From running shoes to basketball to soccer cleats, Nike’s Flyknit technology has infiltrated just about every one of their products in the last couple years. Now it’s time for their indoor and turf soccer shoes to get the knit-constructed treatment, with the Nike Elastico Superfly. And these are super fly. Just like the Mercurial Superfly cleats, these will have a textured upper combination of Flyknit and Nikeskin.
Let’s do a quick refresher on those terms in case you aren’t familiar. Flyknit started in Nike’s running shoes and brings an incredibly light one-piece upper by eliminating the usual waste that comes from manufacturing shoes with stitching and lining. However, the smart guys at Nike know you need more protection in a contact sport like soccer, so Flyknit alone wouldn’t do. Nikeskin came into the picture as the premier innovative technology on the Elastico Finale II indoor shoe. Later, it would be used on the Hypervenom Phantom when that was released to much fanfare in the summer of 2013. With its breathable mesh layer and supportive polyurethane film, Nikeskin lends that barefoot feel that so many crave. To make Flyknit work on their Mercurial Superfly cleats, they decided to layer Nikeskin over the top of Flyknit for that added (and necessary) protection. The same thing is done here, except for an extra layer of Nikeskin on certain areas for added durability.
On the bottom, we have what Nike is calling the “low profile” outsole, meaning the Elastico Superfly is lower to the ground than previous indoor/turf releases. With improved traction and grip for that extra bit of agility you need, this is most likely their best outsole yet.
Completing the Superfly silhouette, the Dynamic Fit Collar sits on top of the boot. This is meant to lock down your foot and to allow your leg to work better in tandem with the shoe. Plus, it also just looks intimidating. Also, assisting in that? The Elastico Superfly comes in two stylish colors, Midnight Fog and Laser Orange. The former is a fierce, street-wary mix of green, grey, and yellow, while the latter functions as its bright orange alter-ego. Both look fantastic.
The all-new Elastico Finale III is now a tier below the Superfly, but don’t worry, they didn’t drop its quality. Nikeskin still adorns the upper, even if it doesn’t have the Flyknit and Dynamic Fit Collar of its superior. Sitting at just over $80 at SoccerPro, the Finale III is still an excellent shoe at an affordable price. If you want to go even lower price-wise, you can opt for the Elastico Pro III. A soft embossed synthetic upper replaces the Nikeskin here, but it still provides a silky smooth touch on the ball. At slightly over $60, this one is a bargain.
Finally, with all of these Elastico updates, we can’t forget about the color-ups to the Lunargato Indoor and Bomba Finale II Turf shoes. Never disappointing in the style department, the Lunargato now has a Black/Turquoise and a Black/Crimson look to add to its collection. On the turf side, the Nike reveals a Dark Ash version of their Bomba. You can see all of these dark, sleek looking colorways on our Nike FC247 page.
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