The Air Zoom Maxfly changed sprint spikes. When the original launched, it was the first spike to put a cushioned Air Zoom unit under the forefoot of a carbon plate, and it was suddenly on the feet of finalists in every major championship. The Maxfly 2 keeps that recipe and refines it.
In our Nike Air Zoom Maxfly review we described the feeling as running on a loaded spring: the plate is more flexible than you’d expect, and the Air unit gives an unmistakable bounce in the drive phase and at top speed. That bounce is the one thing to get used to. It feels different off the hurdles and out of the blocks for the first few sessions.
The original had a reputation for the Air unit deflating, which is the main reason we preferred the adidas Adizero Prime SP for narrow feet. If you want the spike that has defined modern sprinting and your budget allows it, the Maxfly 2 is still the benchmark.
Who it’s for: competitive sprinters and hurdlers from 60m to 400m looking for every last hundredth.
