The FILA Aero Skyfoam Plus is a brand new shoe from FILA, and honestly, I’m a bit confused about where it’s supposed to sit in the lineup. My best guess is it lands somewhere between a daily trainer and something built for slightly faster efforts. At the core of the shoe is a super soft foam insert running through the middle, the Skyfoam Plus, which FILA claims is 15% softer than the standard Skyfoam midsole (the exact compound on both isn’t disclosed). Coming in at 230g, with a 39mm/33mm stack for a 6mm drop, at around €150, my overall first impression is fast but soft: marshmallow underfoot, wrapped in a racer-style construction. Mixed feelings all round, so let’s dig into why.
Upper and Fit of the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam
What works for me
The upper is a fairly generic mesh, textile construction, but it has a nice amount of padding exactly where it needs to be. It actually reminds me a lot of a traditional Nike Pegasus upper, a shoe that’s always been known for being pretty average, and this shoe nails that same feeling. It’s breathable where it needs to be, roomy where it needs to be, and has an all-round average fit. Nothing here is amazing, but nothing about it is negative either, in terms of breathability or just the general in-hand feel.
It doesn’t rub anywhere, which I appreciate, and there’s a nice amount of padding in the heel collar. The tongue is ungusseted, so no gusset there, but it didn’t cause me any issues.
Where FILA really surprised me is the laces: proper anti-slip laces that actually stay tied, unlike most. I love seeing this, and I genuinely think it should be an industry standard at this point. Props to FILA 10/10 on the laces, they haven’t come undone once (unlike other brands… cough cough… On & Nike)
What doesn’t work for me
My main gripe is that there’s a bit too much material used in the upper overall, which gives it a slightly bulky feel in places. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if you have bigger or wider feet, and I do have wide feet myself, but even for me the toe box feels quite roomy.
On sizing: I’d call it true to size overall, but if you have narrower feet, you could probably go half a size down, since FILA has been generous on that front.
Beyond that, there isn’t really much else to fault here. It’s breathable, and it does what it needs to. If I had to name one thing, it would be that roomy, slightly oversized toe box.
Midsole and Ride of the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam
What works for me
This is where the shoe really stands out for me. It’s super soft, and while I wouldn’t call it a superfoam sensation, it’s definitely quite bouncy. There’s a lot of foam under there, just under 40mm, about 39mm of stack, and it genuinely feels like it. Even just pressing it with your hand, the base Skyfoam is already soft, and the Plus insert is even softer.
I’m honestly not sure what the compound is, FILA doesn’t say, but if I had to guess, it feels like it could be some kind of supercritical-EVA or even PEBA-based foam. Really soft and nice underfoot, though that softness does come with a bit of instability, more on that below.
The geometry of the shoe looks like it’s built for an aggressive ride, but in reality it rides quite neutral. At a 6mm drop, it doesn’t feel like a high-drop shoe at all.
Taken to faster paces, some tempo work, it performed nicely and did what it needed to. On asphalt specifically, pushing the pace, it felt bouncy, snappy, and dynamic, like the foam was really absorbing the impact. It also has a relatively wide forefoot section in the midsole, which actually makes it feel quite stable, and that’s something I appreciated.
What doesn’t work for me
Because it’s so soft, the ride is slightly unstable, and this ties into a bigger issue I have with the shoe: I kind of struggle with pinpointing where it fits in a rotation. My sense is that FILA built this to be a faster shoe, something you could take for up-tempo and faster work, but in reality it falls slightly short of that. For me it sits more in the daily trainer category: fine for longer, faster efforts, but not true speed work.
I took it to the track to test this properly, and it was way too soft. The foam is already soft to begin with, and running fast on an already-soft surface just meant I was wasting a lot of energy. Temperature plays into this too, warmer conditions make the foam even softer, which didn’t help.
It’s not aggressive or snappy enough to be a really soft shoe in the way something like the Adidas EVO SL is, but it’s also not firm enough to be something like the On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper. It genuinely sits somewhere in the middle, and honestly, that’s part of why I like it.
If I could change one thing about the ride, it would be the placement of that super soft insert. I’d have loved to see it in the forefoot rather than the midfoot, since I’m a forefoot striker and I don’t think I get the full benefit of that softness where I actually toe off. Something like what Asics did with the Novablast 6 would be ideal: a super soft LEAP foam insert specifically in the forefoot, with a slightly firmer foam everywhere else.
Outsole of the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam
Grip and Traction
The outsole has a really generous amount of rubber, almost the entire sole is covered, which is nice to see.
The grip pleasantly surprised me. I’ve tested the FILA Carbon Racer, their race-day shoe, and grip was one of my negatives there. This one, while using what feels like the same compound, just performs noticeably better underfoot, grippy, does what it needs to. I’m not sure if that’s down to conditions or the shoe itself. It doesn’t perform amazingly on wet stone, but then again, I’ve yet to find a shoe that does unless it has a proprietary rubber compound, and this one doesn’t, it’s just an unnamed, presumably generic factory rubber. Sometimes that’s fine: it’s grippy, I don’t slip in it, and it does the job.
Durability
I’ve put about 50 to 80km into this pair so far, and I haven’t seen any major signs of wear yet. That said, my expectation is that durability will end up being a limiting factor for this shoe. A foam this soft tends to bottom out relatively quickly, and I could also see the upper eventually ripping given how much excess material is used there.
My rough estimate is that this shoe could last around 500km, though that’s going to depend heavily on the runner. Heavier runners will likely get less out of it, since a foam this soft loses its energy return faster under more load.
Conclusion
Value for Money
At around €150 I think this shoe does provide some decent value. Having quite a lot of innovation and sitting at a similar pricepoint to its competitors I do believe that it does deliver an on par performance. It’s definitely not going to be the most durable shoe or the shoe that delivers a crazy performance on race day, but I do think it’s worth grabbing a pair at a discount. Compared to some other trainers in this price segment, I think this is definitely mid-tier or even on the higher end in terms of bang for buck, but also quite a simple option.
Fitting it into a shoe rotation
I’d slot this in as a daily shoe first and foremost, one that can occasionally handle some up-tempo work or a long run where you want to pick up the pace a bit, even if it’s not the best option out there for that specific job. Where it’s genuinely nicer is as your go-to for shorter easy runs and recovery days. It kind of reminds me of a Pegasus, if the Pegasus wasn’t a brick. Overall, I came away pleasantly surprised.
Final Verdict
The FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam is a shoe that’s a bit of a mixed bag. It’s not quite fast enough to be the up-tempo, racer-adjacent shoe I think FILA intended, but as a soft, bouncy daily trainer that can still handle the occasional faster effort, it delivers well beyond its price point. The standout laces and impressively generous outsole are the icing on top. My main hesitations are the durability question mark, given how soft that midsole is, and a toe box that runs roomier than expected. But for the price, this is one of the more pleasant surprises I’ve tested in a while.
Comparisons Against Similar Shoes
FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam vs. Nike Pegasus 42
Both shoes are aiming for a similar kind of average, do-it-all daily trainer feel, but the FILA does it noticeably better. It’s softer, a bit snappier, and just nicer underfoot. The Pegasus leans on its marketed air cushioning tech, which for me never quite delivers, whereas this shoe doesn’t claim any flashy technology and still outperforms it. That said, this might be individual: I’m a lighter, snappier runner who doesn’t compress soft foam as much, so a heavier runner might still get on better with the Pegasus’s firmer structure. But if you’re a lighter, snappier runner, I’d take this over the Pegasus.
FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam vs. ASICS Novablast 6
Both shoes take a similar approach: a soft base foam with an even softer insert layered in, in this case the Skyfoam Plus versus the Novablast 6’s LEAP foam. The insert doesn’t get utilized quite as effectively here as it does in the Novablast, but in exchange this shoe feels bigger and cushier overall, which I’d actually call an upgrade. I’d recommend this over the Novablast, though it is less dynamic and can’t be pushed for fast efforts in the same way, especially on anything softer than hard, compact asphalt.
FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam Quick Questions
How should I use the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam?
Easy days and recovery days are best, you can take it to faster days but I would not go faster than half marathon pace in them.
Is the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam a good shoe for long runs?
Sure, it can be used for long runs, it’s soft enough and has enough stability for when youre going the distance.
Is the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam a good shoe for fast sessions?
I would not recommend using this shoe for faster workouts, as I mentioned before, max half marathon pace.
Is the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam a shoe for daily training?
Yes it’s a great shoe for daily training.
Can I wear the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam as a lifestyle shoe?
You could, but I envision it being a bit too soft underfoot and eventually would fatigue you in day-to-day life
Is the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam suitable for all terrains?
Yes, but I recommend hard/compact terrain like asphalt or compact trails, not so much track or grass.
Is the the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam a good shoe for racing?
For a flat and nicely paved race I would say yes. But there are definitely better options on the market.
Is the the FILA Speedrocker Skyfoam a good shoe for stability?
Not really, those who are prone to stability issues will struggle with this shoe.
