Nike Free 3.0 v4

Color: Soar/Reflective Silver-Platinum.

Intended use: Foot conditioning, tempo runs. Suited for forefoot/midfoot strikers.

Surfaces tested on: Road, synthetic track 21° C/70° F

Upper: Fused synthetic leather on mesh, bootie construction

Midsole: Injection molded EVA variant

Outsole: BRS 1000 (carbon rubber), injection molded EVA variant

Heel to toe offset: 4mm                           

Weight: 238 gms/8.4 Oz for a half pair of UK10/US11

US Retail: $ 100

The Nike Free 3.0 V4 went under the knife for its summer 2012 release, and has come out completely redesigned. All parts of the shoe have undergone a radical design transformation, so the shoe we review today has little in common with the V1, V2 and V3 3.0’s, save the underlying minimalist running concept. The Nike Free 3.0 sits in the upper tier (see chart in ourFree Run 3 review)  of Nike’s attempt to provide a barefoot running experience, so the Free 3.0 has a heel to toe offset of 4mm (17mm heel, 13 mm toe) as compared to 6mm and 8mm for the 4.0 and the Free Run+ 3. The human foot has an offset of 0mm, so 4mm gets pretty close as far as the promise of delivering a barefoot like run is concerned.

Nike’s use of a no-sew technology, which they call Nanoply. This is used extensively in the Free 3.0 V4, and it makes a huge impact as far as the fit is concerned. The upper construction of the Free 3.0 is rather remarkable; one huge, seamless panel of the Nanoply runs the entire length of the lateral (outer) side, and is joined to a smaller piece by fused seams on the inner side. So looked on from the outer side, the entire shoe looks seamless. The thickness of the upper material is wafer thin, and is fused on to a base layer of a moderately stretchy fabric. Finely cut star shaped perforations go all over the surface, resulting in a visually striking appearance, 360° ventilation and eliminating any hot spots.

The upper has an integrated tongue, making the Free 3.0 fit like a pair of socks. Unlike the previous versions, where the surface of the upper had zones of mesh and synthetic leather, the Free 3.0 has a uniform feel to it. The use of Nike Nanoply all over the exterior of the shoe, combined with a bootie build and a near seamless interior environment, results in the Nike Free 3.0 feeling like a pair of snug, compression socks attached to a sole. The overall feel is extremely confidence inspiring during a quick run; the foot stays locked down in place, there are no hot zones and the shoe flexes well in the forefoot without the upper material accumulation. The Nike Free 3.0 has a cleverly designed cutout area (see picture below) which prevents bunching up of the upper when the shoe bends; the absence of the fused synthetic allows for irritation free forefoot flexion.

Major revisions take place on the outsole of the Nike Free 3.0. The big gaps between the grooves in the forefoot and midfoot are now gone, and in its place, a tightly packed cluster of deep flex grooves extending right from under the ball of the foot to the heel. Instead of the straight left to right midfoot flex grooves in the earlier version of the Nike Free, the latest one has diagonal siping running across the arch. There is also a channel running the length of the sole, starting from the center of the heel and stopping just short of the ball of the foot. The channel helps in a stable gait transition, helping the foot maintain its line. The outsole does not feel as spartan as the previous one – while the Nike Free 3.0 has a heel to toe offset of only 4mm, it is worth mentioning that the heel is still 17mm high(and the toe 13) from the surface you’re running on, so it’s not like you are going to feel every piece of debris you run on. The foot is well shielded from the small pebbles you might encounter during your run, with adequate cushioning and support built in. The Nike Plus socket is not available in the Nike Free 3.0 V4, so if you have the standard Nike Plus receiver/transmitter set up, you can’t use them on this shoe. But if you own the latest gen iPod (with the built-in accelerometer) or the Sports Watch, then you should have no worries at all.

The outsole grip is adequate on gravel, tarmac and indoors, and we’ve had no issues so far with the outsole stability.

The upper fit and feel is absolutely brilliant, the new Nanoply stretching taut over your foot. The collar area grips well, and we didn’t experience any slippage during the last 40 miles we’ve done on the shoe. The outsole comes with noticeable improvements, with the flexibility and low offset working in tandem to work your forefoot muscles. A note of caution, though, before we bring this review to a close. The new Free 3.0 is true to size, and has an extremely snug fit.  the new Free 3.0 is a brilliantly executed minimalist running shoe, and if you’re in the market  for a such a shoe, the Nike Free 3.0 is worth having a look at.