It has a 30.5mm to 22mm heel-toe stack - a noticeable 8.5mm drop. It’s also worth noting that Allbirds opted for an aggressive stance with the Tree Flyer. The supportive upper, stable silhouette and “bitey” sole make for a wonderfully pliant and supportive shoe that performs great in agility exercises - think up and down stairs, box jumps, calisthenics, and even jumping rope. The brand also flared out the heel, adding overall stability and balance to the shoe, and built neutral traction channels to the natural rubber outsole. It still uses its knit eucalyptus tree fiber - still the Holy Grail of breathable materials - but provides a sleeker and more supportive fit than the Tree Dasher. (Photo/Allbirds)Īllbirds also revamped the upper design and construction. How do they perform outside of their designed purpose? This is where the Tree Flyer soars. However, as I mentioned, there’s another way to evaluate these shoes. So it certainly adds a positive twist to the midsole, often the more nefarious element in shoe manufacturing. And compared to the likes of HOKA, Altra, Brooks, and other major players in the dedicated running space, the SwiftFoam - more environmentally pleasing though it is - doesn’t quite hold pace.Ī note on its eco-friendly story: SwiftFoam uses a blend of recycled materials and castor bean oil resin. As noted, the foam contributes to the notable absence of grams.īut as for its “springy” energy return, it did not feel as dramatic as I’d hoped. Whereas the Tree Dasher line used SweetFoam, the Flyer boasts “SwiftFoam” - advertised as 30% lighter and with 70% better rebound. So, it’s plenty lightweight - that checks out.īut springy? Allbirds claims it retooled its midsole with new processes and ingredients. I can attest to the shoe’s svelte weight it comes in at just under 9.5 ounces for a men’s size 9. ![]() The first is how well it stacks up to its own advertising.Īllbirds markets the Tree Flyer as a “light,” “springy” shoe built for distance running. I suppose there are two ways to review this shoe. The knock is that for serious runners, the Tree Flyer can’t quite compete with established running shoe brands when it comes to big comfort and speed over big miles. The Tree Flyer offers superior support and fit over its predecessors, and exemplary breathability - resulting in a truly comfortable, reliable pair of shoes for daily fitness routines. In short: Allbirds’ trademark natural and lower-impact materials and construction processes give the Tree Flyer superior comfort in hot conditions, and unrivaled peace of mind for a product category typically defined by high-waste, high-impact manufacturing. And I’ve worked them in as a mainstay when conditions are just right. I’ve been wearing a pair of Tree Flyers ($160) for daily workouts - I mix it up with stair runs, agility workouts, and gym routines - for about a month. But the Tree Flyer holds a redemptive secret: It’s a damned good all-around fitness shoe. Ordinarily, that would relegate it to the secret and ever-growing pile of not-reviewed shoes - an odiferous mound of ignominious torture-tested kicks festering somewhere in a forgotten storage loft at GJ HQ. But while the Flyer, launching worldwide today, indeed trims nearly a full ounce off the brand’s last big running release (the Tree Dasher 2.0), I just have not fallen in love with it as a running-specific shoe. “More Bounce, Less Ounce: the Tree Flyer is a high-performance dream for distance running,” the brand’s teaser for the Tree Flyer reads. By its own account, Allbirds built its latest foray into performance footwear for faster, longer runs. Trouble is, that’s not its designed function. Jumping, juking, stepping, and planting - I find myself continually reaching for the Allbirds Tree Flyerfor daily strength, conditioning, and agility workouts. ![]() Though it takes aim at a more fleet distance shoe, Allbirds gives rise to a more stable, comfortable line of all-fitness footwear.
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