At the top of the Nike neutral cushioning shoe line is the Vomero+7. Its purpose is to provide the highest level of comfort by dampening road impact. This allows us to train harder, longer and more frequently while helping to protect us from injury. All of this protection tends to come at a cost—Road feel and weight.
The Vomero+7 is no lightweight. A size 9 weighs in at 11.2 oz and my size 11.5’s came in at 12.6 oz. but the ride is surprising light with reasonably quick toe-off.
Nike uses Zoom Air™, a pressurize air pocket in the forefoot and heel surrounded with plenty of foam in the mid-foot that offers a lot of protection. To assist in the heel-to-toe transition, Nike has placed a TPU Shank, a small thermoplastic element in the bottom mid-foot.
On the upper, Nike incorporates Flywire™ technology around the mid-foot. Flywire is made of high tensile strength fibers that are layered between a foam that provide strength, a dynamic fit while reducing weight. Overall this construction works but its biggest benefit is breathability. For much of the upper, suede overlays are nicely positioned not to interfere with toes and provide structure while holding the foot in place. Over the years I have really come to like the insoles in Nike shoes. Now don’t get me wrong, they don’t do anything special but that’s exactly the point. From running in some other brands I have found this to be an area where there have been some cost cutting.
I think everyone has heard of the Nike Waffle outsole. Well not a lot has changed from the first design molded in the waffle iron. It’s still provides good traction on many different running surfaces but I have always found it wears quickly on the toe. What continues to evolve is the carbon rubber for increased traction and the Flex Groves that aid in the heel to toe.
Overall this shoe has a fantastic upper and very good protection. It should excel in the long runs and recovery runs and prove to be very durable. For a full featured cushioned shoe it also has a reasonably good heel-to-toe transition. When I compare it to the predecessor, the Vomero 6, it is much firmer. In other terms, less of a pillow but still with all of the protection you would expect from this style of shoe. Based on previous versions I tend get as much as 800 km from a pair of Vomero’s when I use them in a rotation of 2-3 other shoes and with this version I would expect about amount of longevity.
