Retuning a Trail Shoe Supercar (EXCLUSIVE)
The latest shoes from norda look suspiciously similar to the brand's first-ever shoes. In fact, they look practically identical until you peek beneath the hood.
The norda 001, the debut offering from Canada’s expert in hi-tech trail gear, was launched four years ago as a lightweight running shoe using rugged fabric technology never seen before. The shoes were aptly named “Lamborghini's for your feet,” by Highsnobiety.
Now, the trail runner has been re-tuned and re-engineered to deliver even more speed. Enter the norda 001A.
“This isn’t just an upgrade,” Nick Martire, co-founder and CEO of norda tells me via email. “It’s a redefinition of what a trail shoe can deliver, from the first kilometer to the thousandth."
Martire, one half of the husband-and-wife duo behind norda, has integrated an Arnitel TPEE foam compound made exclusively for norda into the 001A’s midsole. This high-performance thermoplastic elastomer has taken the shoe to the next level.
The Arnitel foam delivers a 30% resiliency upgrade while reducing overall shoe weight by up to 10%. Plus, it’s been tuned to perform for over 1,000 kilometres.
“The 001 has always been the team’s workhorse, our do-anything shoe, and now the new 001A midsole offers race day-ready pop and rebound while retaining the durability we loved from the original model,” said Jason Schlarb, norda’s trail team manager, in a statement. Schlarb and his team have been busy testing the shoe, both in training and during races, for the past 18 months.
This isn’t the first time norda has utilised Arnitel, a material often used in electronics and the automotive industry as a more high-performing replacement for rubber. It can also be found in the norda 005, a race-day super shoe launched earlier this year by the brand.
By using Arnitel in its 001 model, norda adds to the shoe's long list of custom-made, top-of-the-range technologies. Elsewhere, the rugged runner features the world’s first seamless Bio-Dyneema upper (Dyneema being the world’s strongest fibre) and a custom Vibram tread pattern underfoot.
The newly optimized 001A, priced at $295, will start rolling out on August 27 via norda’s website.
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