Mini review
Nike Lunaracer
Color: Neutral Grey/Black-Volt
Intended use: Serious/competitive running
Arch type: Regular to high, not recommended for flat foot/overpronators.
Upper: Mesh, synthetic suede, sandwiched Vectran fibres
Midsole: Injection molded EVA + Lunar Foam insert.
Outsole: BRS 1000 (carbon rubber)
Weight: 190 gms for a half pair of UK9/US10
Price: INR - 8500; Estimated US SRP: $100
RATINGS (on a scale of 10):
Upper fit: 9
Midfoot stability: 5
Cushioning - forefoot/midfoot: 7
Cushioning - heel: 8
Outsole grip/traction:6
Value for money: 5.5
Style quotient/Aesthetics: 8
Overall:7
Likes: Extremely lightweight, heel cushioning, great fit, no sew upper lining.
Dislikes: High price, weak midfoot stability.
SUMMARY:
The Nike Lunaracer is a shoe which is meant for serious runners who seek a better cushioned alternative to traditional racing flats; on the other hand, you might not get the best out of the shoe if you are planning to buy it for your evening walk or a two minute run on the treadmill. Very snug fit, make sure to try them for a few minutes in the store before you buy them so you literally know what you're getting into.
Published: September 14, 2009
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Oh boy, the Lunaracer is lightweight. So light, that when Nike sent these shoes to us for a review, we thought for a second that they forgot to put the shoes in the box. Not surprising, because one half pair of the Lunaracer is lighter than the shoe box. Each US 10 shoe weighs 190 grams on the scale, whereas the seemingly weightless cardboard box is 196 grams! Don't just take our word for it; if you have a pair of boxed Lunaracers and a precision scale, try it at home. At 190 grams, the Lunaracer is currently the lightest running shoe in India; and in absence of adidas adizero racing flats in the market today, it achieves this feat by a great margin.
The box vs. the Lunaracer: 190 grams for the shoe, 196 grams for the box. How's that?!
The Lunaracer is also a very different shoe. How? Let's pretend, for a moment, that I was a wine taster instead of a shoe critic. I would be able to sample from an assortment of fine wines and tell a Barbera from a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay from a Riesling. Now coming to think of it, shoes are no different. You can look at a shoe and tell whether it was a soccer casual, a motion control running shoe, or a simply a suede loafer. But once in a while, there comes a shoe which cannot be typecast, and you struggle to find a slot into which it fits best. The Lunaracer is one such shoe. And why do I say that? Because the Lunaracer is like nothing else on the market - it is neither an all-frill cushioned shoe, nor a racing flat. The Lunaracer has a upper which mimics the fit and feel of a track spike, but at the same time, with the spongy accordion-esque midsole, the bottom profile is a departure from what you normally see on racing flats. If I have to make a generalization, it would be that the shoe is a happy hybrid between a regular cushioned running shoe and a track spike.
And in a few ways, the Lunaracer is a very different fish in the Nike pond too - the shoe is one of its very few high end running models which skips the traditional air sole unit in favor of a new cushioning platform called the Lunarlite. This new cushioning technology involves the use of a new foam which Nike calls the 'Lunar foam'. They call it so because a similar material is used in the seats of NASA space shuttles - this reminds me that it is probably the second time when Nike has turned to space tech for help; the first one was a few decades ago, when an ex-NASA engineer called Frank Rudy offered the use of his invention, which we all know as Nike Air¹
The Nike Lunaracer has another new Nike invention - the Flywire. This new technology is used in the Lunaracer upper - strands of tensile fibres called 'Vectran' are sandwiched in key areas of the shoe upper, where it helps absorb the stress forces the foot generates while playing sports². Vectran is a multifilament yarn spun from liquid crystal polymer, and pound for pound, it is five times stronger than steel. It is also used in tennis racquets, bicycle forks, bow strings for archer and also in the airbags of the NASA's Mars Rovers.³
Lunarlite: The Lunar foam component sits between the Flywire upper and injection molded EVA midsole.
Flywire: Vectran fibres sandwiched in the upper at key stress areas.
With all the new space-tech in this rather unusual running shoe, we couldn't wait to take it out for our 5k wear test; so that's exactly what we did. Here's our lowdown after running a few kilometers in the Lunaracers:
Fit and feel:
I put on a pair of thick sports socks, and tried to get my foot into the Lunaracer. Couldn't. The shoe is very, very snug; so snug that it makes a pair of Spandex shorts look like a Bermuda. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, because as I progressed into my 5k run and ran a couple of kilometers, I realised this was how it was supposed to be. The upper fits like a glove, and in some ways, closer to a fit of a racing track spike than a regular running shoe, and you start appreciating it as soon as you respect the difference. Of course, you'd have to trade in your favorite sports socks for something thinner, but you'll realise that it's worth the switch. When the Flywire upper locks down your foot, there are no loose, flabby areas, and it helps a great deal to concentrate on running instead of feeling your foot slide inside the shoe.
The Lunaracer lining has no irritating, bulgy seams; instead of stitched overlays or underlays, all components are either fused together or glued on, which makes running a 5k literally a seamless experience. In the toebox area, a U-shaped piece of synthetic leather is glued on to the main upper mesh and extends right up to the edges of the eyestay, which unsurprisingly, is also stitch-less. The eyelets are punched into this fused layer and embroidered for a nice touch of detail. The tongue is made out of two layered synthetic leather with a somewhat Chamois leather feel, and a small piece of foam padding lies sandwiched between the two fused layers. The creators of the Lunaracer seem to have gone to great lengths to ensure that stitching is eliminated wherever necessary; it is evident in the fact that even the itsy-bitsy lace loop on the tongue is glued on. The last time I saw something like that was on the Reebok Smoothfit Hexride, but that's a completely different shoe altogether.
The Lunaracer beckons: Be warned; the shoe fits like a glove. Time to head out to your neighbourhood store and pick up a few pairs of thinnies.
No-sew: Upper components are fused together instead of being stitched-on; notice the green toe component extending right up to the eyestay area, all without the help of any stitching. Same for the Flywire midfoot section.
Black-eye: Eyelets are punched into the eyestay area and then dolled up with some eye-catching(pun intended) embroidery. And of course, no stitch around the edges.
Two-tongued: Two layers of synthetic leather are fused together to form the tongue.
Oodles of glue: The laceloop bonds tightly with the tongue with the help of some hot-melt glue; the remains of which can be seen spilling on the sides. Foam padding between the tongue shows up as a slight bulge. The synthetic leather used here feels vaguely like Chamois leather.
Lunar landscape: Lunar foam inside!
Besides the glove-like fit and the relatively seam-free upper, one thing which makes a colossal difference is the weight of the shoe. The Lunaracers are by far the lightest shoes we have tested on solereview, and the sheer lack of weight is bliss while running. A regular running shoe weighs around 360 grams and the Lunaracer is 190 grams, so you're just carrying half the weight of what one normally does. With the Lunaracers on, you hardly feel there's anything on, and no point of time will you feel that you're having to drag your shoes along. But there can't be too much of a good thing; there are a few tradeoffs to this whole lightweight business, which we'll discuss in the next breakout section below.
Heel cushioning, midfoot stability, heel to toe transition:
For a shoe which is an lighter alternative to a traditional racing flat, the heel area seems remarkably well cushioned, thanks to the Lunar foam insert which is much thicker in the rearfoot. The cushioning becomes noticeable even at snail speeds and as you start going faster, the resilience comes into play. If I have to compare this to another Nike technology, I would say that it feels like a softer version of the Zoom air. But having said that, my initial impression was that the sole unit misses the 'touch and go' feel of traditional racing flats, something which I value when I have to pick up some pace. I guess I need more runs in the Lunaracer to get a better sense - will cover that in the long term update of the Lunaracer next month.
The entire midsole of the Lunarlite is injection molded EVA and Lunar foam, which leaves out the customary thermoplastic midfoot shank. And if you're used to wearing regular running shoes or racing flats with a midfoot stability device, you will miss it in the Lunaracer. While the absence of a midfoot shank does wonders to cut down the weight, it scales down midfoot stability. Another area of concern is how the shoe delivers heel-to-toe transition during the run. The thing is, the Lunaracer outsole has these small rubber pods or 'waffles' spread across the shoe in high wear areas, and the rest are molded EVA lugs. During a run, a heel striker would use the outside (lateral) side of the shoe to gradually move his weight forward to the forefoot for toe-off, and the placement of rubber lugs (or waffles, in Nikespeak) is crucial in how the whole process is managed. In Lunaracer's case, there are four rubber waffle lugs on the outer side which come in contact with the surface. Two are on the heel and two on the forefoot, and the distance between the closest heel and forefoot lugs is 60mm, as compared to the usual 35-45mm. The adizero CS tested last year had a gap of 40mm in the midfoot area. To cut a long story short, the heel to toe transition is not one of Lunaracer's strong points - this is due to the unconventional construction of the sole unit which does not factor in enough rubber pods or points of contact between the rearfoot and forefoot to allow the heel to toe progression to be as smooth as you'd want it to be.
However, one big plus of the Lunaracer outsole is the flared forefoot area, which makes it extremely stable in the front. It also allows ample contact surface area for your foot to generate enough push for a powerful toe-off. It also helps that the Lunar foam insert in the forefoot is tapered and thinner than midfoot or heel, hence making the forefoot area touch-and-go in racing flat style without feeling like cardboard. I am a heel striker, but if you are a runner who lands on midfoot to forefoot, this shoe is built for you.
Hulk's kicks: Eye catching volt (green) colorway with black waffle lugs nested in. But no midfoot shank and micro lugs on the outer side. Forefoot is generously flared (in relation to the upper), which gives that extra area for strong toe-offs.
Lunar landing: Generally dollops of Lunar foam in the heel offer ample cushioning, and the shoe is lighter than paper. Literally.
Style/aesthetics, bells and whistles:
With a midsole which looks like an Accordian, a color scheme which would Incredible Hulk would be proud of and an upper which looks like a two dimensional suspension bridge, the Lunaracer is like nothing else on the market. This, of course, is a good chunk of the appeal. A lot of people (including me) want to look good while running, and the Lunaracer sure takes care of the 'looking-good' part. Effortlessly. Honestly, if I had a singlet and a pair of shorts in light grey and a dash of green to go with the Lunaracers, I would no longer be wasting my time thinking about new pick-up lines when I hit the gym...
Go skin-deep below the color and styling, and there are a few functional aesthetic bits as well. The forefoot area has some reflective trims, and so does the heel, which has a generous quantity of reflective trims - very useful at night. Lift the molded insole of the left shoe, and you will see the Nike+ cavity into which you can slide in your Nike+ipod transmitter for sync with your iPod. The forefoot area lacks a bit of ventilation due to the layers fused together, so there is compensation by way of perforations (holes) in the front part of the tongue.
Crop circles: Reflective trims in the forefoot and perforations in the tongue allows the frictional heat to escape.
Nike+ enabled: Lifting the insole will reveal and cavity to put your Nike+Apple transmittor into.
Shiny heel: Reflective inserts in the heel for that midnight run you've been planning!
So what do we think of the Lunaracer overall? We think it is a competant shoe which is a good substitute to a racing flat, and would serve you well from a short run to a marathon. There isn't much of a collection of racing flats in the Indian market, so the Lunaracer is the shoe to buy if you are looking for a lightweight raceday shoe which will last the distance. There are a few things which can be improved upon, but the fit and the weight (or the lack of) more than make up for it. We feel that the price could have been lower though; a Rs.6000-Rs.7000 would have been sweeter, considering it sells for $100 in the US.
Source¹: Swoosh - The unauthorised story of Nike and the men who played there - Harper Collins business
Source²: Solecollector magazine and website: Nike Hyperdunk review - use of Vectran cables in Flywire uppers.
Source³: Physical characteristics and industry application of Vectran fibres - http://mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft_edl_airbags.html and http://technicaltextiles.fibre2fashion.com/in-focus/vectran-fibre/index.asp
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They're already a rage....
Pharrell can be seen here wearin 'em...
http://www.kicksonfire.com/2009/07/20/celebrity-kicks-pharrell-hearts-lunaracers-wallys/