Cut in half: Nike Free RN NN Review (2024) (2024)

We recommend the Nike Free RN NN as an excellent choice for:

• Runners with a neutral stride who prefer lightweight and agile daily trainers with a bare-there ride
• forefoot/midfoot striking runners who want a flexible mid-drop road shoe that can bend it like Beckham
• Those in cooler climates looking for a warm shoe that performs well in frigid conditions
• Active individuals in the market for a shoe that can take on other fitness activities and gym days

The shoe's Flyknit upper demonstrates lackluster breathability in our smoke test which makes it a less than ideal choice for warm weather runs. The Allbirds Tree Dasher 2.0 is a more breezy option that also has a sock-like fit.

While the feathery nature of the Free RN NN does allow us to push the pace to a certain extent, it lacks the responsiveness to be a dedicated tempo shoe. We recommend checking out the Saucony Kinvara 14 as a better speedy alternative.

Additionally, long-distance runners will benefit from a shoe with more protective cushioning underfoot like the Puma Magnify Nitro 2 instead.

Runners with narrow feet will find themselves floating around in the Free RN NN's spacious toebox. We recommend checking out the Skechers Go RUN Ride 11for a more snug fit.

The Free RN NN is a neutral shoe with a ride that's not at all supportive for those with overpronating strides. The Nike Structure 25 is a stability shoe that promotes a more neutral gait that will suit those runners better as daily trainers.

We pumped the Free RN NN full of smoke to get an idea of how breathable it is. As we can see from the footage of the test, it takes quite some time before smoke is finally able to start filtering out the shoe. It struggles its way through the Flyknit upper in wisps that seem to escape haphazardly throughout the shoe.

The Saucony Triumph 20, meanwhile, is a true smoke show in this test earning it a perfect 5 out of 5.

This lackluster performance earns the Free RN NN a breathability score of 2 out of 5 which confirms its warm and insulated nature. While this may not be ideal for hot days, it's certainly beneficial as the mercury drops during the cooler months.

While the light is visible through a cross-section of its upper, the Free RN NN doesn't allow any of it to peek through any pores in the material. This serves to illuminate the shoe's below-average breathability to a certain extent.

Our microscope provides further clarification as it shows how dense woven the shoe's Flyknit upper really is; with only barely perceptible little gaps that allow any kind of airflow through the Free RN NN.

For what it lacks in breathability the Free RN NN Flyknit upper makes up for in strength. Firing up our Dremel to 5K RPM to simulate some extreme wear and tear, we set it against the shoe's toebox with 3.2N of force.

Upon inspecting the damage in the aftermath of the test, we found that our tool had merely frayed some of the outer material and failed to penetrate the toebox all the way. This earns the Free RN NN a toebox durability score of 4 out of 5 which is very respectable for a daily trainer with no protective overlays.

Next, we set our sights on the heel collar and set our Dremel against the Free RN NN once more.

It proved to be even more resistant to the abrasive force of our tool's grinding element as after four seconds it was barely left with a scuff. This leads us to give the Free RN NN a well-earned perfect score for heel padding durability. We therefore don't believe that wearing a hole in the heel from excessive rubbing will be the cause of retiring this shoe early.

To test that last claim, we got the Dremel spinning at 10 K RPM and set it against the Free RN NN one last time.

After twenty-two seconds of punishment, we found that we had lopped off 0.8 mm of rubber from the outsole. This makes the Free RN NN's outsole about as durable as average and leads us to predict that the shoe should last a good 400 to 500 miles before the tread starts giving out significantly.

We measured the forefoot stack to be 18.7 mm thick which is also quite a bit short of our current lab average. This also affords forefoot strikers a decent amount of impact dampening but a lot more ground feel.

For forefoot strikers who prefer having more protective foam at the forefoot, the Brooks Levitate Stealthfit 6 is another sock-like shoe that we recommend looking into.

The difference in our stack measurements leaves the Free RN NN with a heel drop of 6.9 mm, thus classifying it as a mid-drop shoe. This offset is quite versatile as it will suit the stride of most runners whether forefoot, midfoot, or heel striking.

For a better understanding of drop heights, check out this in-depth guide that thoroughly explores the matter.

Pressing our durometer against the midsole yields a reading of 26 HA. While this is slightly firmer than average, it still provides a balanced level of cushioning to our landings.

This somewhat firm nature means that the midsole is keen to retain its shape and has a pretty good rebound as our weight shifts forward in the shoe. As such, the midsole doesn't feel dull by any means.

That said, while the shoe can handle quick paces, especially by virtue of its featherweight stature, it doesn't have the snappiness or springiness we expect from a speedy shoe that will crack PRs. We recommend looking into the similarly low-profile and sock-like Brooks Levitate Stealthfit 6 for those afflicted with a need for speed.

We secured the Free RN NN to our workbench and found that only 6.2N of force is needed to bend the shoe 90 degrees. This is one of the most flexible results we've come across in the lab and means that a brisk breeze could essentially bend the shoe to the desired point.

This further contributes to the shoe's natural feeling ride that really had us feeling like we were running around barefoot while testing this shoe as it puts up no resistance to the flexion of our foot throughout our gait.

Nike's approach with the Free RN NN's outsole is unorthodox. They minimized coverage as much as possible to save on weight, while also scoring the rubber and the midsole to form a very minimal tread pattern (as well as to facilitate bending easily as we saw in the previous section). This, surprisingly, provided us with good traction on asphalt roads where the outsole had an almost sandpaper-like quality. However, more slick or wet surfaces did cause us to wobble a bit during our test runs.

Using our caliper, we measured the Free RN NN's toebox to be 104.9 mm wide at its widest point. This is much wider than average and means that broad-footed runners will enjoy an accommodating and comfy fit while those with normal-width feet have a little wiggle room to spare.

Runners with narrow feet, however, will definitely find this a little too roomy to achieve a secure lockdown at the forefoot. We recommend checking out the Brooks Glycerin Stealthfit 20 as a much more snug alternative.

With sock-like shoes notoriously difficult to put on, especially those from Nike, the Free RN NN has, fortunately, furnished us with not one but two finger loops. One at the and another at the top of the tongue.

Yanking on these two in tandem did make the shoe slightly easier to squeeze into/