John Kim We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Nike is at its absolute best when it creates performance footwear that looks so good, it can be worn as a daily driver. This principle was the force behind the success of the Pegasus Premium‘s grand debut earlier in January, proving that the Swoosh still has the chops to design athlete-driven equipment that can be worn for fashionable purposes.
We view the upcoming ACG Ultrafly 2 in that same category. Designed for serious trail-runners, the second model of the Ultrafly series builds on the $260 Ultrafly 1 with a radical new re-design that has firm potential to be a hit amongst the gorp-core demo along with hardcore runners.
This first look at an early pair was spotted not long ago by @runners_highest on Caleb Olsen, a Nike athlete and ultramarathoner that regularly tests out upcoming Nike Trail product. The Ultrafly 2 boasts an oversized Swoosh logo that dips into the midsole while the exterior shell features a ridged pattern similar to a topographic map. It will very likely have a carbon Flyplate layered onto the ZoomX foam cushioning like Ultrafly 1 does. The outsole also features the official Vibram stamp on the outsole whereas the Ultrafly 1 did not (although that model was also designed in partnership Vibram).
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- Nike ACG Ultrafly 2 @runners_highest
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- Nike ACG Ultrafly 2 @runners_highest
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- Nike ACG Ultrafly 2 @runners_highest
Interestingly enough, this early Ultrafly 2 is branded with ACG on the tongue and All-Conditions Gear. This may suggest that the Nike Trail line could be absorbed into the Nike ACG mainline, or that this model specifically is being transferred over to that category. An even earlier sample of the Ultrafly 2 (pictured below) did not feature ACG logos, but rather a large NIKE TRAIL text on the medial side and the Nike Trail logo on the toe.
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- Nike Ultrafly 2 Sample @triathletecb76
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- Nike Ultrafly 2 Sample @triathletecb76
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- Nike Ultrafly 2 Sample @triathletecb76
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- Nike Ultrafly 2 Sample @triathletecb76
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- Nike Ultrafly 2 Sample @triathletecb76
Nike has yet to officially announce the details around the Ultrafly 2, but with what appears to be finalized pairs out in the open and being tested, Nike could be announcing the model soon.
