The Nike Air brand has been about for over 20 years now and has always proven popular with athletes, recreational runners and those that think a Gym is their old uncle James. As a brand Nike have always tried to push their products with a huge technological spin.

The running shoes I have tested are the Nike Air Pegasus+ 28; these are sold as being suitable for people around the neutral running gait and as being in the cushioned bracket. A brief description of the technologies involved in the shoe follows.


Some of the cushioning is made up using the Nike Zoom unit in the sole, Flywire is a series of nylon bands around the upper to hold the foot in place, and The Nike+ technology is used in conjunction with items like an iPhone or the Nike+ band to track your progress. These are the main three that are used as selling points by the company.

So do they work? Will they improve your running experience or are they just trying to blind you with science?

As far as I can see and feel they work, (although I haven't tried the Nike+ thing yet as I do not own a corresponding device). These really are the most comfortable trainers I have had the pleasure of running in. The first thing that strikes you is how light these really are 297g each, it still surprises me when I pick them up now, nearly a month down the line.

The sole of the trainer is very flexible through the ball of the foot, stiffening as you move to the rear of the foot, there is a very good tread that provides grip across all forms of terrain including wet and muddy. The heel is well cushioned and considerably reduces the impact of heel strike. The cushioning is made up of the Nike Zoom units and Nike Air units within the sole, these work very well and gives the impression that you have a thick gel pad taped to your foot. The insole (Fitsole 2) is foam with a nylon top placed on top of another thin piece of foam sewn onto the upper. The upper is nylon, very light and breathable around the toe area through the Flywire part midfoot to the stiffer heel cup at the rear with cushioning fort he ankle.

Although the sole is thick and soft, these shoes still provide a tactile running experience that enables you to feel what the terrain surface under you is doing and to know, say, if the gravel you are running on is about to shift. I have used these shoes on a variety of terrains but mostly on concrete and tarmac and have not been disappointed at all.

The shoes I have are grey/black/white which suit me down to the ground as I do not like bright white trainers and am not a fan of the primary colour rainbow on others. These are good, not bland but understated.


The only complaint I could have and complaint is too strong a word, niggle is more like it. The only niggle I have is that the laces are not long enough. I normally leave the top lace hole free, but experienced some heel slip, so have had to lace them right up. As you can see from the above photo there is barely enough lace to tie them up securely, a double knot is impossible, I only mention this as I really cannot find anything else to moan about.

So in summary these are well made, comfortable, lightweight running shoe that are a pleasure to wear (with short laces).


Nike Air Pegasus+ 28 Running Shoes kindly supplied by sportsshoes.com