Allbirds is in the business of trying to make running shoes with the lowest environmental impact and the best performance possible. But so far, sustainable shoes have struggled to match the ride of the regular petroleum-reliant running shoes we all use. This second-generation Tree Flyer 2 has some new uppers on a largely unchanged midsole. So is it enough to make the second-gen is a step forwards for low-footprint shoes? We took it for a first run to find out. Hit play for our Allbirds Tree Flyer 2 first run review.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:07 – Design details & what’s new
1:45 – Fit
2:53 – The Run Test
6:34 – First Run Early Verdict
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Hey people welcome to the Run testers Gearing here and this is our first run In the all birds tree flyer 2. First up the details then when it comes To the drop the tree Fly 2 have an 8.5 Mil drop 30.5 mils in the heel 22 mils In the forefoot they weigh in 307 grams Or 10.8 ounces and they're 150 pounds or 160 another stat of note it also has a Carbon footprint of 7.21 kilograms of CO2 which all birds offsets to zero That's 2.71 kilograms less than its Predecessor now let's take a quick look At what's new on the tree flyer too then Let's start with the midsole the midsole Looks unchanged from the original tree Flyer it features the same bio p-backs Swift foam that's made from sustainably Sourced Caster beans it also has the Same stack and the same geometry you've Got this quite big hill protrusion here But overall that's the same on the Uppers the knit uppers have been tweaked They're still made with tensor Lysol Which is a eucalyptus tree fiber Material but there's now a bit more Structure to them they're a little bit Less baggy that will stop some of the Sort of bagginess and the floppiness of The first gen apples which I think some People struggle with they're also more Bio based PPU skins here for extra Support right around the toe inside There's also a Merino wool lining in an
Effort to boost Comfort the shoe still Has a booty fit and it's got a couple of Pull tabs to help you wriggle them on Make those booty fits work and you've Still got a big external heel counter Here for added support now on the Outsole if you flip them over there's a New lug pattern Here and an updated natural rubber Compound to improve the grip and Durability and these uh let's do the Pretty substantial to stay at the least In terms of those lugs so yeah that's What's new So a quick Word then your bird's tree flyer too First one I put them on these are Another shoe that I felt immediately Felt really quite long there's a lot of Length in the toe box I'm running in my Size UK and a half which I normally go For And they just felt a little bit canoe Like bit bow like when I first put them On now I'm moving it's not so bad but They they are a little bit long in the Tower I would say it does mean the Autos Are not going to hit the end of the toe Box there is a bit of room across the Top but in this one I uh if you like it To feel a bit more snug I would kind of Uh maybe I'm going half a size down I'd Say they're just a little too long for My liking but yeah overall in this size
In my current size they feel like a bit Of a roomy fit and I do think It doesn't necessarily feel like the Whole shoe is coming with you all the Time when you're picking your feet up That's definitely maybe having an impact On the ride it just feels like the toes Sort of stay a little bit after and so For that if you want something that's More compact I think the benefit of Going half a size down in these shoes That's my initial reaction on these First run miles So I'm just clipping along the Thames I'm about five and a half miles into This first run in the tree flyer too so The first thing you really notice when You put these shoes on and start moving In them is a swift foam Soft isn't quite as responsive isn't Quite as bouncy or springy as your Classic phones you're going to get from Kind of petroleum-based folks now we all Know that it's it's a thing that you Know all of these brands are trying to Fix to put extra performance into shoes That tread more lightly on the planet or At least attempt to do so say they do so On the box now that doesn't mean you're Getting an unpleasant ride But this shoe definitely for me Immediately I can set it falls into that Bracket of a shoe if you're going to go Out and clip along for up to 10ks nice
And easy not expecting too much Performance or you run once or twice a Week and you just want a shoe that's Going to do a job or you want something Maybe we'll cross over from being you Know hit sessions in the gym up onto the Treadmill can't do a few miles this is Where these shoes still sit they're Still in that bit that midsole unit just Doesn't necessarily have the performance They're going to be looking forward to Do anything I think more remarkable than That I have done some faster miles here Some marathon pace miles I've done some Slower ones and they're definitely Better at a slower clip although like All firm shoes one thing they do make You do is lift your feet a little bit Quicker I guess to sort of soften that Impact as well so it does encourage a Higher Cadence and a higher turnover so There is something in that but I can Feel immediately that if you're yeah We're looking at the market right now we Get all these shoes with a Max stack of Cushioning you know big things that the Joe numbers 25 or the Nova blast or you Know even looking at he's like the bus To 12 all these kind of plated super Trainers as well the trend is for more Cushion that kind of soft springy Responsive bounces back and give you a Bit of energy these don't really do that You're doing a lot of the work in the
Shoes Which is fine if you like that style of Running I'm not averse to that and I Could you know happily clip along here In these shoes at the low and slow pace Like I can some of the other shoes now The other thing and this might be part Of the fact that I feel the shoes are Slightly too long and it means Disconnecting the toe but I'm not Getting kind of any roll through you Know some of the shoes now you've got That nice rocker that Yeezy shoes that Come with a rocker to help you kind of Clip through and even when they're Firmer shoes Like that it can be a big help if you've Got a nice rocker to help you kind of Move through the transition these shoes To me feel quite flat there's not a lot Of that assistance coming from the Rocket you've sort of you sort of land Mid to heels on them at the moment and Yeah and then you've just got to do the Work to pick the feet up and go so yeah So overall I'm not feeling like I'm Getting much back from the overall Geometry of the shoe in terms of helping You move forward the Counterpoint to That though is they have got a nice wide Base they are very stable You know there's a there's a nice cradle Bed under the foot there is some Softness in the footbed it does feel
Like the foot's being held nicely there In one place and so stability on the Issues is pretty good it's been good so Far even on some sort of light off roads That I've done as well as on the road so I think I've isolated what it is about These shoes that just made them feel It's a little less comfortable And they've got a lot of overlays around The toe box and in that kind of toe unit They've also got a Merino wall lining to The shoe but if your feet kind of rise Up and touch you can almost feel the It's not plastic because it's a kind of A it's a plant-based TPU I believe but It touches those overlays it just feels A little bit cheap I don't know just a Little bit uncomfortable we've just not Got that plush comfort that you kind of Expect from a shoe but it's going to be A crappy Cruiser I think like the shoe I Just got a bracket I put it in Now onto my verdict it's been a while Since I ran in the tree flyer first gen But my instant first run feeling about The upgrade is that not a great deal was Changed particularly in terms of the Ride of the shoe so if you'd like that Great you're probably going to like These if not there's nothing really to See here the upper changes with the Added structure remove some of the Bagginess from the first gen that's a Positive step forward there's a little
Bit more padding in the heel as well That marginally boosts the Comfort it Goes a bit deeper down in the heel and Those bio TPU overlays probably help With durability I'd say overall as well But for me the tree flyer 2 is still Firmly in that group of sustainable Shoes they'll happily plot a 10K in but I don't think they've nailed the Performance angle yet they haven't Really changed that haven't moved it on So it's not a bad ride if you like your Shoes on the firmer side but in a Crowded field a very capable shoes at Very good prices that midsole is still Just kind of okay there's nothing really Remarkable here in terms of the shoe's Performance if I'm honest I'm not sure All birds have done enough to move Things forward in terms of that Performance from the first gen to the Second gen yes these shoes will do a job But if you're basing your choices on Performance alone the first run doesn't Really give me the feeling that I Desperately want to buy these over many Many other shoes So there you have it that's our quick First run sort of rapid response to the All birds tree flyer from about six Miles I hope you found it informative And helpful we'll give you our full Multi-tested verdict once we've done our Full test miles in them if there's
Anything you want to know we want us to Cover let us know in the comments don't Forget to hit like And subscribe and Ring that Bell so you'll hear about when That video lands as well otherwise it's Been great to chat to you and we hope to See you again soon on the Run testers Happy running everyone
