Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36 – Good all-rounders, with one fatal flaw

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In running, as in fine dining, the first taste is with the eye.

The banana-yellow of these shoes shoots right to the back of your retina and kicks you in the optic nerve. Meanwhile, the big black swoosh overlay adds a touch of danger, like a bee or a particularly miffed snake.

You don’t know whether to eat these shoes or hide from them. All these say that visual design is at the forefront of this edition of Nike Pegasus.

And rightly so, the designer and Artist In Residence (A.I.R), Cody Hudson, has done a stand-up job of creating a striking and clean look in a market of shoes. 

Casually slipping them on, I was first surprised by the amount of freedom allowed in the heel. The back of my foot was moving a few millimetres and creating friction.
I quickly learned that’s because I did it wrong.

To wear these shoes, you have to take extreme care to lace them up tight. Pulling from the bottom of the laces, threading the tension up through each eyelet, and tightly tying creates an ultra-snug, 360-degree supportive fit—a chrysalis for your feet.

No more heel slippage. Once laced firmly, they are a second skin.

Lifting my heels, they felt light and responsive, if a little stiff. That was all to change once I had tried them on the road.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s look at the details of the shoe first.

The upper

The engineered mesh upper provides solid support around the whole of the forefoot. Still, crucially its mild elasticity allows just enough movement and give to avoid this turning into undue restriction.

There are an external layer and a soft inner sock-liner — both heavily perforated to create the feeling of a wind tunnel for the toes.

While the fit can feel restrictive on first wear (particularly in the toe box), after a few minutes of training, the upper expands to give a tight but accommodating fit.

The exposed flywire cord assisted lacing system— lateral tethers stretching from the eyelets on each side and anchoring solidly down into the midsole—greatly aided this.

These transfer the tension from the laces and distribute it evenly around the midfoot. It gives your feet a reassuring hug and enhancing the feeling of ergonomic ‘oneness’ — that these are less an external accessory than an extension of your body.

The tongue is asymmetrical and very skinny — no bloated plushness here. The shape serves to mould to the bridge of your foot as discreetly as possible, maintaining a streamlined form.

There is a downside to the tongue design, however, which I will touch on a little later.

The insoles feature more black silhouettes akin to those on the upper, which I can only guess would represent: a flower, the world, a pyramid, a swoosh, a picture of an old fence and a stack of dishes.

Additionally, one insole bears the perplexing legend: "DRONE — ZONE — MIND — BODY — BREATHE — DEEP." with every other letter printed upside-down and back to front.

While this may contain some profound meaning, I’ll leave that for you to ponder on a particularly long, slow run.

The insole provides some pleasing extra cushioning, especially in the heel. Not much in the way of arch support in these shoes, so neutral runners will be best served.

The only plush part of the upper is the heel collar, which tapers away at the Achilles tendon. It gives plenty of freedom from the ankle upwards for uneven or undulating terrain as well as fast downhills.

The support of the padded collar adds to the wearability of these shoes and creates a comfortable seal to the unit. Also, I have experienced no friction issues or restriction of motion.

I have one, quite major, gripe with the upper , and it's one of the first things I noticed about the shoe— the lacing system. Yes, you must tie them tight, or they come loose. But, not too tight or they come loose.

Lacing them is more an art than a science. Nike’s choice of a very thin, flat tongue means there isn’t that buffer between the lace knot and the bridge of the foot that a plush tongue provides.

Thus, every vertical movement of the foot transfers directly as pressure on the knot and any weakness in the knot will work itself loose over time.

These are the only shoes I have had come undone while training, which makes me think twice about wearing them on a race day.

I’ve had the most success by tying the knot very tightly, but incorporating the slightest gap between the knot and the tongue, so the knot is sitting on the resting foot rather than being pulled against it.

Midsole

A full-length Air pocket and proprietary Cushlon foam make up the midsole of the Peg 36.

The ride feels a little stiff at first. But, after the first few minutes of training, the shoes warm up and melt deliciously underfoot providing ligament-friendly cushioning while remaining responsive and flexible.

The 10mm drop adds an extra push to your pace when tempo running, and the heel-to-toe transition is slick and smooth.

At slower tempos, I find the ride a little jarring, owing to a tendency to heel strike at these paces. But, once I pick up the speed, there is a real feel of ease, fluidity, and circularity of motion, like running in an invisible hamster wheel.

As well as road running, I’ve also tried these on some tamer tracks. They cope as well as can be expected for a road shoe—remaining stable on uneven ground and minor obstacles like exposed tree roots.

After only a few kilometres, I found that the heel had visibly crumpled and was at first a little concerned. But, after 200+ km in these shoes, the crumpling has not worsened, and the midsole has remained soft and responsive as ever.

The widths available are D (regular — my review size), 2E (wide) and 4E (extra wide). I have a narrow foot, and the D was a perfect fit, but it could easily be too skinny for some.

Outsole

Waffled carbon rubber makes up the outsole, and it is resilient indeed. After a month of heavy training in these, I have visible wear only on the very frontmost ‘waffle’.

The profile of the outsole enhances the feeling of fluidity of this shoe, and particularly the tapered rear, which ensures your heel meets the road smoothly with each step at speed.

There is plenty of tread on the outsole to deal with roads and paths with aplomb. However, I wouldn’t use them for anything more technical than a gravel path or tame woodland as the grip is geared towards smoother surfaces.

A full-length heel-to-toe groove creates a remarkably fluid transition on road surfaces and makes the shoe feel a lot more flexible than it is when taken in hand.

This is a big plus over longer distances as it evokes a feeling of effortlessness that is even palpable on tired legs.

In conclusion

Pros

• Stylish as heck
• Slick, cushioned, and speedy ride
• Quite lightweight
• Comfortable, firm but unrestrictive fit
• Well-ventilated
• Not unreasonably priced, for the market

Cons

• The laces could betray you on a race day
• Little support for overpronators
• A bumpy ride on slow runs

On balance, I give this shoe an 85/100. An excellent all-rounder and ideal for tempo training, but there are better options for slow, long runs as well as race days.

Nike Zoom Pegasus 36 after 100 miles

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The shoe presents a quality feel when first placing your foot within the upper. This 2019 update to the Pegasus line has a more minimal feel to last year's offering.

The tongue is less obtrusive than the longer, stretched out tongue found on the Pegasus 35. I never had an issue with the tongue on that version of the shoe.

It is certainly not detectable here and does the job of protecting the forefoot from the laces perfectly.

The tongue is also thinner and slightly offset around the ankle area, which helps with some of the weight relief I shall discuss later.

I do note that after 100 miles, the very edge of the tongue shows some light fraying. But, it is only aesthetic wear and doesn't cause any discomfort.

The upper is made from an engineered mesh that features a booty type construction. It wraps around the foot and provides an enjoyable level of comfort.

The shoe uses flywires wherein the laces pass through to assist with lockdown.

And, amongst my runs in the shoe, I have experienced no problems in getting an appropriate level of fit using this system, both quickly and consistently.

The upper is an improvement from the Pegasus 35. I feel it is more breathable and lighter, which is ideal for daily trainer within warmer temperatures.

However, it could present issues when running in colder conditions.

Often overlooked is the quality of laces. These have enough of a tactile feel to them to stop them coming undone when rubbing together over the miles.

A thin plastic overlay is present to reinforce the lace eyelets. Also, a welcome inclusion is an extra setback eyelet towards the ankle for employing a runner's knot.

Although with this shoe, I did di not see a need for this extra eyelet due to the improved lockdown over the forefoot.

That aside, it is a welcome addition and one that provides flexibility for runners with differing foot widths and volumes.

The shoe fits me true to size. I am a UK size 11, and the shoe has ample room in the forefoot area and good heel cup lock.

One minor negative, which is purely aesthetic, is that the mesh of the shoe attracts dirt quickly. Thus, the shoe is hard to clean using conventional methods.

My green version of the shoe has quickly tarnished and already looks well-used.

Midsole and outsole

There are no changes to the outsole or midsole pattern from the previous iteration of the shoe. So, if you are a fan of this arrangement, then you won't be disappointed.

The midsole features a full-length Zoom Air pocket underfoot. This pocket provides ample cushioning for runners with a neutral foot strike.

From previous experience, I have found the Zoom Air pocket begins to bottom out around 240 miles. My pair of Pegasus 35 that has around 250 miles of use show typical signs of this wear.

The midsole has begun to crease at 100 miles of use similarly to the older model. The Zoom Air pocket still feels full of life and remains responsive at this point.

The outsole features a hexagonal pattern, which starts with smaller lugs at the forefoot. These lugs become more stretched as you approach the heel area of the shoe.

The outer side of the outsole has a crash area, which helps to provide stability if the foot strikes away from the midfoot.

I have taken the shoe for a range of runs on various surfaces. I found it to be a good all-round shoe. It only really struggled on very muddy areas, which, of course, it is not designed for.

On road or pavement, it shines and has good traction. Even some light trails are negotiable with this shoe. It falls into the “middle of the road” category, which is nothing to be ashamed of.

At around 100 miles, I see only minimal wear to the outsole. There is some light wear on the outsole nubs around the higher forefoot area.

There is also very slight wear on the outer side of the heel on both shoes in almost identical areas.

Weight

A UK size 11 or US 12 weighs in around 290g or 10.2oz. It is not the lightest of shoes but features appropriate levels of cushioning for daily training.

That aside, there are lighter options out there within this popular category such as the New Balance Beacon V1, which are becoming more scarce in supply at the time of writing.

The weight saving seems to come from the lighter upper, which is still ample in terms of strength. The other weight saving comes from the less padded tongue and heel cup area.

There are race targeted offerings from Nike, Adidas, and New Balance, but all of higher cost. These also won't work so well for mixed training and recovery portions of interval work.

Price & Value

At around £104 to £88, the shoe shows good signs of value. However, this will depend on the type of training activities you will be using it for.

It is a great choice for those looking for a daily shoe that will perform well for most activities, even for local racing. I believe this shoe to be at a good value, performance and price point.

Moreover, I recommend it to many runners of varying ability and weekly mileage.

I expect at least another 150 miles from this shoe before the midsole foam becomes overly compressed and the air unit begins to lose its initial bounce.

Hence, it would be a similar number of miles that I achieved from the previous version of the shoe.

Possible usage for the shoe

I have found that the Pegasus 36 has fallen into the category of daily shoe. It is for those mid-paced runs around 7:45 to 8:00 per mile and easy recovery miles.

That aside, I have worn the shoe for more extensive sessions of up to 10 miles. Even though it performed well, I would not recommend it above this.

It is because I could feel the midsole starting to bottom out around this type of mileage. Nonetheless, I have used the shoes for all manner of different training activities.

Ultimately, it does shine for mid-paced runs or easy recovery type miles. This is mainly due to the comfort of the upper and the cushioned and responsive nature of the midsole.

One can achieve higher paces with this shoe. Although, I found more effort was required to reach these within the Pegasus 36 than other shoes of similar ilks.

An example would be the New Balance Beacon 1. The Beacon is a little lighter though it has a more basic and less detailed feel inside the shoe.

I would suggest that the Beacon can handle higher paces with less effort than the Pegasus 36.

Overall

The shoe is an improvement of the previous version. It improved in terms of a slightly lighter upper and thinner but just as effective tongue.

It also has the same workhorse midsole and outsole as before.

The only negative in terms of performance is that the shoe could be slightly lighter or similar in weight to some other models in its category.

If so, making faster paces would be somewhat easier to achieve. Regardless, this is an improvement on the previous iteration in terms of all the changes that have been made.

Overall, I would recommend it to a variety of runners looking for a shoe from this type of category.