Everything you need to know about Nike’s versatile React foam sole technology

When Nike opened polls aimed at asking questions to runners to voice their needs for a suitable running shoe, most of them received the answer. very specific: They said they wanted better cushioning. They also said they wanted the energy from the footsteps to be better returned. And of course, they need their shoes to be light. And moreover, it can be used for a long time without worrying about fatigue or irritation. In a way, they want everything, just like the saying “Customers are kings”. Nike has always found a way to make this difficult thing happen, which is to turn these four completely opposite properties into one material and put it on a shoe.

We can easily see, materials are extremely soft because they are made to absorb and reflect energy. “Think about your pillow – when you’re putting your head down to sleep, you don’t want it to bounce back as soon as your head hits the pillow,” said Ernest Kim, senior director of Footwear Nike Running. . Instead, you want that pillow to absorb all the force when you put your head down so you can sleep soundly. That’s what we mean by great cushioning.” Hard materials, on the other hand, yield more energy. That’s why typical foam can provide a good cushioning as well as a perfect energy return. And why can it be as light and durable as they have introduced, when normally it can’t include all of that. And the answer here is a named exception: Nike React Technology, featuring Nike’s latest cushioning innovation and a significant breakthrough in footwear foam.

The Nike React midsole debuted in June 2017 the first in basketball – a sport that requires players to change direction and speed in seamless motion and lift their bodies in the blink of an eye. This foam fills those needs by providing a soft and resilient feel as well as elasticity and stability – a balance never before seen in any other Nike basketball shoe. . To that end, Nike’s in-house chemists and mechanical engineers got together to test the ingredients to see which would deliver the perfect results. It’s a process that showcases Nike’s manufacturing ingenuity. After more than 40000 combinations of chemistry and treatment, and using scientific methods to identify materials with certain suitable properties, they came up with the unique composition of Nike React foam. .

From there, they put Nike React technology through more than 2,000 hours of testing on basketball players’ feet, where it’s proven to be the most durable foam and deliver greater energy return than any other basketball shoe. Any other Nike has been tested. Because runners expressed their desire to feel the same way, it wasn’t difficult when Nike decided to include Nike React technology in running shoes. With the basketball shoe, the designers covered Nike React foam for durability and stability for the traction control players need, but for running, engineers omitted the Nike React overlay to realize its full potential on the road. The designers were able to use a piece of Nike React foam (without using adhesives like glue) to create the midsole and outsole of this technology. The intricate shapes in the sole are designed according to depth, with deeper grooves showing areas of more cushioning and shallow sections representing stronger areas.

When tested in Nike’s Sports Research Lab with other running foams, data demonstrate that Nike React foam has a superior energy return ability than any other foam currently on the market. hours. This zero foam layer alone provides 13% greater energy return than Nike’s latest generation of Nike Lunarlon foam. At that time, this was considered as one of the big steps in Nike’s shoe manufacturing process. “I want to emphasize this because we’re not comparing Nike React technology to some anonymous foam that falls off the back of a truck somewhere; we’re comparing it to our latest Lunarlon, and even with such all-new high-bar tech, Nike React technology delivers more power with each stride,” said Kim.

If you wonder what that would feel like? So imagine, if you squeeze the Nike React foam, you get a great elastic cushioning feel; and right after that, when you let go, you’ll see the foam quickly return to its original shape, which is where the return energy comes into play. That means great for a run because it responds quickly to each step, bouncing back to its original state to ensure a consistent feel underfoot as you stride, mile after mile. Best of all, Nike React technology is Nike’s longest-lasting foam, giving runners the energy to do more and go longer distances. “Nike React is more durable than any other foam we’ve tested in Nike running, which means it will meet the needs of even the most dedicated distance runners,” Kim said.

When it came to putting the foam into the shoe, the designers turned to athlete-specific blueprints – from how they move, in what direction and with what force, everything is easily collected. obtained from the laboratory. This data is visualized via a pressure map that shows exactly where athletes need support and allows for complete optimization of cushioning and traction. “This allows us to make quick, data-informed decisions and how to shape the midsole and outsole to maximize the benefits of Nike React foam,” said Kim. They then took that a step further by feeding that data into a proprietary algorithm, and that algorithm created a unique surface shape that further amplified the technology’s running performance benefits. Nike React.

The final piece is also something that athletes will surely love. Professionals and professional athletes have used and tested Nike React for more than 17,000 miles of running, which translates to about 23,000 km. “During that time, our wear testers have repeatedly told us that Nike React makes them want to run more often,” says Kim. My favorite bit of feedback came from a wear tester who said about running in the Nike Epic React: ‘It feels good – it makes you want to run.’ Nike React technology is available in the new Nike Epic React Flyknit on February 22, 2017 and at all retailers around the world. Some basketball shoes with this technology you can find like Nike React Hyperdunk 2017 Flyknit and Jordan Super.Fly 2017. Come to Retro Jordan 2021 to choose for yourself a shoe with this super soft, light and smooth technology.

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