Carbon Plate Racing Shoes Compared

Every carbon-plated road shoe recorded in the ATHLO+ Shoe Lab — 56 models, lightest first, compared on the figures their makers publish.

A carbon plate does not make a shoe fast on its own. It stiffens the midsole so the foam underneath it can be thicker and softer without collapsing, which is why the plate and the foam are worth reading together rather than separately. 41 of these 56 sit between 180 g and 230 g, and the median is 201 g — the category is tighter than the 128 g-to-333 g range suggests.

The ends of that range are doing different jobs. The lightest are stripped-back racers built for one hard effort; the heaviest are super trainer and max cushion models that happen to carry a plate, and are meant for training mileage rather than race day. Read the “maker's stated use” column before the weight.

• Lightest128 gNike ZoomX Streakfly 2
• Median201 gacross 56 shoes with a published weight
• Heaviest333 gHoka Skyward X

Compare any of these side by side

The ATHLO+ Shoe Lab stacks any two to four of these against each other on the same axes. For what is in stock now, see Racing and Running.

More Shoe Lab comparisons

• Daily Trainer Running Shoes Compared — 57 shoes
• Trail Running Shoes Compared — 40 shoes
• Stability Running Shoes Compared — 32 shoes
• Max Cushion Running Shoes Compared — 37 shoes
• Super Trainers Compared — 40 shoes