9/13/2023 0 Comments Nike react running shoes![]() ![]() ![]() Brooks – which has a 23% share in the US running shoe market – launched its new Levitate shoe late last year promising a 72% energy return, the company’s best result in testing so far, and, according to its figures, higher than other leading performance shoes in the same category. Nike’s new shoe uses a synthetic rubber as the main ingredient, which Schoolmeester says combines the bounciness of standard rubber with a softer, more lightweight feel.Īnd it’s not just the two biggest names in Europe that are talking about energy. Even thorough reviews can offer only a guideline, since each runner generates a distinct wear pattern: some burn through pairs in a few hundred miles, another light-footed gazelle might eke out more than a thousand. When you spend that kind of cash, you expect a shoe to last, but there is no telling how long it will. If you want something fancy – a running shoe with the latest knit upper and midsole tech, say – £95 to £130 is the norm. After all, running shoes are not cheap: at RRP, a pair costs easily above £70. (Adidas takes a different approach to maximising energy return: its proprietary – and very popular – Boost technology uses TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane).)ĮVA also tends to have a shorter lifespan than most runners would consider desirable. However, the material has limitations: for an EVA shoe to be cushioned (which most runners want, to some degree) it must be soft, but if it is too soft it is energy-sapping. This material can be compressed into a form similar to rubber. Most running shoes are constructed using a midsole made from EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate). The USP of the React shoe is the foam on which it rests. It’s targeted at anybody who wants to go for a run. ![]() “This is more accommodating, a bit more democratic, in that it’s just a great, simple shoe. “The Zoom series is about making runners feel and be faster,” says Bret Schoolmeester, the brand’s senior director for global running footwear. So, while the US giant is surely working on the latest iteration of a superspeed shoe, its latest launch – React, unveiled today – goes back to basics – or, at least, back to mass-market appeal and a more wallet-friendly price point. This will be music to the ears of recreational runners who have noted the rise in prices at the top end of the running shoe market: more money, it seems sometimes, for less and less shoe. However, while shoe companies will continue undoubtedly to stress speed and comfort, another trend is starting to emerge: durability. Debate continues over Nike’s claim that the shoe increase a runner’s economy by 4%, although an academic study last year seemed to give it credence. ![]()
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