The Under Armour Flow Velociti Elite was a versatile shoe for training and racing, but lacked the propulsive feel of the best super-shoes. With the Velociti Elite 2 Under Armour has added more of its Peba-based foam into the dual-density midsole with the aim of improving the ride. Has it worked? Tom, Kieran and Nick have been out for their first runs in the shoe and give their early impressions here.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:16 – Design & Key Stats
01:37 – How’s The Fit
03:59 – First Run
11:02 – Early Verdict
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Hello and welcome to Rum testers my name Is Nick and this is our first look at The under arour velocity Elite [Music] 2 so the Under Armour velocity Elite 2 Is obviously the successor to the Velocity Elite 1 it's under armour's top Carbon plate racing shoe and the shoe Has seen a significant overhaul for the Second version with a redesigned midsole It cost £225 in the UK $250 in the US it Weigh in at 258 G or 9.1 o in my UK size 9 which is pretty heavy for a super shoe And a jumping weight on the first Version of the shoe and it's listed at Having an 8mm drop on the under website Interestingly I think I've seen some Reviews online early reviews of the shoe Saying it's more like a 2mm drop and as You can see it does look pretty level Right there until you get to the very End of the shoe where there is that very Sharp tow spring so it might depend on Exactly where you measure it but on my First run today it did feel like quite a Low Drop shoe I will say that so big Update with the second version of the Shoe is you've got a lot more of the Biobased PX foam in the midso where the First version just had a little bit less Basically you've got a big chunk of it And certainly more of it under the for Foot in particular it is still a dual Density midso though with underarms flow
Foam beneath and that flow foam also Acts as the out soole of the shoe it's Pretty durable material creates that Dual density effect with the slightly Bouncier more resilient layer on the top Of the you have a full length carbon Plate running in between the two layers As you expect you've got a mids soole Cut out now to reduce weight a little Bit which shows off the plate in the mid Soole then you've got a Warp 2.0 upper This is a very nice breathable upper It's a really good looking shoe all Around I think we can say that straight Away haven't got too much padding or Heel structure but in general the way The upper wraps the foot creates a nice Secure hold for fast [Music] Running so when it comes to size I've Just run in a UK and a half which are my Regular running shoe size in under arour Shoes and I would say the velocity 2 Here they fit really nicely I've got Good hold in the hill they kind of hug Around the back of the Hill nicely got Manag to get pretty good lock down Across the top of the midfoot I think You have to sort of buckle the laces Down quite tight to do that there is Quite a lot of sort of room across that Midfoot one thing I did find is the Tongues are very narrow so you don't Quite get that kind of full wrapped feel
That you might do with some race shoes And I think maybe that kind of accounts For some of the sort of slight kind of Insecurity there in the midfoot and you Can sort of see the gaps of my socks Down either side it's a little bit odd They just basically haven't made the Tongues quite wide enough which is an Interesting one otherwise though plenty Room in the toebox lots of wiggle room I Think really good amount of room towards The end of the toes they are arguably a Little bit long bit longer than some Other kind of R shoes But I never had any problems with him in That run at all in that first run and Overall I think I would recommend going True to sizing issues comes to the fit I Have a uk9 which is a us10 the same size I had in the first version of the shoe And I would say it is the right size for Me to go for that is my normal running Shoe size I'm you know in between a US 9.5 and a 10 actually have one foot That's probably more of a 9.5 and one More of 10 and that's more or less Exactly what I have with this shoe I've Got a bit more room on my left side but I was happy with the fit going for my Normal size there it's what I'd Recommend got quite a nice upper all Round I'd say it holds the put securely Without any hot spots or rubbing and it Doesn't feel too loose in any area so
Yeah all around I was very happy in my Normal running shoe size the fit for me In the velocity Elite 2 um I'm a size Eight in the UK this is a size eight uh It was fine for me uh but I don't Normally want a lot of space before my Uh big toe uh I think for some people You might want to size up half a size in This shoe just because there it's a Little bit restrictive uh in in the Forefoot and I know some people won't Like that um the front of the shoe is Actually surprisingly wide there seems To be a lot of space in the foref foot To move your feet around but um it's Quite a low top shoe so I did feel the Uh over my toes I could feel the the top Of the shoe sort of pressing on them uh Which by going up half size you might Alleviate that a little bit uh I didn't Have any problems with it it was Perfectly comfortable but I do think That uh for some people it might just be A little bit um on the tight side uh so It go half a size in this Hello welcome to very sunny London uh I'm down the track to do my first run in The Under Armour flow velocity Elite 2 Just jogged here along the road I'm now Going to do a 10 times 400 m session Running 75 seconds for the Reps or so With 200 me jog recovery first bit of Speed work since the London Marathon so It's been 2 and a half weeks so going to
Blow some cobwebs away today hopefully It might be a bit painful looking Forward to trying out the shoes and Running fast for the first time in a While So I'm all done uh that was good fun Great fun to be back on the track and Running quickly again it was a bit of an Effort by the end starting to uh feel it A bit uh just with raising my heart rate For the first time in two and a half Weeks but everything was quite Controlled on Pace and the shoes felt Pretty good like I mean that's a session I should be doing any shoes you don't Really get a big squishing and bounce Here with these shoes like the foam is a Bit firmer than others isn't it it feels Like that lower layer of foam is Disproportionately present on the run You can really feel it and it maybe Takes away quite a lot from the ride Potentially like they don't feel very Nimble obviously they are quite big Shoes and you when you are starting to Drag your feet a little bit that is Noticeable and just not sure that They're giving you enough bounce back to Make up for that weight like you know There are some big heavy Super Shoes out There like the Hocus yellow one or uh Even the alphafly 2 and but they give You so much back in terms of the Softness and bounciness of the foam and
That isn't really the case here so You've got the weight but you don't Really get that massive amount of spring So you know you can turn your feet over Them quite nicely they uh feel very low Drops it's quite interesting the idea That they've got this 8 mm drop I know Early review said 2 mm I think it's cuz There's so much of the drop is Con in That tiny bit of tow Spring right at the End of the shoe they are quite flat Figuring actually and that's nice for me On a run like that today when I'm Hitting fairly sharp Paces I'm landing a Bit more midf foot four foot but if I'm Doing a longer race I probably land a Bit further back and not sure I'll get Quite enough rocker through off this Shoe compared to others but obviously That would be different if you are Landing on your for foot naturally so Yeah all around it was okay like there's Better feelings of the foam potentially Than the first one it doesn't feel quite So firm and flat you get a little bit More bounce maybe but it's not a big Bounce issue it's not that springy and You do feel the weight a bit so I Interest to see how it feels when I'm Trying to hold a pace over a longer Distance you know it's okay today on the Shorter reps was turning my feet over Quite nicely but I'm not sure how the Shoe would feel if you're like 8K into a
Hard 10K and start to really fall apart It maybe just feels a little bit Clunkier than some of the other Super Shoes out there so my first run in this Shoe was a 7K run I didn't have a lot of Time in my lunch break to to go out and Do a long run in it so um I took it out For a 7K and did um a load of intervals Short intervals of about 250 M um I Wasn't a massive fan of the the previous Velocity Elite I think it was fine I Think it felt like a very fast old style Shoe but it didn't really give me Anything in terms of performance gains From the plate or the or the phone that Was in it I do think this isn't this Feels a little bit different than the First one um I definitely noticed the Plate a little bit more in this uh when I was picking up the pace and I also Felt that the foam had a little bit more To it a little bit more bounce not loads Um but I definitely think this is an Improvement on the um on the original Velocity Um over the uh easy section of the run That I did so running to the park to do My intervals um I was probably running At 5 Minute uh 10 5 minute 20 uh minute Kilm and it felt okay it just it's not a Shoe design for that it's very much an Old school style um fastpaced shoe and At those Paces that midsole just really Doesn't offer anything back it feels
Quite firm um and doesn't feel Particularly comfortable at those paces When I picked up the pace and started Hitting those intervals that's when the The shoe really kicks into into gear it Is slightly heavier than the previous Version but once you start really moving Forward and and picking up the pace you Can you can feel the shoe kicking into Gear and uh at that point it did feel Like that I'd found the sweet spot for For this shoe over that run um comparing With other shoes though I I do think the Performance benefits of this are Li Limited in comparison to a lot of other Shoes so um things like the alpha flies The Vapor Flies of this world the um A6 Uh Sky Paris shoes like that it those All seem to do a lot more um on the Run Uh than this shoe does they feel a bit Bouncier they've got a little bit more Propulsion um whereas this just feels it Feels a little bit more like an old School uh racing shoe um bit firmer it's Very responsive um but it's really Designed for those Runners that want a More conventional feel uh and I think it Will work for some Runners like that I Think definitely benefits to this shoe For a certain type of Runner that that Really wants that sort of traditional Style um fast shoe but if you're used to Using uh the more modern super shoes That have lots of new phones and stuff
In this is going to feel probably a Little bit too firm and a little bit um Uh not as performance-based as some of Those shoes however um I think I think It really if you're putting into the Realms of Super Shoes uh I think it sits Quite low down I think if this was Classed as a training shoe um and you're Using it for your faster training Sessions a bit like the soc Dophin speed 4 I think it actually is quite a nice Shoe pity that it's quite high it's Quite expensive uh for what it does but That's what I would use this shoe for I Think I'd probably use it as a as a Supportive shoe for my interval sessions Um and maybe fart Leck things like that Where I want to pick up the pace and I Want a nice fast sharp shoe that does That um but uh other than that I I do Think it was uh it did well at those Intervals but I don't think it's a Particularly versatile shoe and I think It's a bit of an acquired taste so for My first run I've just done six miles Did a mixture of Paces some nice and Easy couple miles a bit faster some kind Of middling pace so everything from kind Of my easy up through my Marathon to my Half marathon pace in those shoes so I Think the first thing you really notice When you put these shoes on for the First time is just how pronounced the Rocker is it's really like the toes
Disappear from under you when you're Walking in them it really tilts you Forward and when you get moving that Sensation is exaggerated what you've got Is almost it's like a it's like a nodule Of the Midol foam under the ball of your Foot and that rolls really quickly into That kind of toe off the rocking on this Is more pronounced I think than many Shoes I've run in recently or orever It's you know it's really really Noticeable I think the shoe for me Performed better when I was up on my Toes rather than rocking back on my Heels the other thing I I do think this Is kind a Punchy shoe particularly when You're moving an easier to slower Pace I Really feel there's quite a lot of Energy coming back from that phone more So than I think from the last velocity Elite then when you go up the gears and You really strued drive from your kind Of 4 foot sort of midfoot Landings that Phone really kind of compacts actually And it feels quite direct this is a Stiff old shoe as well you know that That sort of rocking that stiff carbon Plate I think you really notice it quite Early and quite pronounced it makes the Shoe quite a Punchy shoe actually I Think in a very different way to some of The other Super Shoes it's not so much Of a kind of really sort of springy kind Of bouncy energetic ride it's more kind
Of stiff and rolling and you're getting You know a lot from the roering and the Carbon plate I feel that's how I felt in That first [Music] Run quick first run verdict then and as I said I enjoyed those early miles in The Under Armour velocity Elite 2 my First impressions are that this is a Step-on from the original velocity Elite And it might well be under ARA's best Shoe to date but it's still not quite up There with the best carbon races based On those early miles that I've done Comfort was good there's a really Unfussy fit loads of room in the toe box And I don't mind having a more Traditional kind of more padded heel Colors here there's definitely more Energy from that sort of two foam Midsole versus the old velocity there's A real stiffness to the sort of carbon Plate and that midsole generally and That works with what is quite a Pronounced rocker here adding up to for A generally kind of lively ride that Gives you more though when you're up on Your mid to four foot really attacking Your run with proper intent it feels Quite a lot different to other carbon Races I think it's definitely firmer and Stiffer it's notably heavier there's a Bit more shoe here on the foot than a Lot of those carbon races in fact only
The Adidas Prime x 2 strong comes in Heavier than this shoe it's early in Testing but after that first run I could See myself doing some sort of faster Training runs in these interestingly I Think it'd be a good interval shoe but I'm not that convinced that they'd be my First choice for allout racing that's Not helped by the price either the small Price hike in the UK makes these shoes More expensive than the aex metas speed Sky Paris and the adios Pro 3 even the Hoko carbon rocket X2 and I don't think I'd choose these above those shoes I'd Love to have seen under Ara these in at Like 200 or less and really get us Thinking about whether or not this would Be an option A more cost effective Option as ever more testing though is Needed in these shoes before we give our Full verdict these are just early Thoughts after one initial run but at The moment while I enjoyed the early Miles and the UnderArmour Elite to I Think it has some work to do to convince Me that it's up there with the best Racing Super Shoes but we will do Testing and find out so my early verdict On the Under Armour velocity Elite 2 is Improvement on the previous version I Definitely think that Under Armour has Listened to what people said about that Previous version and made some Adjustments to this which I think work
Quite well I think the mid's a bit Better uh I think there's a little bit Bit more pop in this shoe um despite the Extra weight uh but I would say that From that first run it still feels to me Like a very specific type of shoe some Runners may love it um because of that That firmness and it's a very responsive As a result um and especially at those Quicker uh Paces it really justes pick Up and you can feel a little bit of a a Kick from from uh from that plate but um For me after that that that first run What I do feel is that it's it's going To struggle to compete with a lot of the Other shoes out there that are really Doing a lot of this stuff better um Because of the foam um bouncier foam Softer Foams um and just better CM plate Placing um definitely for me feels more Like a conventional shoe um that a lot Of people for the price are probably not Going to be too happy with but for some People it may be the perfect shoe Because it's it's not the same as most Other Super Shoes on the market at the Moment so very early verdict obviously On the velocity Elite after just one run It was enjoyable enough run today but I Feel like you're just not getting enough Bounce for the weight of the shoe here Like I had one of my favorite U carbon Shoes this year is the Hocus y X1 which Is obviously a pretty heavy shoe as well
But you get so much Bounce from that Mids it's such a fantastic ride really For anything I've done very short reps In that shoe going up to 24 mile long Runs and it always feels really good you Just don't have that bouncy feeling with The Foams that Under Armor uses it's It's a different feeling super Sho to Lots of others you've got a firmer feel Even from the packs and especially in Combination with the flow foam all Around like it's not a bad thing but It's not necessarily a super shoe Feeling I'm not sure you're getting Enough Dynamic energy return here to Make it comparable to other Super Shoes On the market did enjoy using it for Those shorter intervals today I do think It's a shoe that probably favor four Foot Strikers a bit you got that deep Wedge of the foam there you've got this Very dramatic tow spring and what feels Like quite a low Drop shoe all around as Someone who heel strikes generally and Over longer races I feel like I probably Might not enjoy this shoe so much cuz You haven't got that F length rocker Onto the for foot that you have with Some other shoes or shoes of a higher Drop like the first version of the shoe But I did enjoy it today like I said Running those 400 met reps but even then You can certainly feel the kind of extra Weight you have here compared to lots of
Other shoes out there it's also quite Stable shoe I think about and slow Paces To and from the track as well I think It's going to be a pretty durable shoe And like the first version it will be a Shoe that you can use for lots of Different runs but all those are kind of Positives to training shoes or trainer Racers you know super trainers that kind Of thing they're not what I'm looking For in a Bonafide Super Shoe I want all Out pay I want a really bouncy fast ride I want an aggressive ride and with the Velocity Elite too I just don't think You're getting that as much as with Other shoes and the price is comparable To those shoes so aex met speed Sky Paris straight away is a shoe that is a Little bit cheaper or the same price and It is just a Fantastical run shoe it's Much lighter it's bouncier that's the Kind of competition this shoe is going Up against so on its own perfectly Enjoyable shoe shoe you could use a lot Pretty fast shoe but if you're going to Price it to go up against the very best Shoes on the market it's only one run But there are shes that I would be Picking up ahead of this shoe just Because of their faster rides lighter Design is just all around more racy Feels so yeah I enjoyed the first run in The Under Armor looking forward to doing Some runs in it I do want to see how it
Feels when I'm holding a sustained pace For a period but so far hasn't really Shone compared to what else we've seen In the car market already this year and In years [Music] Past so that's our first run review of The under arour velocity Elite 2 let us Know what you think in the comments Below please do like and subscribe ring The little bell and we'll see you next Time
