Nike Air Pegasus 2007 review

Two decades of flight...

What's in a name? A good heck of a deal, I would say. When married to a great product or service, a name has the potential to build successful movie sequels, build great product franchises like the Apple iPod or the Honda Accord; and instill general confidence and goodwill like none other. Case in point would be the Honda Civic - a car which made its debut in 1973, and offered the perfect blend of cabin space, fuel efficiency and reliability. As years passed, Honda gradually released many variants of the Civic, each better than the last. Gradually, the Civic name became synonymous with automotive excellence, and best showcased Honda's DNA of legendary reliability and value. There's a good reason for this example, because the Nike Air Pegasus we review today has a reasonable likeness to the Honda Civic, at least in spirit.

A shoe has to have a lot going for it if it has to be consistently successful for quarter of a century. Yes, 25 years. The Pegasus was launched in the year 1982 and instantly struck a chord with the then emerging runners in the USA, and soon became the Honda Civic of running shoes - quick, comfortable, reliable and reasonably priced.Two decades since its launch and many updated versions later, the Nike Air Pegasus series has certainly lived up to its name: In Greek mythology, the Pegasus is a winged horse which is said to be immortal; the Greek god Zeus made Pegasus a constellation so that it could shine forever for eternity. How fitting.

The Air Pegasus '89: I tried hard to find a picture of the original 1982 Pegasus, but I came up with nada. This picture, which I found on another sneaker website, does not seem to be the actual 1989 Pegasus, but a re-issue. At any rate, this is good reference to the Pegasus shoes which sold two decades ago.

The Nike Air Pegasus 2007: The design has come a long way in the past two decades, but the underlying philosophy seems unchanged - a good, versatile running shoe: nothing more, nothing less

There is a latest white/yellow Nike Air Pegasus 2007+ available in the stores right now, but I bought an older color since I thought it was more photogenic. A good part of my reviews are photographs, and great colors make for some fun photography. But at its core, the shoe is the same, so it doesn't matter which color you buy, as long as it is the Nike Air Pegasus 2007.

As with all running shoes, I put the Nike Air Pegasus through the rigors of a wear test - I did over 10k in these shoes and walked an equal amount on the city streets over the last week, which led me to conclude that though the Nike Air Pegasus 2007 might not be the most cushioned, lightweight or affordable shoe in the market, but it is still an incredibly competent shoe. And why? Because the Nike Air Pegasus is not about excess; its goal to be the middle ground in running shoes, and it achieves that goal through a great balance between cushioning, weight, stability and durability. In the athletic footwear industry, it is easy to focus on one element and stretch it to new limits at the cost of something else. Take racing flats: they are meant for race day and shave an unbelievable amount of shoe weight by reducing the thickness of the outsole and stripping down the upper, but that comes at the cost of durability. The Nike Air Zoom Vomero 3 is perhaps the most cushioned running shoe to be ever offered by Nike, but the trade off is speed. So if you appreciate the Air Pegasus for what it is, and what is meant to do, you will not be disappointed. At all.

'Rideliner': The Pegasus has a layer of Polyurethene (PU) foam sandwiched between the upper and the white midsole, which gives the Pegasus its characteristic firm 'ride'. Open mesh makes short work of hot weather and the molded PU overlays help hold the foot snugly.

Crash zone: In a departure from modern running shoe design, the Air Pegasus 2007 makes liberal use of PU foam. The red painted piece is made of PU foam, which provides resilient cushioning on heel impact. The 'Air Pegasus' is called out in all its multi color glory on the sides, and the tear drop shaped heel reflectors shine brightly at night, not unlike the Pegasus constellation.

Anyone who has a pair of the Nike Air Pegasus would be familiar with its trademark firm and stable ride, unlike many other neutral running shoes which have that 'oh so soft' feel. As I said earlier, the Pegasus is supposed to be the perfect middle ground, and the firm ride allows you to maintain your speed or distance without any frustration. The piece de resistance is the Polyurethane 'rideliner' (see picture above) which lies sandwiched between the upper and midsole. Not only does that make the shoe stable, but also gives your running a tempo which you miss out when you wear other neutral shoes. The heel area also has a PU impact piece, which allows faster heel to toe transition because you spend less time recovering from the 'heel sink' which you might experience in softer neutral cushioning shoes. All of this 'firm' talk does not mean that the shoe misses out on cushioning, and that's the whole beauty of it all.

The Pegasus on Air, pun intended: The Nike Air Pegasus uses two fairly large air bags, in the heel and forefoot. I can't see them from the outside, so I cut the shoe open... see below.

Seeing is believing: The left half pair of the Nike Air Pegasus in cross section with its inner workings in plain sight. One air bag is in the heel and the other in the forefoot. You can also see five layers of the sole; the orange EVA strobel layer, the light grey 'rideliner' PU foam, the Air sole units, the white compression molded EVA and finally the black rubber outsole. The cavity in the middle is for the Nike Plus transmitter. It was a pain to cut through that one!

Sneakerologist turns archaeologist: It took me several hours of cutting, slicing, scraping, rubbing and pinching to expose the heel air bag. PU foam was probably poured over it while manufacturing so in spite of my best efforts, I could not scrape off the PU 100% off the air bag. And the Air bag did NOT puncture. Hoorey!

Nike Plus and EVA strobel: The left shoe has a Nike+ cavity beneath the insole/sockliner, and the orange EVA strobel sits politely over the midsole to lend some cushy flavor.

As you can see from the pictures above, the Air Pegasus 2007 is the ultimate expression of the term 'firm yet gentle'. While the PU bits and bobs make for the firm part, the dual air soles, the compression molded EVA midsole and the foam strobel (above) adds ample cushioning. The upper also does not disappoint in any way - though it treads the thin line between minimalism and middle ground, it scores on ventilation by way of its lining-less open mesh, and the materials are soft and comforting to the touch. Though I would have liked the collar padding to be slightly thicker than what it is, I did not experience any heel slip during my initial runs in these shoes. The upper fits quite well overall, and the forefoot has enough space without being loose.

Mile Cruncher: Liberal use of BRS 1000, Nike's proprietary rubber compound in the outsole gives it a high degree of durability. The gold colored shank in the midfoot is for stability while running and the white exposed area in the forefoot are flex grooves, making it easier to bend the shoe while in motion.

The Nike Air Pegasus strikes middle ground even with weight. At 398 grams for a half pair of US 10.5, this shoe is not the lightest of the lot. But it falls somewhere in between a regular neutral shoe which would come in at around 365 grams, and slightly heavier cushioned shoes like the Adidas Megabounce, which weighs around 415 grams. Liberal use of PU foam in the midsole adds some extra grams, but when combined with the outsole which is pretty much covered with rubber, it ends up being around 30 grams heavier than a regular neutral running shoe. The rubber on the outsole is there for a good reason - it allows you to run many long miles on the shoe before you head out to a shoe store for a new pair of shoes.

Bowerman series: Since a few years, the Air Pegasus has been carrying the Bowerman logo in the likeness of Bill Bowerman, Nike's co-founder. As a practice, all high end performance Nike running shoes carry this logo.

Cut and slice, repeat: The reverse side of the sockliner cut in cross section. The red cloth with the Bowerman logo sits on a soft blue foam which is backed by a firm white foam casing. The arch area is soft to avoid irritation.

The Nike Air Pegasus 2007 is not about extremes - as I said earlier, it is neither the most cushioned shoe on the block nor the lightest. But its merit lies in the fact that it is probably the one of the few shoes in the market with an incredibly clear sense of purpose - to be a good running shoe, nothing less. After all, at the end of the day, that's what really counts.

The Lowdown:

Shoe name: Nike Air Pegasus+ 2007

Color reviewed: White/Varsity Red-Metallic Platinum

Retail price (India): INR 5900

Estimated US retail: $ 89

Available at: Major Nike outlets

Weight: 398 grams for a half pair of size UK 9.5 / US 10.5

Recommended for: Recreational to serious runners who need a neutral running shoe which is cushioned yet resilient. Can use for mid to long distance runs without being bogged down by heel sink

Not recommended for: Runners who over-pronate or have a flat foot/low arch.

Verdict: The Nike Air Pegasus 2007 strikes a perfect balance between cushioning, durability, ventilation and stability. A very competent running shoe, though we wish the price tag was more accommodating.