There are some big changes on the way – this year and next – for Nike’s best-selling line of running shoes, the Pegasus, with a radical new design for the Nike Pegasus 41, and a glossy makeover with the Nike Pegasus Premium in 2025. Both were announced by Nike yesterday.
The Nike Pegasus 41 will arrive this summer boasting a significant shape change in the sole unit over the Pegasus 40, and ReactX foam in place of the old React foam. The proprietary material forms a full-length midsole with Zoom Air units at the forefoot and heel and, compared to its X-less predecessor, features a 13% gain in energy return and a 43% drop in its carbon footprint. The sole has more rounded lines and an opaque bubble where Air Zoom is applied at the forefoot.
An even more radical makeover for the range will come in 2025 with the high-end Pegasus Premium – which looks like a sneaker designed by Apple.
The sleek running shoe will feature the series’ first-ever visible, sculpted Air Zoom unit. Running from the heel to just shy of the toe end, this Air Zoom unit delivers what Nike says is the most “efficient, responsive” sensation of any Zoom cushioning system to date.
The midsole also boasts both ZoomX and ReactX foam that’s targeted at the heel, to complete a sole system with the greatest energy return in the Pegasus franchise to date.
“Air is Nike’s separator in the footwear industry – no one can create cushioning innovations like we can,” says Kathy Gomez, Nike VP NXT Footwear. “In running, when we combine Air with components like midfoot plates and with platforms like our proprietary foams, we create superior systems for performance. For the Peg Premium, we wanted runners to get the most energy return possible out of the sculpted Air Zoom unit. Not only does it double as a spring-like mechanism, the Air unit is also designed to engage with the entirety of your foot, no matter your gait pattern or stride length.”
We’re entirely sure if the Premium will come with interior lighting as standard like in the publicity still, though.
Nike has recently been criticized for a lack of innovation in its footwear, relying instead on heritage models to drive revenue, so will this brace of running sneakers convince runners that the brand has something new to offer, or are the changes mostly aesthetic?
Pricing on both shoes has yet to be be announced.
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