Which Race Shoe is More Efficient? | Cloudboom Strike 2 vs Alphafly 4

In today's video, Alex puts the On Cloudboom Strike 2 and the Nike Alphafly 4 head to head using STRYD data, measuring the real metrics behind two of the biggest carbon plated race day shoes on the market right now.

The Cloudboom Strike 2 came out 2W more efficient and produced a lower impact loading rate, suggesting a more conservative demand on the body over marathon distance. The Alphafly 4 produced a shorter ground contact time and higher leg spring stiffness, pointing to a bouncier, more explosive ride that may suit shorter efforts or lighter, more efficient runners.

Fit-wise the two shoes take different approaches. The Alphafly 4 is more comfortable out of the box with a wider fit and better laces, while Alex prefers the more traditional tongue construction of the Cloudboom Strike 2. It is also worth noting that the LightSpray version of the Cloudboom Strike 2 matches or betters the Alphafly 4 on upper quality and comes in considerably lighter.

Which one does Alex choose? Watch till the end to find out.

All testing was carried out at 4:45min/km on the treadmill, giving a standardised and comparable dataset across every key metric. Here is what the data showed:

Nike Alphafly 4: 307W | 3:49min/km | 164spm | 168bpm | Form Power 78W | FPR 0.26 | GCT 201ms | LSS 10.8kN/m | VO 9.67cm | ILR 81bw/sec | Stride Length 1.6m | Vertical Ratio 6%

On Cloudboom Strike 2: 305W | 3:49min/km | 164spm | 172bpm | Form Power 78W | FPR 0.26 | GCT 204ms | LSS 10.3kN/m | VO 9.54cm | ILR 79bw/sec | Stride Length 1.59m | Vertical Ratio 6%

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
03:37 - Testing Procedure
04:09 - Power
05:00 - Cadence
05:28 - Heart Rate
06:16 - Form Power
06:39 - Ground Contact Time
07:00 - Leg Spring Stiffness
07:43 - Impact Loading Rate
08:10 - Stride Length
08:27 - Vertical Oscillation
08:45 - Conclusions
10:19 - Recommendations

🔺 Links from this video ⬇️

------------
AFFILIATE LINKS

🇪🇺 Top4Running (discount code META)
top4running.com

------------
🤝🏻 WORK WITH US: info@meta-endurance.com
------------
🔺 Meta Endurance on Social media

Website - meta-endurance.com
Instagram - instagram.com/metaendurance
Racing: instagram.com/metaendurance.racing
Tiktok - tiktok.com/@metaendurance
------------

#run #