Headline facts
- Model: INOV8 Roadfly Wide
- Size reviewed: Half a size larger than my usual running trainers
- Fit: Wide fit
- RRP: £100
- Price paid: £85
- Miles so far: Around 160
All reviews on this site are of products I have bought for my own use. They are based on how the product performs for me and are offered as a guide only. I update reviews periodically to reflect long-term performance rather than just out-of-the-box impressions, so it is worth revisiting them occasionally.
What INOV8 say
The original product link has been removed because the page is no longer live. I have kept this review as a long-term record of how the shoe performed.
INOV8 describe the Roadfly as:
“A road running shoe designed with trail running technology, taking out what isn't needed and keeping what is beneficial.”
They say it offers a locked-in feel through a supportive cradle, along with a flexible groove to help on uneven surfaces. The shoe is also described as having responsive cushioning, a grippy outsole and a breathable upper with reflective detailing.
The Roadfly is positioned as a lightweight, cushioned road shoe for runners who regularly encounter rough roads and paths rather than perfectly smooth tarmac.
That description sounded ideal for me. I had owned a number of pairs of the INOV8 Trailfly, which I presume the Roadfly are based on. Oddly enough, I had found the Trailfly to be the most comfortable trainers I had ever worn on the road.
So I fully expected to love the Roadfly from day one.
What I found was very different.
First impressions and fit
The fit is lovely.
I have wide feet, and the wide version of the Roadfly fitted me perfectly. It secured my feet in all the right places while giving my toes plenty of room to spread out. That was a far more comfortable feel and fit than I usually get from running trainers.
I had to go up half a size from my other running trainers, as I do with the Trailfly. At that size, though, they fit perfectly. I had no slippage and no rubbing.
The upper holds the foot securely without squeezing the forefoot. The extra room is not just a loose, baggy feeling. My heel stayed in place, the middle of my foot felt supported, and my toes were not being pressed together.
For me, the fit was right from the start.
The problem was underneath.
The first run, and the disappointment
My first run was a few miles of very easy running. I thought a cushioned trainer would be ideal for that sort of outing.
The Trailfly are lovely and cushioned on the road. The Roadfly felt very hard.
Initially, they felt like running with a plank of wood attached to my feet. There was no cushioning, no bounce and no life at all. They did not seem to help guide me through the gait cycle.
I hated them.
That is blunt, but it is an accurate description of how they felt to me.
I tried them again. Then again.
Short easy runs, long runs, tempo runs and intervals all produced much the same result. The Roadfly felt hard, flat and lifeless regardless of what I was asking them to do.
It was not simply that they were firmer than expected. I could accept a firm shoe if it felt responsive or helped me move efficiently. These did not seem to do either of those things during the early miles.
I seriously considered passing them on to somebody else.
The reason I did not was my toes. They were very much appreciating not being squished for a change. Even in a wide fit, most other running shoes are too narrow for me. The Roadfly gave my feet the space they wanted, and that stopped me from giving up on the shoes immediately.
At that point, the fit was doing all the work.
The ride was not.
Grip, durability and the upper
Putting the disappointing ride to one side, the Roadfly had some clear strengths from the beginning.
The soles have proven very grippy on tarmac, slabs and gravelly broken surfaces. I have used them in both wet and dry conditions, and I have had no concerns about traction.
The grip feels dependable rather than aggressive. I can move from smoother roads to rougher sections without feeling as though the outsole is losing contact with the surface.
The outsole also appears to be very hardwearing. I had covered around 100 miles at the time of writing, and there were no obvious signs of wear.
That is encouraging. I do not expect a road shoe to last forever, but I do want the outsole to cope with ordinary British roads, slabs and broken edges without quickly becoming smooth or uneven.
The upper has also performed well.
It is very comfortable and breathable. It dries quickly after running in wet weather, which is useful when the weather is doing what it usually does in the UK. More importantly, it is proving very durable, with absolutely no sign of wear at the time of writing.
The fit has remained consistent. There has been no stretching that has created movement inside the shoe, and no rubbing has appeared as the mileage has increased.
So, while I was unimpressed with the ride, the construction itself gave me reasons to keep testing them.
The turnaround after 80 miles
This is where the Roadfly defied my expectations again.
I have never previously found my initial opinion of a pair of trainers changing. If they are comfortable from day one, they stay comfortable. If they are uncomfortable, I regret buying them and they eventually become walking shoes.
The Roadfly broke that rule.
After around 80 miles, the trainers felt completely different.
The promised cushioning had materialised. The hard, flat feeling had gone, and the shoes had developed a lovely spring when I picked up the pace.
This was not a small improvement. The shoes had changed from flat and lifeless to genuinely useful trainers that I wanted to put on.
They are now my go-to trainers for all types of workouts. Easy running, longer runs, tempo work and intervals have all become much more enjoyable in them.
The fit was always good, but the ride finally caught up.
Condition-wise, they are still very much like new. The upper has no obvious wear, the outsole remains in good condition, and the cushioning has not shown any sign of deteriorating after the first 100 miles.
That suggests they should be good for many more miles yet.
I still find the amount of time needed to reach this point unusual. If I had not valued the wide toe box so highly, I might not have continued long enough to find out what the shoe could become.
The 160 mile update: the cushioning went again
After around 160 miles, the cushioning had gone again.
The soles had noticeably collapsed, especially on the inside edge. That meant my foot was collapsing inwards on landing, and the shoe was no longer doing its job well enough for me to keep trusting it on runs.
What makes this clear for me is that it did not just happen once. I bought a second pair months later, and that pair did exactly the same thing.
That settles it.
The shoe did feel transformed between 80 and 100 miles. For a while, I thought I had simply needed to give it time. But the improvement did not last, and seeing the same failure pattern across two separate pairs changed the verdict for me. This is not me having a rant. It is just a report on what the shoes did.
Verdict so far
The INOV8 Roadfly Wide ended up being a very mixed shoe for me.
The fit is excellent. If you have wide feet and struggle to find enough room through the forefoot, this shoe gets a lot right. I had no rubbing, no slipping, and the upper stayed comfortable throughout.
The grip is also very good. On tarmac, slabs and rougher broken surfaces, it felt dependable in both wet and dry conditions. The upper has held up well too, and the material side of the shoe has been much better than the ride.
There was also a genuinely good patch in the middle of its life. Between roughly 80 and 100 miles, the Roadfly felt transformed. The cushioning finally appeared, the ride had some spring, and for a while it felt like the shoe I had hoped I was buying in the first place.
Then it went the other way again.
By around 160 miles, the cushioning had gone and the soles had noticeably collapsed, especially on the inside edge. That changed how the shoe landed and how my foot moved through each step. Buying a second pair and getting exactly the same fault settled it for me.
So while I can say the Roadfly Wide fits me very well and does some things very well, I cannot say it has held up well enough to make it a shoe I would buy again.
Key takeaways
- The fit is excellent for my wide feet, with plenty of room for my toes and no slippage.
- The early ride was hard, flat and lifeless. I genuinely disliked the shoes at first.
- The grip is very good on tarmac, slabs and gravelly broken surfaces in wet and dry conditions.
- The upper is comfortable, breathable and durable, and it held up better than the ride did.
- There was a genuinely good period between roughly 80 and 100 miles, when the cushioning finally appeared and the shoe felt much better.
- By around 160 miles, the cushioning had gone again and the soles had collapsed, especially on the inside edge, causing my foot to collapse inwards on landing.
- A second pair developed the same fault, which is why I will not be buying a third pair.
Closing thoughts
The Roadfly Wide has been one of the strangest shoes I have owned.
I expected it to be comfortable straight away because of my experience with the Trailfly. Instead, it started badly, then improved properly, then fell away again.
The fit for my feet is excellent. The grip is very good. The upper has held up well. I also had a spell where the ride genuinely came good, and I can only report that honestly.
But I also have to report where it ended up. By around 160 miles, the cushioning had gone again, the soles had collapsed, and a second pair repeated the same fault. On that basis, I will not be buying a third pair.
If you are comparing road trainers, I have also reviewed the Reebok Floatride Energy 4.
