Diadora Nucleo 2 Review
By Bach Pham
Diadora Nucleo 2Price: $160 at Diadora
Weight: 9.8 oz, 280 g (men's size 9), oz, g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 35 mm heel / 30 mm forefoot
Drop: 5 mm
Shoe Purpose: Daily Trainer
Pros: Comfortable fit, stable underfoot for neutral shoe
Cons: Not super responsive, heel slightly clunky
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Diadora Nucleo 2 is a the brand's neutral daily training shoe in the vein of Saucony Ride, Nike Pegasus, ASICS Cumulus, etc. The shoe provides a moderate stack height and common to Diadora stability underfoot through generous width. The shoe features their ANIMA midsole (supercritical EVA) which has been tuned from the prior version to be a little lighter. The DDATTIVO insole provides a midly soft instep on landing. The Nucelo is a stable daily driver that also makes for a solid walking shoe option as well for those that like the styling.
SIMILAR SHOES: Saucony Ride
PAST MODEL: Diadora Nucleo
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Bach: The Diadora Nucleo 2 fit pretty well in my standard men's size 9.5. I tested the Equipe Nucelo last year and found that model to be better a half size up, but the Nucleo 2 felt good all-around without having to adjust. The width and volume in the forefoot caused me no issues, but is on the slightly lower side. The midfoot is slightly snug as well, but caused no issues for me. The toebox is a standard fit that does taper slightly. The heel is very rigid and secure and the laces are flat and easy to tie. The fit overall was slim but comfortable throughout for my foot. There is a wide option available for those who need more width. Breathability was fine as well, I didn't find any warm spots. The upper is very structured in general and kept my foot locked in well.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Bach well:
Nike Pegasus 40, Saucony Guide 17, Mizuno Wave Inspire 19, Saucony
Endorphin Speed 3, Nike Structure 25
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Asics Kayano 30, Puma Electrify Nitro, Brooks Hyperion, Hoka Clifton 9 GTX
Shoes that have fit large: Hoka Gaviota 5, Reebok Floatride Energy X
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Very little
How Flexible is the Shoe: No
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: No
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Recommended for Sockless: Yes
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
Bach: I reviewed the Equipe Nucleo last year which was quietly a shoe I went back to a lot after reviewing for it's no-frills training. I was excited to test the Nucleo 2 which seemed fairly similar on paper. What I found was the Nucleo 2 to be a smidge heftier feeling and a bit less smooth all-around. The shoe retains essentially the same midsole, but the landing is far more engaging than the push-off, which feels flat. The shoe's ANIMA midsole felt best for very easy, slow runs and not quite responsive enough for faster mileage. The DDATTIVO insole does feel comfortable to land on, providing a mildly soft feeling upon landing. The shoe in general leans fairly middle of the road cushioning-wise, with the landing feeling a little softer thanks to DDATTIVO. This is a great walking shoe thanks to this feature and one the whole team has used many a day over the past month in clinic work and for errands. As a running shoe, the bevel feels less smooth than the Equipe Nucleo, resulting in a slightly clunky heel and landing front-to-back. The shoe is fine for everyday miles, but for longer efforts I probably would at minimum grab the Equipe Nucleo over this.
The outsole is very sturdy and has had no durability issues for me after 20 miles. The traction is fine, navigating wet roads okay and I was able to run on some dirt and grass without too much difference.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Bach: The Nucleo 2's big plus is its inherent stability. The shoe has generous width from front-to-back that paired with the overall not particularly soft sole helps create a fairly stable ride. The upper also has a lot of structure to help keep the foot secure on the platform. The forefoot also has some mild sole flare which helps in making the forefoot feel particularly stable. There's no intrusive stability here, making it feel relatively stable neutral overall.
Made in Italy
We chat with Diadora to hear more about their design process. Listen to the full episode below.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Bach: The Nucleo 2 comes in as a fairly standard feeling trainer overall that doesn't make it feel too different from it's daily training peers in other brands. I appreciated the stability of the shoe, but recommend Diadora look at adding a lateral heel bevel to really smooth the transition out. The midsole also feels like it's missing some pop to help make the shoe feel a bit more alive when turning over. Cutting weight to help lighten the turn over would make the shoe a bit more versatile as their daily driver.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Bach: The Diadora Nucleo 2 is a daily training shoe for those that want a stable neutral trainer. The ride is fairly simple and best for average daily mileage. The shoe does come in at the high end of the daily training price point at $160. Personally, I found the Equipe Nucelo to be a bit better all-around except for fit (which was resolved by sizing up) and would recommend runners check out that series first if they want to dip their toes into Diadora.
GRADES
Bach
Fit: B+ (Fairly okay fit all-around for those with standard feet. Volume just slightly low. There is a wide option available as well and sizing up to men's 15/women's 16.5)
Performance: B (Extremely no-frills trainer that is best suited for average daily miles)
Stability: B+ (The generous width and sole flaring in forefoot makes for a good stable option for neutral runners)
Value: C+ (The shoe comes in a bit higher than average for this category)
Personal: B- (Not the most exciting option, I would opt for the Equipe Nucleo in the lineup over this model currently)
Overall Design: B
SHOP | SUPPORT DORDiadora Nucleo 2Price: $160 at Diadora
Shop Men | Shop Women
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FURTHER READING
A long distance trainer with versatility.
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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