ActiveRunningPUMA Fast-RB review: the rule-breaking super shoe that redefines speedExperience speed like never before with Puma’s boldest shoe yetWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)T3 VerdictThe Puma Fast-RB is a wild, futuristic running shoe that pushes the boundaries of performance footwear. With its towering 58mm stack, triple carbon plates, and laceless design, it’s designed for pure speed. Expensive and race-illegal, it’s a thrilling choice for those chasing ultimate speed in training.Reasons to buy+Tall stack height for extra cushioning+Triple carbon plates for propulsion+Durable (500-mile lifespan)+Unique laceless designReasons to avoid-Not ‘race-legal’-Heavy compared to competitors-Somewhat narrow fitWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
ActiveRunningPUMA Fast-RB review: the rule-breaking super shoe that redefines speedExperience speed like never before with Puma’s boldest shoe yetWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)T3 VerdictThe Puma Fast-RB is a wild, futuristic running shoe that pushes the boundaries of performance footwear. With its towering 58mm stack, triple carbon plates, and laceless design, it’s designed for pure speed. Expensive and race-illegal, it’s a thrilling choice for those chasing ultimate speed in training.Reasons to buy+Tall stack height for extra cushioning+Triple carbon plates for propulsion+Durable (500-mile lifespan)+Unique laceless designReasons to avoid-Not ‘race-legal’-Heavy compared to competitors-Somewhat narrow fitWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Experience speed like never before with Puma’s boldest shoe yet
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)T3 VerdictThe Puma Fast-RB is a wild, futuristic running shoe that pushes the boundaries of performance footwear. With its towering 58mm stack, triple carbon plates, and laceless design, it’s designed for pure speed. Expensive and race-illegal, it’s a thrilling choice for those chasing ultimate speed in training.Reasons to buy+Tall stack height for extra cushioning+Triple carbon plates for propulsion+Durable (500-mile lifespan)+Unique laceless designReasons to avoid-Not ‘race-legal’-Heavy compared to competitors-Somewhat narrow fit
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
T3 VerdictThe Puma Fast-RB is a wild, futuristic running shoe that pushes the boundaries of performance footwear. With its towering 58mm stack, triple carbon plates, and laceless design, it’s designed for pure speed. Expensive and race-illegal, it’s a thrilling choice for those chasing ultimate speed in training.Reasons to buy+Tall stack height for extra cushioning+Triple carbon plates for propulsion+Durable (500-mile lifespan)+Unique laceless designReasons to avoid-Not ‘race-legal’-Heavy compared to competitors-Somewhat narrow fit
T3 VerdictThe Puma Fast-RB is a wild, futuristic running shoe that pushes the boundaries of performance footwear. With its towering 58mm stack, triple carbon plates, and laceless design, it’s designed for pure speed. Expensive and race-illegal, it’s a thrilling choice for those chasing ultimate speed in training.
T3 Verdict
The Puma Fast-RB is a wild, futuristic running shoe that pushes the boundaries of performance footwear. With its towering 58mm stack, triple carbon plates, and laceless design, it’s designed for pure speed. Expensive and race-illegal, it’s a thrilling choice for those chasing ultimate speed in training.
Reasons to buy+Tall stack height for extra cushioning+Triple carbon plates for propulsion+Durable (500-mile lifespan)+Unique laceless designReasons to avoid-Not ‘race-legal’-Heavy compared to competitors-Somewhat narrow fit
Reasons to buy+Tall stack height for extra cushioning+Triple carbon plates for propulsion+Durable (500-mile lifespan)+Unique laceless design
Tall stack height for extra cushioning
Triple carbon plates for propulsion
Durable (500-mile lifespan)
Unique laceless design
Reasons to avoid-Not ‘race-legal’-Heavy compared to competitors-Somewhat narrow fit
Not ‘race-legal’
Heavy compared to competitors
Somewhat narrow fit
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Jump to category:Price and availabilitySpecificationsDesign and materialsPerformance and comfortWho’s it for?Should you buy it?VerdictAlso consider
Jump to category:Price and availabilitySpecificationsDesign and materialsPerformance and comfortWho’s it for?Should you buy it?VerdictAlso consider
I’m surely not the only one who often wonders what the performance footwear scene would look like if the World Athletics never posed the 40mm stack height/one embedded plate restriction on long-distance running shoes.
While some companies have already created running shoes that fall outside these parameters, the Puma Fast-RB is, in my opinion, the first shoe that showcases what super shoes might look like in an alternate universe.
With an incredible 58 mm maximum stack height, three embedded carbon plates and its laceless design, the Fast-RB looks and feels as whacky as it sounds. It’s a concept shoe that, unlike theAdidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, has an incredible lifespan of 500 miles (approx. 800km).
PUMA Fast-RB review
Price and availability
The Puma Fast-RB was announced in August 2024 and is available to buy now atPuma UKfor a recommended price of £300. US and AU prices and availability are yet to be confirmed. As a concept shoe, don’t expect to find many retailers stocking the Fast-RB, so if you find it anywhere, make sure you buy it as soon as possible.
Specifications
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Design and materials
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Although it’s probably the most ‘out there’ concept from Puma, Fast-RB (RuleBreaker) looks similar to the brand’s other super shoes, namely thePuma Fast-R Nitro Eliteand its successor, the Fast-R Nitro Eilte 2, with its two-part midsole and exposed carbon plate.
This is due to the Fast-RB’s front-heavy construction. Puma added not one or two but three PWRPLATEs, two of which are at the front. The plates separate three sections of Nitro Elite foam under the heel and forefoot, and two pods are sandwiched between the two plates under the midsection of the foot.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
The pods aren’t air-filled like in the case of theNike Alphafly 2; they are more like smaller blocks of the same Nitro Elite foam found elsewhere in the Fast-RB. Speaking of the Alphafly 2, the Fast-RB is much heavier than Nike’s super shoe, clocking in at 377g/ 13.3oz (men’s UK 10/ US 11). The Alphafly 2 weighs 269 grams in the same size.
The peculiarities don’t stop there. The Fast-RB has a laceless upper made from Puma’s ULTRAWEAVE material, a lightweight engineered fabric. It’s reinforced with PWRTAPE in critical, high-wear areas for durability. Two pull tabs around the ankle help pull the shoes on more easily.
While we’re on the subject of durability, the Puma Fast-RB has an impressive lifespan of 500 miles, much longer than your average running shoe. This is an unusual but welcome feature, especially considering the higher asking price.
Performance and comfort
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
As expected, running in the Puma Fast-RB is a unique experience. The shoes behave very much like other super shoes, but the stack height and the plates make each stride more dynamic and energetic.
I love the extra foam under the heels. I live on a hill with a road leading down to the seafront, and I often start running downhill, which provides an excellent opportunity to test the cushioning of running shoes.
Thanks to the extra foam under the heels, the Fast-RB made the descent effortless. Plus, the shoes roll exceptionally well, and the three plates give you an extra boost at each step. Most super shoes do all those things, too, but in this case, the sensation is amplified multiplefold, making you feel like you’re flying.
The upper is tight, and there is no way to play around with the fit using the laces, either. It’s an interesting approach, considering that the shoes aren’t light, so I feel adding the lace cage wouldn’t have made too much difference (i.e. made the shoes much heavier).
From what I can tell, there is no internal heel counter, but your foot sits deep in the midsole, providing some support in the rear. I experienced no chafing around the ankles, and apart from the tightness in the midsection, the Fast-RB fit well on my wide feet.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
There seems to be plenty of PumaGrip outsole to wear away, so traction is on point. Cornering was harder in the shoes, not just because of the stack height but also because of the disjointed middle part of the midsole.
The plates provide some stiffness, as expected, but the section with the pods moves (slightly) separately from the main part of the shoe, which made me turn more carefully to reduce the torsion force on the sole. Maybe I’m just being too cautious, but I didn’t want my shoes to break after a couple of weeks of use!
All that said, it’s an insanely liberating experience to run fast in the Puma Fast-RB. The shoes practically make you fly, and the legs feel fresh as a daisy, even after long and arduous sessions on the road.
I actually looked forward to threshold sessions, something I otherwise despise, because I knew I’d got to wear the Fast-RB. That’s how fun the shoes are.
Who’s the Puma Fast-RB for?
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
The Fast-RB is for those who stop at nothing to get faster. It is for runners who are happy to spend the extra cash to achieve marginal gains. It is for athletes who feel restricted and want to see their full potential. It is for those who can afford a fast shoe that cannot be used for verified races but only for training.
Should you buy the Puma Fast-RB?
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
On the one hand, the Puma Fast-RB is well worth the price, considering the long lifespan and the speed it allows you to achieve. On the other hand, it’s an expensive shoe that’s ‘illegal’ to use on races and only works well as part of a running shoe rotation, significantly narrowing the potential buyers down. If you can find a pair, have enough disposable income, and want to see how fast you can run, I’d recommend trying the Fast-RB.
Verdict
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
The Puma Fast-RB is a niche running shoe, even more than other super shoes. To a certain degree, it falls in the same category as theNew Balance SuperComp TrainerandAdidas Adizero Prime X 2 Strungtraining shoes while also sharing the same DNA as some of the fastest shoes, such as theAdidas Adizero Adios Pro 3.
It’s a super exciting concept of footwear that pushes the limits of what we expect from running shoes. It might not be ‘race legal’, but the Fast-RB certainly is a breath of fresh air in a world of iterative running shoe design. It’s not for everyone, but those who wear it will be able to gorealfast, which I know is an enticing possibility for many runners out there.
Also consider
Nike Alphafly Next% 2: Known for its high stack, carbon plate, and speed-boosting design, it’s a top choice for competitive runners.
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3: A proven race-day shoe with carbon-infused technology and lightweight design, great for long-distance running.
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer: Offers a cushioned, fast ride with carbon plates, designed for tempo runs and fast training.
Asics Metaspeed Sky+: A top-tier racing shoe with carbon plates, engineered for runners who want to maximise stride efficiency.
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3: A versatile shoe with a PWRRUN PB midsole and Speedroll technology, built for marathon-level endurance and speed.
Adidas Adizero Prime X 2 Strung: A maximalist training shoe with a hefty stack and carbon rods, pushing boundaries much like the Fast-RB.
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