Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature Review: Can Sustainable Materials Re-Imagine a Fan Favorite?
By Chief Editor Matthew Klein
Peg Turbo fans: this is a totally different shoe. The original Nike Pegasus Turbo series was the first moderate stack, super foamed trainer. Featuring a full-length slab of ZoomX, it was the first shoe outside of the Vaporfly to feature this foam (before the Alphafly). It was fantastic in that it was light enough for workouts and even racing for some (that did not want a plate) yet had the durability and cushioning to handle daily training. It was quietly discontinued several years ago and many wondered if there would ever be a Pegasus Turbo 3. The Pegasus Turbo Next Nature was then released to the excitement of many. The question you may be asking is: "Does the Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature appropriately step up as the third version of this series?" The answer is astoundingly "No." This is a completely different shoe. While the geometries may be somewhat similar, the upper, midsole, transition, and everything else about the Pegasus Turbo Next Nature is different. The new Natured version of the Turbo is a sustainable daily trainer for those who want to look good while getting miles in.
Price: $149.95 at Running Warehouse
Measured Weight: 9.5 oz, 269 g (men's size 10), Women's Weights Not Provided
Stack Height: 32mm / 22 mm
Drop: 10 mm
Classification: Sustainable Daily Training Shoe
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature is a sustainable daily training shoe. Over 55% of the shoe's midsole features recycled ZoomX scraps, and the upper is made of 100% recycled yarn. Though it is ZoomX, it creates a very different sensation underfoot than traditional Pegasus Turbo of the past, offering a firmer, stiffer, and less-workout oriented ride. A thick recycled Flyknit mesh upper fits long and narrow, but still locks the fit in. While lighter than the Pegasus 39, this serves as a daily training alternative for those who want a firmer ride that is eco-friendly.
SIMILAR SHOES: Mizuno Wave Neo Wind
FIT
The Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature fits me slightly long and narrow in my normal men's US size 10. The width is slightly snug to snug throughout the length of the shoe. The forefoot is snug with a tapered toebox. Fortunately, the slightly longer fit gave me a bit more width up front. However, the volume is quite low in the forefoot, which made it feel even snugger. The midfoot is normal width, featuring a tongue integrated with the upper. The tongue does not lay completelyy flat and instead bunches up when you try to tighten the laces. There is no place to lace lock the shoe, so the laces have to be tied down decently. The heel fits slightly snug thanks to a large amount of heel collar cushioning. There is a moderately stiff heel counter that I did not notice due to how much upper cushioning sat in the rear. Due to the more normal width in the midfoot and difficult with tightening the laces secondary to the tongue, I found the security be moderate. I was able to get a decent lockdown for easy miles, but experienced some heel slippage and movement with faster efforts. It may have helped me to go down a half size, but that may have been too tight for me in the forefoot. Thus, this shoe will be best for those who have narrow feet or those between sizes may want to try a half-size down if they are looking for a performance fit.
PERFORMANCE
The Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature features full-length ZoomX that is made up of 50% recycled materials. This newly-crafted formula does provide a firmer ride throughout the length of the shoe. There is a solid heel bevel, but landings are firm and slightly abrupt. This may be due to how centered and posterior the bevel is, creating extra medial and lateral flaring of the midsole at the heel. The forefoot is stiff and takes a large number of miles to break in. There is no plate in this shoe, but the transition overall feels stiff and a little clunky. The 10mm heel drop is noticeable and the foam does not compress enough to make this feel different. I was not able to find specific size 9 specs for this shoe, but my size 10 weighs in at 9.5 oz. This is about 1.5 ounces more than my pair of original Pegasus Turbos and a little lighter than the pair of Pegasus 39s I tried. While it is slightly lighter than the Pegasus 39, it feels like it is a similar weight. The firmer ride and stiff forefoot does feel a bit better with uptempo efforts. The weight and clunky rearfoot transition do not make this a workout shoe as there are far better options even from Nike. It feels clunky when the pace starts to hit the faster end of things. Instead, it functions as a daily training shoe that can handle a little more uptempo work than the normal Pegasus 39.
The durability of the outsole has been great. Over my testing miles, I have not made even a small dent in my normal spot. The outsole has lugs like many Nike shoes and seems to grip decently well on most dry road surfaces. I would not take this on trail due to the shallowness of the lugs. I would also not suggest taking this on wet surfaces as I found traction subpar in those situations. Those wanting a road daily trainer with a firmer and stiffer forefoot with a traditional heel drop may enjoy the Pegasus Turbo Next Nature.
STABILITY
The Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature is a neutral shoe. There are no traditional elements of stability. There is some sole flare in this shoe, but with the short heel bevel, this ends up pitching my foot more medial upon my posterior lateral contact spot. There are no sidewalls in this shoe. The midfoot does not narrow as much as the prior version and the outsole is full ground contact. The forefoot has more sole flare, especially on the medial side. This shoe will do best for those with neutral mechanics who do not want any stability, but does want a less flexible platform for their needs.
Culture Corner: Is Nike's Marketing Strategy for the Turbo Next Nature the Right Path?
By Content Manager Bach Pham
Every company has been working on sustainable strategies, but Nike is
interesting considering its place as the leader in the industry. Last year they launched the Nature series, starting with the Alphafly Next Nature. Conceptually, the idea is that Nike had a ton of scrap ZoomX leftover and sought to try to integrate into their shoes as part of the push towards sustainability.
How Nike has decided to go about it, however, may conceptually be an idea that hurts more than helps public perception of sustainability. Instead of working on a whole new concept shoe that highlights the best aspects of their actually really cool concept of recycled ZoomX, Nike opted to try and mimic two beloved models - the Alphafly and the Pegasus Turbo. The Turbo as Matt mentioned earlier in this review was a truly beloved trainer. Nike's decision to revitalize the name, yet end up with a shoe that doesn't perform the same as its legacy ultimately sets the shoe up to be a touch disappointing.
While the industry has shifted towards working more and more on sustainable design, its popularity is still a mixed bag. Though there are a lot of positives in this Turbo Next Nature mode, both in the yarn upper and interesting way Nike was able to take something they had leftover and provide a new purpose. The ride ultimately does not emulate either the original Alphafly or Pegasus Turbo though, which makes it a harder sell both now and moving forward within the Nike landscape. It's not like the general strategy of creating a sustainable version of a popular shoe hasn't worked to provide a much closer-1-to-1 product; the Reebok Floatride Energy Grow, for example, does a great job of replicating a lot of what the original has to offer.
Nike, if they want to continue this Nature path they started, may want to consider making more parallels with their training line whether it be the classic Pegasus or Infinity Run model for their next Nature attempts. The one thing that their recycled ZoomX material has proven to be is light which could be a great step forward for these training models.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall I am impressed with Nike's efforts to create a sustainable Pegasus Turbo. However, there are three major components that could be updated or changed to bring it closer to the original glory of the Pegasus Turbo 1 and 2. The upper is the first thing. While I appreciate the great durability, the upper is thicker than it needs to be. For a performance shoe, it could be far thinner, which would help reduce some of the unnecessary weight gain. The stiffness in the forefoot makes it difficult and uncomfortable to transition through naturally. While this does break in somewhat with extra miles, some flex grooves or breaks in the durable outsole may help with the transition up front. Finally, the midsole is firm for a shoe with ZoomX, even recycled ZoomX. I would encourage Nike to modify the midsole density to allow for more compliance and bounce, which I was disappointed not to have.
WHO THIS SHOE IS FOR
The Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature is a firmer, stiffer and slightly lighter daily training shoe for those who wanting an eco-friendly shoe. The fit is long and narrow, making it best for those who have narrow feet. Those between sizes can consider going a half size down but should be ready for a strongly tapered toebox. The ride is firmer throughout with a stiff forefoot. This makes it better for uptempo efforts or daily training for those who like a little more firmness with a traditional heel drop. Overall, my experience has been mediocre to disappointing in a shoe I was expecting far more out of for $150. Unless you want a firmer riding, eco-friendly Pegasus alternative that is a little more versatile into uptempo paces, you are probably better off getting a pair of Pegasus 39.
GRADING
Matt
Fit: B/B- (Long and narrow fit. Tongue bunches. May be better to size down 1/2 size for more performance fit and security in those with narrow feet. For training paces and normal width feet, stay true to size)
Performance: B- (Firmer ride with stiff forefoot and clunky heel. Can handle some uptempo efforts and daily training but too clunky for faster efforts)
Stability: C+/B- (No major elements of stability of guidance. Steep heel bevel create more prominent lateral posterior flare, early initial contact)
DPT/Footwear Science: B- (Great reuse of material to reduce waste, but geometry and weight need to be modified to truly carry the Pegasus Turbo name)
Personal: D (I did not enjoy the miles in this shoe and am happy to have finished this review. A great casual or jogging shoe, but not optimal as a high-performance trainer. Those with more narrow and neutral mechanics may do better than myself in this shoe. Extremely disappointing and in my opinion not worthy of the name "Pegasus Turbo")
Overall: C+
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FURTHER READING
Altra Vanish Tempo - Zero drop, non-plated performance
Mizuno Infinity Apparel - Soft, light, and sustainable running performance wear
Path Projects Apparel - Technical running apparel for road and trail
Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280 - Lightweight trail runner with a nitrogen-infused foam
Fractel Performance Headwear - Check out running hats from the Aussie-based brand
Mizuno Wave Sky 6 - Mizuno's premium cushioned trainer returns with recylced materials
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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