The Fli-Lyte the flagship road model in the Topo Athletic lineup. Designed to be a perfect everyday shoe that any runner will find approachable it sports light weights, a mild drop, and an approachable aesthetic. The release of the Fli-Lyte 3 brings an updated more breathable upper but reinforces their commitment to the model.
Quick Details, Specs, and Availability
- Weighs in at 8.4oz or 238g for a US Men’s 9
- Has 23mm of cushion and a 3mm heel/toe drop
- Designed as a Neutral Road running shoe
- Retails at $110.00 USD and is Available Now
- Comes in 3 colors for Men and Women
Run Test
Topo Athletic shoes have a very distinct feel when you put them on and almost every model across their lineup is identical. The toe box opens up with plenty of room, across the lace box it holds you snugly, and then the heel typically is well padded and holds you well. It also doesn’t feel like a running shoe, for good or for bad, but instead just something really comfortable and simple underfoot. Note this is not a knock, but it is what makes them so approachable for most slower pacing runners.
In a run, the shoe feels great. It definitely isn’t designed for speed and honestly feels better when you don’t push on them, but instead, you just roll with it. With a normal simple cadence and by not going hyper aggressive, you will definitely enjoy these a lot more. If you want to take it up a notch, then look elsewhere and maybe pair these with the Zephyr.
In terms of feel and drawbacks, our only concern is with the toe box and the new Ortholite footbed. The shape of the box feels a little more square than prior versions and the increased size of the footbed pushes you forward a bit towards the end of the toe. This can be alleviated by going half size up if you find yourself between sizes.
Construction: Upper
The Topo Athletic Fli-Lyte 3 continues to use a full engineered mesh along with strategically placed overlays, but they have dialed these way down in this version to improve overall breathability. It also features a new 5mm Ortholite footbed which softens things up a bit in the ride overall.
Construction: Midsole
The midsole remains full EVA and the stack height sits at 20mm in the front and 23mm in the rear for a drop of 3mm. The shoe design overall, as with all Topo Athletic shoes, features a nice wide toe box akin to shoes from Altra which gives you plenty of room. There is a bit of toe scoop on here which is a little odd but doesn’t affect performance all that much.
Construction: Outsole
The outsole on here consists of EVA along with strategically placed rubber across the heel, forefoot, and toes. Keeping the use of rubber low has allowed them to maintain that low 8.4oz weight.
Style & Aesthetics
The Fli-Lyte 3 definitely isn’t flashy in any respect and comes in 3 color options for men and women. Visually, the shoe is “safe” in many ways and will definitely feel approachable for runners who are turned off by bright colors, aggressive styling, etc.
Overall Conclusion
The Topo Athletics Fli-Lyte 3 is a very very safe shoe and by this, we mean most recreational runners will find something to like about it. It is clearly the flagship road shoe in their lineup and they continue to improve upon it and also flush out their overall aesthetic. The Fli-Lyte is not a performance shoe, you will do better with something like the Zephyr if you would like that, but as an everyday tempo shoe, it will do most average runners just fine. You can find out more <a href=”https://www.topoathletic.com/mens-fli-lyte-3” target=”_blank”>on their website or buy direct.
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Check Out Other Reviewers Thoughts
As always, we gather together some of our favorite reviewers so you can get a well rounded view of the shoe. Here are our favorites.
