them for much longer.
Below is my review of the 2018 editions, full review of 2018 spike HERE
Nike Superfly Elite
In recent years Nike have tried to make a comeback introducing the honeycombed plate touted as being stiff where it needs to be and flexible where it should (see Adidas Review above for reasoning).
Now I have to be honest until this season I didn’t bother even picking up a pair Nikes as I believed so much in the “SP’s”. But alas, my left foot was being murdered by the SP’s and so I needed a wider shoe (which incidentally led to me buying all the other spikes in this review before the Nikes!)
They are beautiful pieces of art there is no denying that (though do get dirty way to quickly and look old before their time! So be aware if you like your spikes looking fresh) and on the feet these are perfectly fitted and comfortable on the foot, with appears to feel like a lovely rocker in the forefoot that aids that ball of your feet position.
The Nikes Spikes (these and the Ja-Fly’s) lack that real ‘spring’ off the track that the SP’s give you, but don’t let that initial feeling cloud your judgement as these certainly have enough bounce back and a good sprint position, along with being flexible enough to improve the use of your foot during acceleration and top end sprinting.
My Rating 9/10
Nike Ja-Fly Elite
Along with the Superfly these have undergone a few changes over the years with the new plate and upper (can they decide which is best for bend running please, is it asymmetrical or not!)
But just like the Superfly’s these are a great fit and of course that upper is part of the mechanism for the claim in regards to being a bend specific spike along with a slight variation to the plate holes to allow a little more ‘Torsion’ when running round the bends.
(I actually wore these spikes during my World Masters Championships campaign in which I won the M35 400m)
