The Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris and Nike Alphafly 3 are two of the best new carbon plate racing shoes released in 2024, with both offering the fast, efficient ride you expect from a super-shoe for races of any distance. They’re Nick’s top two racing shoes of the year, but which is the best? Nick runs through the pros and cons of each shoe in this video, and gives his verdict.
Check out our reviews of both shoes:
Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris Review:
Nike Alphafly 3 Review:
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:16 – Design & Key Stats
02:29 – How’s The Fit
03:12 – The Run Test
06:42 – Verdict
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Hello and welcome to the Run testers my Name is Nick and in this video we're Going to be comparing the aex metas Speed Sky Paris and the Nike Alpha fly 3 so the Met speed Sky Paris and the AL 3 are two of the big new carbon shoe Launches this year I think they're the Best two new carbon shoe launches this Year with a tip of the hat to the Hocus Yellow X1 which I think is great and Indeed The Edge Paris which we haven't Tested yet I think they're the two Sho I Rate most highly of all the carbon shoes Out there so I thought it'd be good to Do a comparison of them to see which one I think is better the Met spe Sky Paris Is certainly a much cheaper shoe it's £220 in the UK and $250 in the US Whereas the alpha is £85 or dollar the Met Speedco Paris is also the lighter Shoe it's £88 G or 6.6 o in my UK size 9 The alpha is 220 G or 7.7 o in the same Size the metas spe Sky Paris is a 5mm Drop and the alphafly has an 8 mm drop And they both have stack lights that are Near enough 40 mm at the heel as you'd Expect to be in line with World Athletics regulations with the ax design You've got a new midsole for the sky Paris which is FF turbo plus which is Lighter softer bouncier than the FF Turbo we saw on the metas speed Series In the past you've got a wider carbon Plate in the shoe as well and you've got
A new motion wrap 2.0 upper which is a Bit lighter a bit more breathable There's not much padding going on apart From at the very back of the shoe tongue Is very thin and in general it's a very Lightweight know racing upper you've got An ax grip out soole which has decent Coverage on the 4 foot two strips at the Back which don't extend all the way back And then lots of holes on the for foot As well which obviously helps to keep The weight down interestingly the Mido Doesn't have a really big cutout which Is something that's pretty par for the Course of Super Shoes these days to Reduce weight you can see this one on The Ally here but despite the fact the Aex doesn't have one it is still a very Lightweight shoe obviously with the Nike You've got an atom knit 3.0 upper you've Got a booty style fit as opposed to the More traditional fit of the asex metas Speed Sky Paris Fair bit of structure Around the heel as well and quite a high Tab to hold the back of the foot in Place obviously got ZX foam midsole the Same foam Nike's been using for years The P based foam with Air Zoom pods Under the foref foot to give a bit more Pop in that part of the shoe full length Carbon plate obviously there's also a Full length carbon plate in the metas Speed Sky Paris I didn't mention that But they both have full length carbon
Plates as you'd expect and then you've Got a far shot rubber out sole on the Nike which has good for foot coverage Two large sections at the back of the Shoe which obviously are a little bit Further back than the ones on the A6 Which will help a little bit with Durability and grip at the Heel So when it comes to the fit of the two Shoes I've got my normal running shoe Size in both which is a uk9 US 10 with Both Brands they both fit really well For length i' would say I'm someone Who's a slightly small uk9 and this has These have quite dialed in fits but That's what you want in a racing shoe I Would say stick to your normal running Shoe size the fit has been secure and Comfortable for me you know in all areas Of the shoe when running long distances In both of these shoes but I think we Prefer actually the feel of the as6 I Think this motion wrap up I really liked On the previous versions of the metas Speed and also the magic speed three Really disappears on the foot and you Get a really good hold around the heel Without any irritation of the Achilles I've not had any real irritation with The Nike either but you see there's a Bit more potential to aggravate the Achilles with the higher tab you have on The
Shoe so as I mentioned at the top I Think these are the two standout carbon Racing shoes of the year so far and I've Used them a lot during my testing Because I've Loved running them so much I've done 125k in both of these shoes I've raced in both of these shoes I've Gone over 20 miles in both of these Shoes and I've done a lot of hard Sessions in both of them as well because I really like using them and I think They are like I say the stand out Options out there so add the alphafly 3 In first and when I was testing it I 100% thought this is going to be the Best Caron plx shoe of the year like I Had no thoughts of it I loved using it You know I did say in the review that I Thought was the best carbon shoe out There and I didn't really expect any to Come along and beat it it's lighter than The past Alpha fliers you've got this New continuous midsole design without The almost decoupled design you had Because of the cutout in the midfoot and It creates a smoother faster ride that Pushes you onto those Air Zoom pods Really effectively and gives you a lot Of repulsion from that feels lighter Nimbler a bit more like the vapor fly Than past Alpha flies but you're still Getting that booming Bounce from the Big Slab of zoomx it really creating I think The best of all worlds when it comes to
Nike shoes we've seen to date so I've Raced 5K and 10K in the shoe and I do Think it probably Excel even more over Longer distances but I really thought it Was very good over 5K and 10K done a Hard 20 mile in it as part of my Marathon training which you know felt Fantastic and I've also done short track Workouts in the shoe going down to kind Of 1K reps or even faster than that and Yeah it has felt really really good it's Got that explosive bouncy ride you Expect from zoomx foam from the alphafly With a slightly more aggressive Tippy Forward feeling I think than previous Versions of the shoe maybe not quite as Bouncy as previous versions it's Something we've discussed on the Channel With Tom still for any alply one but I Think the faster transition and the way It pushes you onto the Air Zoom pods Makes up for it or more than makes up For it with the alpha fly 3 so huge fan Of the Nike alply 3 then the as6 metas Speed Sky Paris came along last month And made me very much reconsider what my Top racing shoe of the year is it really Is basically perfect I think it's got Such a lightweight design and it's still Still packs in a whole load of Bounce It's not quite as bouncy as the AL I'd Say but transition is faster more Aggressive you really feel the carbon Plate under your forefoot without any
Kind of harshness you just feel that Propulsive spring from it in line with This new phone which is softer and Bouncier than the previous versions of The metas speed it really just create And a fantastic package where you're Moving through your foot strike very Quickly getting a whole load of punch Off the toes and having that really Lightweight feel that means you can pick Your feet up really quickly if you are a High Cadence Runner like myself even Though this is the shoe aimed at the Bounders I still think it really helps With the high because it is so Lightweight and it is easy to engage the Plate on the shoe and get Bounce from it Like I think sometimes maybe a little Bit with the sky in the past it was Aimed at bounders I think I had to be Running in a certain way to actually Really unlock the real benefits of the Plate by having that slightly more Loping style but with the new version of The shoe I find that I really feel the Spring from the plate very easily even When shuffling along towards the end of Races I've done several very hard Sessions in the metas speed Sky Paris During the kind of the meat of my Marathon training I've gone sub6 at Park Ron for the first time I've run a 7030 Half in quite windy and hilly conditions And I've run a really hard track session
In the shoe as well and you every single Time I've running it it's impressed me More so I finished up my testing with a Metb sky Paris thinking this is the shoe For me this is I think the best carbon Shoe on the market but I was aware that I'm probably the fittest I've ever been When I've been testing this shoe cuz I've had a really successful marathon Training block I've done higher mileage Than before I thought well maybe I'm Just testing it exactly the right time To really be impressed by a shoe and Actually I'm just fitted than before so Took the alphafly 3 out for another hard Workout the other day after testing the S6 metas speed Sky Paris so I was doing A progression hour in the shoe doing the First 20 minutes at 620 per mile the Second 20 minutes at 545 per mile and Then the last 20 at 530 per mile so good Hard workout basically I went into that Workout pretty afraid I was going to Come out of it very much confused again That I like the alphafly 3 more than the As6 I was going to have a real hard Decision for London Marathon which is my Big race coming up actually love the Shoe in that workout finished the Workout though convinced that the ASX Met speed Sky Paris is my preferred shoe Of the two like the AL 3 still felt Great but do think the faster more Aggressive transition I get from the F6
Suits me more as a runner did also do a Short run wearing both shoes at the same Time and you do feel the bounce and you Certainly hear the bounce in the alpha Flight it's the louder shoe of the two I Don't think the aex is a particularly Quiet shoe but the alply is louder as is Always the case with Nike Super Shoes You can feel the balance of the shoe and It really does work in driving you onto Those airom pods and then you spring off And you feel really good but it almost Felt like oh yeah I can feel the KN move Me onto the foref foot the atics I'm Already there I'm just already there and I'm moving on and I've you know gone Through my foot strike and I'm on to my Next stride and it just feels like such A fluid and fast shoe I really like the Way it feels on the ride so yeah running And Bo both at the same time both felt Really good but again aex I think just Had the preferable ride feel for me one Last note from the run test would be Durability has been really good in both Shoes so far so like I said about 125k No real loss of Bounce anything like That in either shoe they're both a bit Scuffed up got a bit muddy aex is losing A bit of this yellow section which you Know I don't think is a problem but some People might like the fact it's losing a Bit of that obviously the Nike has the Rubber right at the back of the shoe
Which does mean it is very well Protected there the foam with aex it Never all the way back and I'm a Slightly more pronounced heel Striker on My left foot this is my left shoe bit More scuff up there hasn't actually Ripped through the foam yet which it did Do at this stage with the metas speed Sky Plus but that will be a small thing For durability if you are a heel Striker Overall no real concerns about Durability with either Shoe so verdict obviously be pretty Clear my verdict given what I said in The run test but these are both really Outstanding shoes that's for sure They're great for any distance I think Some might feel that the metas speed Sky Paris leans more towards short distances And May feels like the alpha fly leans More towards long distances but I think They're amazing across all distances Very happy racing 5Ks in the alply Certainly very happy to go and do a Marathon in the metas speed Sky Paris Overall as I've said I prefer the S6 and The ride feel really is the key to that It feels more aggressive I feel like get A fast transition I love the lightness Of it I really think it helps me as a High Cadence Runner to pick up my feet But that lightness doesn't come at the Expense of Bounce and propulsion you're Still getting that with this shoe it's a
Really lightweight shoe but you've still Got a high stack of a very impressive Phone and I really feel the drive from The carbon plate and and the foam Combined at the end of my foot strike Even when I'm really tiring as I was in That race in the half marathon I did in The shoe I'm sure some Runners will Prefer the bouncy feel of the Al flight I'm not going to say definitively this Is a worse shoe than the ax but it's got That classic bouncy Nike feeling from The zoomx foam some people really like That and you stick with it and you are Going to get an amazing shoe that's for Sure be very happy if this was the only Shoe that existed in the world the only Shoe I had this has never come out I'd Be very happy going into my London Marathon wearing the alphafly 3 but Overall like I say I've just preferred The feeling of the aexs I also say that The a does have a couple of objective Things that are better than the alpha FL Most of this is obviously very Subjective it's my opinion on the shoes And I have preferred the F6 but the Objective things are that it's Considerably lighter and it's Considerably cheaper and those are both Very good things in Racing shoes because You know you want your racing shoe to be Light and given how expensive carbon Shoes are it's nice to spend a little
Bit less it's also been more widely Available I know people talk about on The alphafly videos what's the point of Comparing it to anything if you can't Buy it some point in the future the Ally Will be easy to buy but at right now the Aex is a lot easier to get hold of and I Think you can go into it and buy it Without thinking oh if I'm buying this Maybe I should wait for the Ally I'm Going to buy the Ally eventually anyway I think like I say I prefer the assx you Can go ahead and buy it and think you've Got the best rating shoe on the market In my opinion equally if you already Bought the AL 3 and manag to get a hold Of it you don't have to rush out and get The assx this is an amazing shoe I do Think lots of people will find the Alphafly 3 better and it's you know Equally really good on performance I Just prefer the way the mat P guy feels So that is the comparison I think of the Two best shoes on the market right now Asex metp Sky Paris locked in as my shoe For under Marathon and my preferred Racing shoe overall The Edge Paris is Going to turn up at some point and Hopefully it won't get into my head Before London but we are looking forward To testing that shoe and comparing it to The sky Paris I think you're probably Going to get quite a lot of similarities Between the shoes would be my gut
Feeling before we test the edge but Obviously we'll come back with more on That when we do finally get hold of It so that is our comparison of the Metas speed Sky Paris and the Ally 3 let Us know what you think in the comments Below please like And subscribe ring the Little bell and we'll see you next time
