4-3 Review and Reinforcement Another Look at the Atom
Article past Joost de Raeymaeker
Topo Athletic Fli-Lyte 4 ($110) Introduction Joost: I know of only 2 brands of running shoes that were named after their founder. 1 of them was founded after the two brothers Rudolf and Adolf "Adi" Dassler dissever their original visitor Gebrüder Dassler, Sportschuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Sports Shoe Mill) and each went their separate ways. Apparently, their human relationship was not the all-time. Ane of them founded Adidas and the other Puma. It's pretty easy to guess which one of the two brothers created Adidas. Topo is another such company. Tony Postal service didn't need a family unit feud to create Topo Athletic with a very clear vision: make natural running shoes, but with some of the features of mainstream trainers. Topo running shoes have a very distinct look: a wide toe box that lets your toes splay freely and a pes shaped last. They sometimes remind me a little of some of the Campers models like the Protrude in terms of aesthetics. The Fli-Lyte sits somewhere in the middle of the iii categories Topo uses to classify their shoes: balanced cushioning, neutral back up and moderate pliability (flexibility). Simply what does that really mean from a make that's known for their more natural feeling shoes? Well, balanced cushioning in this case means a xx/23mm forefoot/heel stack, including the ortholite sock liner. In that location is noticeable arch support, but apart from that, the shoe has no other support elements, and it has a low 3mm drop. This is the 4th iteration of the Fli-Lyte and changes have been fabricated both to the upper and the midsole and outsole. You can read our review of version iii hither . The Fli-Lyte 4 yet has an engineered mesh upper, but the lacing arrangement (our version 3 reviewer'southward main gripe) has changed. At that place seem to exist other small upper changes as well. The midsole is now entirely ZipFoam, instead of just equally a core and the outsole rubber location and geometry has also changed slightly. Read on to find out what we thought of the new Fli-Lyte iteration. 
Tester Contour
Joost is a Belgian in his 50s living in Luanda, Republic of angola, Africa, where he faces the estrus, humidity and general chaos to run anything between sixty-100 miles per calendar week. He's on a mission to win in his age grouping in the vi marathon majors and has completed half of his project, with a 2:26:10 Pb in Berlin in 2019 at 51. He ran in main schoolhouse, but then thought it would be a lot cooler to be a guitar player in a hard stone band, only picking upwardly running again in 2012, gradually improving his results. His Strava is here: https://www.strava.com/athletes/reimaka
Pros:
Keen fit for my wider feet Joost
Comfortable, relatively breathable upper Joost
Simple and skilful looking shoe Joost
Effective eyelet organisation to secure the tongue Joost
Cons:
Endeavor felt harder than actual pace. Non that easy to pick up the pace Joost
Very obvious arch support could be likewise much for some Joost
Stats
Weight: men'south / (US9) / women's / (US8)
Official: M9 235g/eight.3 oz
Samples: 256g/9.03 oz (US9.v)
Stack Elevation: 23/20mm
Available June 21
First Impressions and Fit
Joost: My 2d pair of Topo's for review. Later on the very white Cyclone, I received a very blackness pair of Fli-Lyte 4. Anatomically, they await very like, with that typical wide toe box and shape. I personally really like the fashion Topo shoes look. The fit is great, but the experience underfoot is quite dissimilar. The Ortholite sock liner has a marked indication of the curvation and you tin definitely feel quite a scrap of arch back up when walking effectually in them. For those with sensitive arches, this might exist an upshot. They fit true to size for me.
The Fli-Lyte iv is also noticeably closer to the ground compared to some of the other shoes I've been running in lately. It definitely feels like a more natural, minimal shoe that will also do very well in the gym. I can imagine hopping on and off the treadmill and doing gym stuff without ever feeling I should wear a different shoe for either. In that respect, information technology doesn't actually feel similar a 100% running oriented shoe. That's not a negative per se, merely probably something to exist aware of.
Upper
Joost: The upper has been reworked from the previous version. It's still an engineered mesh with decent breathability. There are 2 layers fused together with the top layer sporting the animate holes. It is besides denser in areas where you traditionally have a fiddling more article of clothing and tear and where y'all demand extra support to hold the foot downward securely.
The heel expanse is less padded than the previous version, only the collar has definitely enough of it to protect my sensitive achilles'.
At that place's an extra external layer of stiffer textile to requite the heel area some more than structure. The tongue is decently padded, with some extra thickness from halfway up and the same type of padding equally the heel collar on the summit part of it.
Just like the Whirlwind, it has two eye stays virtually the top of the tongue to avoid slippage. An ingenious system that works very well.
That leads u.s. to the lacing system, which seems like the major change from the previous version of the Fli-Lyte.
The eyelets are now in line with the elevation of the upper instead of having the traditional holes from top to bottom. This helps to get a more secure fit when needed without creating force per unit area points, since the pressure is more spread out and practical less vertically than with traditional eyelets. At that place'due south a fiddling fleck of extra reinforcement at the top and a traditional actress pigsty for lace locking if needed.
And then I almost forgot to talk about the nearly obvious distinguishing feature of Topo running shoes, which is its natural shape and wide toe box.
The foreign affair is that at its widest, the shoe is not really that much wider than some of the others out at that place.
What sets it apart is that the heel is a little wider likewise, only especially the toe box itself up front is broad and nicely rounded. For people with wide feet similar me, it's toe heaven in in that location.
All of this makes for a comfortably fitting upper with decent breathability and enough padding and back up where needed.
Midsole
Joost: The Fli-Lyte 4 now has full length Zipfoam in the midsole, which is more than long-term resilient and offers higher rebound than traditional EVA, according to Topo. There's non a lot of information technology: just 12mm in the ball of the pes and 15mm in the heel, so the shoe feels very shut to the footing and is decidedly business firm, on the verge of harsh. It is a slightly wider platform than the previous model, only again, not really wider at its widest than another shoes out there, similar the Kinvara 12. The main difference hither is as well the fact that it's wider in other areas like the heel, but peculiarly in the forefoot.
The midsole is built upward a lilliputian in the arch expanse, making for a very obvious area of arch back up. Again, it felt ok for me, but your mileage may vary. On elevation of the midsole is a perforated layer of foam sewn into the midsole-upper junction for a fiddling extra cushioning.
This together with the Ortholite sock liner makes for a cumulative stack height of 20/23mm, quite depression compared to some of the shoes nosotros've been seeing lately, simply there's definitely a market for it.
The combination of low stack pinnacle, width and compactness create a very stable platform. This makes the shoe a feasible option for the gym, Orange Theory or whatever non-running workouts yous're doing that demand a low and stable shoe.
Outsole
Joost: Rubber in the heel and the forefoot, with ample grooves for some flexibility.
In that location's plenty of it for good durability and traction has been skillful at the end of the rainy season over here. In spite of this and the sparse midsole, the Fli-Lyte 4 is not a very flexible shoe. Every bit a comparison, the relatively like Kinvara 12 in terms of stack height is a lot more flexible. Once once again, this points in the management of a shoe to be used in different activities than just running.
Ride
Joost: Having actually enjoyed reviewing and running in the Kinvara 12 I simply mentioned, I was really looking forward to another low stack, depression drib trainer, but the Fli-Lyte 4 turned out to exist a very different animal in the ride department. The firm midsole, coupled with a lack of flexibility for the stack height create a feeling of responsiveness, only as well of having to put in a lot of energy for any given footstep. For a more natural minimalist type of shoe, it doesn't really seem to work with my pes.
My RunScribe stats point a forefoot strike with quite a bit of pronation and loftier pronation velocity, but withal have them pegged as very effective, then the numbers might not necessarily agree with my subjective cess of the free energy needed to move along at a decent footstep.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Joost: The Fli-Lyte iv is hard to classify for me. Information technology doesn't experience like a shoe that is intended 100% for running. It is very comfortable and has excellent stability, making it very suitable for cantankerous training. It is also very good looking, making it an ideal choice for those days when you go to the gym with merely the shoes you're wearing out the door. You can easily go from the treadmill to your Orange Theory session to some lifting, box jumps or whatever without ever feeling you lot needed a different shoe for whatever of those activities. Assuming it stays at $110, it is great value for an all-round shoe. On days when I just want to run in a shoe that's closer to the basis and feels natural, I would probably go with something else.
Joost: 8.sixty/10 (50% Ride 7.5/10, 30% Fit x/ten, 10% Value ix/10, five% Fashion 10/10)
Comparisons
Alphabetize to all RTR reviews: HERE
Saucony Kinvara 12 ( RTR Review )
Joost: M9.5 in both. I've mentioned the Kinvara a couple of times in this review, considering it is a like shoe in terms of stack height and drop. The Fli-Lyte has three mm drop, the Kinvara 4. You would probably have to be the princess of "The Princess and the Pea" to experience the divergence. That being said, the Kinvara is a lot more flexible and feels a lot livelier on the run, and then I would definitely selection that 1 for just running. If it's a gym day with dissimilar workouts, I would option the Fli-Lyte 4.
Topo Athletics Cyclone ( RTR Review )
Joost: M9.5 in both. The Cyclone has just 2mm more midsole up front end and 4mm in the heel, for a 5mm drib and just 3mm more than stack height up front, just it feels very different on the run. It'southward just that scrap softer, with a different, less structured fitting upper and rides improve. My vote goes to the Cyclone.
The Fli-Lyte iv will be available June 2021
Tested samples were provided at no charge for review purposes. No other compensation was received by RTR or the authors for this review across potential commissions from the shopping links in the commodity . The opinions herein are entirely the authors'.
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