The ASICS DynaFlyte shoes are marketed as being ASICS’ lightest ever cushioned shoes and are targeted at runners who want speed – thus aiming to help them to run fast at any distance.

ASICS’ revolutionary FlyteFoam technology

This is primarily made possible with the ASICS’ revolutionary FlyteFoam at its core, using lightweight and responsive cushioning technology. The FlyteFoam technology had been first tested out in the ASICS MetaRun shoes in November 2015.

Now the DynaFlye shoes mark the first usage of the FlyteFoam technology in its purest form, through a full length midsole engineered to deliver lightweight and highly functional cushioning.

Developed and designed by the ASICS’ Institute of Sport Science, the DynaFlyte shoes embodies ASICS’ human-centric science approach to product development and commitment to continuously improve themselves, thus bringing new possibilities to runners looking for performance and speed regardless of the distance that they are tackling.

Three years of development 

FlyteFoam is the result of about three years of development and over 300 prototypes tested at the ASICS’ Institute of Sport Science.

Said Tsuyoshi Nishiwaki, Executive Officer & Senior General Manager at the ASICS’ Institute of Sport Science, “With DynaFlyte, runners can fully experience the FlyteFoam technology at its purest. We are excited to launch DynaFlyte and see how DynaFlyte will be able to help runners to unlock their speed.”

Had the chance to test out the shoes

Thanks to ASICS, I had the opportunity to test and review the new ASICS DynaFlyte shoes.

Very Creative packaging 

When the shoes first arrived, I admit that I was quite intrigued by the rather creative packaging of the media kits. The shoes came in a custom-made box with the words, “Don’t Run. Fly” clearly marked on the lid.

As well, the review unit also came with its own personal USB tag and thumb drive bearing the same words. I had thought that this was a really unique and interesting concept and I could not bear to cut the thumb drive off the box at the beginning!

The USB tag also bore the words, “Remove Before Flyte” which was quite eye-catching!

Shoes are light

Trying out the shoes, the first thing that had amazed me was the lightness. At 270 grams, they felt very light to the touch.

Cool colour combination and sleek appearance 

As well, I also loved the colour combination of the review unit that was sent to me – they blended in well. The shoes themselves are a grey colour, but the FlyteFoam soles are really colourful – they are predominantly yellow but mixed together with strappings of orange and green.

Besides the colour, the appearance of the shoes is also quite sleek and streamlined, without any uncomfortable seams either – this is thanks to the no-sew upper construction of the shoes, which maintain the DynaFlyte’s light weight and reinforces comfort.

And when I put on the shoes, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was ample room in the toe box – which made the shoes feel comfortable when simply walking around in these – prior to my run.

Running with the shoes

And when I took them out to run, I could immediately feel the softness in the midsoles, thanks to ASICS revolutionary FlyteFoam technology – which is billed as being 55 per cent lighter than ASICS’ standard cushioning shoe foam. This made my runs feel rather comfortable.

The lightness of the DynaFlyte shoes had been most apparent at the ASICS City Relay launch event last Sunday, when I put on a pair of the shoes for a 5-minute treadmill run. Compared to the old walking shoes that I had just been wearing earlier, the lightness of the DynaFlyte shoes had simply felt like a breath of fresh air.

Agreed elite athlete Candace Hall, who had tested the DynaFlyte shoe at the ASICS DynaFlyte Global Launch in New York, “ASICS understands what it means to be fast, and being the fastest is the main focus for me on the track and in my training. This new shoe by ASICS can unlock the running potential for everyone while still feeling light and comfortable.”

For example, when I was pushing the speed with them, going from about 5mins/km pace to about 4.30mins/km, I had felt that the DynaFlyte shoes were really responsive, simply going with the flow of my feet and just bouncing along with me. In that regard, perhaps I could say that the DynaFlyte shoes were helping me to “fly” to some extent!

The ability of the FlyteFoam cushioning in the shoes to withstand shock is quite surprising, despite their lightness. The impact that the hard pavement had on my knees, seemed to be significantly reduced, during my road runs. So I felt that I could run longer without any discomforts. I could particularly feel the cushioning working its magic on my slower, easier-paced runs.

And also, after running for one hour and 40 minutes, the DynaFlyte shoes still felt quite comfortable and bouncy, and did not drag my feet down; so, I think that I could probably have in fact, run for longer in them, if I still had the time.

And despite Singapore’s sticky, hot and humid weather, my feet continued to remain dry after my runs too. This is thanks to the breathable mesh which combines both performance and style in the DynaFlyte shoes. And I think that this can really help to stop blisters from appearing.

Overall Thoughts 

Overall I feel that the DynaFlyte shoes are definitely great for speed work as well as quick runs of about 5km to 10km – I can certainly see the potential in the shoes for helping runners to achieve a personal best due to their lightness.

At the same time, the ample cushioning in the shoes can also help to protect the impact of the ground on the legs, for the longer runs, such as half marathons and full marathons.

I think that the ASICS DynaFlyte shoes are a really comfortable and light shoe for running on the roads, regardless of whether you are a speed runner or an endurance athlete.

Where to get the shoes

The ASICS DynaFlyte shoes are currently available for both men and women at ASICS’ concept stores and selected running outlets across Singapore – they retail at SGD 229.00 per pair.

Thanks ASICS Singapore for the review unit of the DynaFlyte shoes.