After racing in the Streakfly over five miles, as well as doing some speedy training in the shoe, we still rate the Vaporfly as the slightly better option for those shorter races, but the Streakfly is lighter and much cheaper, and will appeal to lots of runners as a result. The new outer sole footwrap was one of my favorite parts of the shoe, adding to the structure of the TPU cage to keep the foot secure.

On walking around the foam feels adequate, nothing too exciting about it depending on your expectations but all in all, a good first impression. There’s no better option for 5Ks and 10Ks, and there’s only one shoe we rate as better than the Vaporfly for long distance races, and that’s Nike’s other carbon racer, below. Any road running shoe will work fine on the treadmill, but you might want to consider one of Nike’s gym shoes if you plan to also hit the weights room.

There’s plenty of padding in the tongue and ankle collar to offer some comfort, and they breathe well which is usually the main downfall for lower-cost shoes.

One feature missing is a full length carbon plate, with the Streakfly instead having a small Pebax plate at the midfoot to add a little stability to the soft foam and speed your transition onto your forefoot. Compared to the Downshifter 10 I’ve recently been running in, there’s slightly more visible support around the midfoot, however, I really couldn’t feel this when trying it on. Now, it’s a sea of green and pink, with Nike Vaporfly NEXT% emerging as the go-to option for pros and serious amateurs alike. The popular shoe, now in its 11th version comes in a huge range of colorways and sizes to suit every runner.

Usually, with Nike, we see a big change of design every two versions, so perhaps the 12 will be a little more interesting, but for a low-cost running shoe, designed with a big variety of runners in mind, you can’t go too wrong with this shoe. The shoe is at its best on long and steady runs, but will cover all the bases for newer runners in particular. The outsole rubber curves up over the toe to give good durability, protecting the softer foam underneath. I haven’t yet been for a run but a mild jog and they felt great and also used in gym sessions and felt good for squats etc. This upper is constructed in a seamless design with synthetic overlays and ventilated TPU midfoot cage.

The Nike Downshifter 11 is a superb shoe for anyone starting out in running or training, or those looking for a budget running shoe.The tongue is comfortably padded and stayed in place well, on runs when the laces were tighter, and when wearing casually and a little looser.