Brand: Nike
Model: Joyride Run FK
Key Features: Nike’s all-new Joyride cushioning system comes as the latest addition to the brand’s arsenal of running technology. A revamped midsole sees the traditional piece of solid foam replaced with air pockets that are filled with small beads. These beads are tuned to address various points of a runner’s stride, from heel-strike, to toe-off. The midsole is paired with a minimalistic Flyknit upper that gets rid of the sock-liner in order to focus fully on the Joyride tech.
Release Date: July 25 (Limited release for Nike Members), August 15 (Full release)
Price: $180
Buy: Nike
Editor’s Notes: Today, Nike unveils its latest, and possibly greatest advancement in running technology; Joyride cushioning. Much like Air, Free, Lunarlon, and React that came before it, Joyride is set to be an important innovation on which Nike will continue to build over time. Developed as an all-purpose running technology, Joyride is projected to make all types of runners better. Pods filled with thousands of beads work to cushion your stride, adapting to every runner’s own foot strike and providing a more responsive and personalized cushioning system.
Underlining the magnitude of this innovation, Kylee Barton, Nike’s global senior footwear product director, tells Highsnobiety, “It literally took years, and years, of innovation to create these beads through combined insight that we had to make the run easier for runners.”
Originally, the technology featured one large slab of beads but, due to feedback from runners, Nike made what it considers to be vital changes. “We went back to the drawing board and we identified these cavities,” says Barton. “So the beads are able to move within the cavities, but they stay confined in their space and they don't run wild under your feet.”
The technology’s tagline, “Thousands of tiny beads working hard, so you don’t have to,” is meant very literally. “In the men's US 10, there are 11,000 beads in each half pair, and in the women's US 8 there are 9,000 beads in each half pair,” reveals Barton.
Considering Nike’s React cushioning was introduced fairly recently, Barton explains the differences between the two systems. “Joyride has a little bit more responsiveness and it's actually softer. It’s different to React in terms of how the foam and beads work together, not necessarily better or worse than React.”
The Nike Joyride Run FK is the first sneaker to drop with the all-new cushioning and will be available to Nike Members starting July 25. A wider release will follow on August 15, with the Swoosh set to utilize the technology in a number of other styles, both performance and lifestyle.
Check out the latest technology above and stay tuned for further release information.
For a deeper dive into Nike, check below.
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