If you’re intrigued by the Flyknit upper of the Flyknit Racer (reviewed here) but think that the Racer or Trainer is a little too minimal for you, there’s the 3rd option – the Lunar One.

Also made of the same Flyknit fabric as the Racer and Trainer, the Lunar One is a traditional shoe that’s along the lines of the Lunar Glide. Both the Glide and Lunar One have Dynamic Flywire, simple upper (though the Lunar One’s are of different approach) and relatively similar outsole configuration.

I reckon that the Lunar One rides lower to the ground – it certainly feels so – if only a little than the Glide’s (which has an 11mm drop). The other difference is the Lunar One dropped the Dynamic Support feature on the midsole, which makes the shoe less clunky. The Lunar One is an ounce lighter than the Lunar Glide, only 8.35oz for my US9.5 would you believe it. Yes, sometimes appearances can be deceiving.

The upper has a tighter weave than the Flyknit Racer as you can see from the closeup below but breathability is still good. Much of the design cues come from the Racer, such as the very flat laces (you still need to triple knot them) and how the Dynamic Flywire is used in creating a snug fit through the mid foot.

Tighter weave.

Design cues from the Flyknit Racer and Trainer

Come undone. Just like the Racer, the Lunar One’s laces easily come undone, even after double knotting

Dynamic Flywire (in green) also functions as lace loops

Because the flex grooves don’t cut across the lateral to the medial side, flexibility suffers. Nike could do well to redesign the Lunarlon midsole to have deeper grooves such as those found on the Vomero.

Not particularly bendy, if a little stiff as you can see from the photo below.

That’s the max it flexes.

How then does the whole package fare on the run? I’ve taken the Lunar One on several runs, nothing long, just maxing out at 7K. I found it to have a bouncy yet responsive ride. The most surprising thing was I had very little problem in maintaining a mid foot strike throughout my runs. However I wasn’t able to lift my heels as high as I would normally do while running around in a transitional shoe. The upper in the forefoot region has a little more stretch and give than the typical upper. The use of Flyknit essentially eliminates extraneous layers, indirectly taking up less space. As a result, my toes had more room to spread.

The Lunar One is a largely a nicely put together shoe for someone wearing traditional shoes. The Flyknit upper is definitely a winner and with a weight that’s under 9oz, this group of runners would be tempted to take the Lunar One as a race day shoe for the half and full marathon. Where it comes up a little short is the stiff midsole and finicky laces.

Striking

The Nike Flyknit Lunar One is now available in Nike stores in the country. The shoe is a review pair provided by Nike Sales Malaysia.

The Nike Flyknit Racer is an intriguing shoe. Let me rephrase that: It’s a mind-boggling shoe. The way the the upper is put together sees a dramatic departure from what we runners know of how shoes are made of. This isn’t to say that the Flyknit Racer is a near perfect shoe because it’s not. Nevertheless it’s an awesome start and the prospect of seeing more of the Flyknit upper in new footwear is exciting.

The Flyknit Racer is a very niched shoe. Most runners would probably not able to wear it, at least as an everyday shoe and I’ll explain in awhile. The Racer is one part of two shoes – the other’s a Trainer – produced for Nike sponsored athletes in conjunction with the London Olympics. Nearly a year on, the Racer’s finally hit our shores. Prior to laying my hands on them, I’ve had the chance to see them in Japan, both in Osaka and Kyoto, so I knew what to expect.

Those are the Flyknit Trainers on the top of the photo. Snapped this photo in the Nike Store in Osaka.

Closer view of the Trainer. The difference is the use of more fabric in the key areas lending more structure to the shoe.

When you first pick up the Racer, you’ll immediately be smitten first by the lack of weight and then by the upper. Indeed, this weave of the upper is so complex yet so simple in its idea. The entire upper is basically cut from a single piece of fabric as you can see from a still from a video below.

Ben Shaffer from Nike’s Innovation Kitchen explaining the technology at work. See the one piece upper he’s holding. You can find this video easily on YouTube.

How light is the shoe? At 6.3oz, it’s lighter than the 6.65oz of the Lunaracer+ 3 (reviewed here) and I’ve previously put some shoes to the scales to verify manufacturers’ claims (read here) against actual weight. Without the insole, the shoe drops another 0.7oz but the Racer is not designed to be worn sock-less. Any lighter you’ll have to pick up the LunarSpider R3 and Zoom Streak LT. Running Warehouse puts the Flyknit Racer at a 10mm drop (Heel: 24mm, Forefoot: 14mm).

Because the upper is a single piece of fabric, there are no seams to rub you the wrong way unless there’s some stitching anomaly. Nevertheless I doubt the Racer is designed to be run sans socks. The evidence is in the exposed stitching around the footbed as you can see from the photo below. Unlike conventional shoes, there’s a complete absence of padding under the top layer of knitted upper. No cushy material, nothing between your skin (well, unless you’re wearing socks) and the fabric. Even the collar is unpadded. This means carrying less weight around and more real estate inside for a roomier feel. I’m able to fit into a US9.5 rather than a 10 or 10.5 when it comes to a Nike racing shoe. I need to point out that the Flyknit Racer is a Unisex shoe. The sizes are men specific so women should subtract 1.5 from their usual size to determine their size in men’s. (Example: If you wear size 8 in women’s, order size 6.5 in men’s).

The next few photos will be close up shots of the upper, so that you’ll appreciate the intricate weaves of the thread. You’ll notice that everything is kept to a minimum, resulting in a shoe that’s ultra breathable. Even the swoosh is painted on rather than a separate piece of stitched-on. Where areas of additional structural support are needed, the threads are in a tighter weave.

You can see the Dynamic Flywire threads through the upper.

See through.

The thin fettucini-like laces, in my opinion, are a miss. Despite double knotting it on my first run, they came undone. From then on, it’s all about triple knotting for me. Lacing the shoe is smooth and easy, through the dynamic Flywire loops that pull the upper snugly against your feet.

The fettuccini-like laces

What you get in the Flyknit Racer’s midsole is a single Zoom Air unit in the forefoot, a reflection on its racing pedigree. We’re not talking about heel striking here, folks. The midsole has a very substantial flare especially in the heel section. Because running in the Racers are pretty much a get up and go fast affair, chances are you won’t be heel striking. Note the very thin use of rubber in the outsole. This is not a shoe you’d want to be dragging you feet – do that and you’ll basically be fast-tracking the shoe to destruction.

Underfoot, you get little nuggets of waffle. Called ”Waffleskin” rubber outsole features a racing-specific diamond pattern, delivering lightweight durability and traction. As previously mentioned, only a thin layer of rubber serves to protect the heel. 

With all the features out of the way, let’s quickly talk about the wear experience. Out of the box, the Flyknit Racer needed no breaking in. It’s more spacious up front than the Lunaracer and most definitely firmer. Both shoes aren’t the most flexible around unlike the Free or Skecher’s Performance Series. Where the Nike Free, Skechers and even the Lunaracer are soft, pliable and cushy, the Flyknit is very firm and responsive.

My first run in the Flyknit Racer was over a hilly 9K course. There was an immediate fast feel to it, almost spike-like. You propel to the next stride the moment you hit the ground forefoot and there was a snap to the strides. True racing shoes are stiffer than regular trainers for a quicker turnover – imagine a short and tightly wound spring that stores and unleashes the energy. My lower legs were fully engaged throughout the run but since I’ve done most of  my running on transitional and minimalist footwear, I didn’t find the experience painful. Good thing there wasn’t any hotspots either.

I’ve also ran a handful of shorter runs around the KLCC track after the first wear. The Waffleskin held up very well on the wet synthetic surface and above average on the wet bricked sections. I didn’t have to pay extra attention to maintaining a grip of the wet surface. Rainwater entered the shoe almost immediately but exited almost as quickly.

The star feature of the Racer which is the upper, performed flawlessly in my opinion, although I won’t discount the chance of a stray pebble entering the compartment of the shoe. It’s the midsole and firm ride that most runners will have to contend with. If you’re fast enough, the Flyknit Racer would have an excellent track-like racing flat. World-class elites have been seen wearing the Racer for marathons but unless you’re really fast, you might not be able to do that. Personally, this is a perfect shoe for speed work and races up to 10K. It’s not a shoe that I’d put on for slow and easy runs, just like you won’t be taking a GTR or ST on a slow 60 km/h weekend drive. For that there are plenty of other options. If I’d a say in the design of Nikes, it’ll be for a wider forefoot. It’s something I’d wished for in the case of the Racer as well, but given what the shoe stands for i.e. pure speed, the snug sock-like fit is almost a necessity. There are reports on the Internet of other wearers subjecting the upper to a steam treatment before putting the shoes on, to allow the upper conform to the wearers’ feet – something like getting a customized fit. I’ve not tried it yet though .

The Nike Flyknit Racer is hard to find with limited stocks everywhere. But if you find one on the shelves, just give it a try even if just to feel the upper.

Disclosure: The shoe was provided to me for by Nike Sales Malaysia for a review.

The hugely popular Nike Free series is back, updated, refreshed complete with the trademark bright colors. Fans of the ultra flexible shoes will wonder what the changes are. The midsole and outsole (down to the configuration) remains unchanged but the changes to the upper are quite significant. Let’s take a look firstly at the Free 5.0.

Previously known as the Free Run (read my quick take on the previous version here), the model is now known simply as Free 5.0. This move makes sense since many are confused to the Free Run’s place in the Free series. Hardly a minimalist shoe to the purists, the 5.0 with an 8mm drop is the most accessible to folks. It’s a go anywhere, do anything (mostly) shoe that has found its place in gyms, track, road, markets, malls and just about anywhere really. Lest all that description comes across as putting the 5.0 a little on the casual footwear segment, newbies to the shoe would be interested to know that the Free Run has been seen in road races from 3K to the marathon. Such is the versatility of it.

So what are the changes made to the update? I’ll let pictures do most of the “talking”.

Siblings. The outgoing Free Run+ 3 (left) and the new Free 5.0.

A quick peek is all it takes to see the updates to the upper. The Run + 3 has an outer see-through layer, while the 5.0 does away with it. Instead dynamic Flywire is now employed to good use. As a result, the shoe now wraps around the foot better, with a snug fit around the mid foot.

At 8.3oz of my US9.5, the Free 5.0 falls into the territory of a lightweight trainer. I believe it would hold up as a second shoe and as a transitory shoe to something more barer. Do note however, a runner’s transition period would vary from another’s. It took more than 8 months for me to complete my move to shoes that have 6mm drop and below.

No change to the outsole.

Absolutely no change to the sole. But then there’s really no need to change something that works.

Same flexible heel upper.

No stiff and hard material used to cup your heel, something that I like.

Meshy. A closer look at the dynamic Flywire.

Bendy

You can expect the same flexibility as all the Frees.

The swoosh is no longer reflective

I recently wore the Free 5.0 for more than a day (there was a 3-hour downtime I spent prone on the bed trying to catch a shuteye before reporting back to the event site) while on duty at the Malaysia Women Marathon. The overall wear experience sees no change to the outgoing Free Run+ 5.0. My feet didn’t feel thrashed at all and when paired with the Compressport socks, the fit was excellent. My feet never felt overheated and for all that it is, the Free 5.0 will remain the most popular in the Nike Free series. It’s accessible to most runners, flexible and light, basically a fantastic general purpose get up and go shoe.

Next up would be the Free 3.0 v5, the lightest of the 3 Frees (there’s a 6mm drop 4.0 which stands in between). If there was a flaw in the 3.0 v4 design, it was in the upper. In tropical weather, the neoprene-like bootie will result in your feet getting a sauna experience. On top of that the fit was way too snug especially on the top of the foot, so much so that I had to upsize my usual US9.5 to US10. And even with the upsizing, I could wear the v4 without laces – such was the tight fit. You can read about the v4 here.

v5 serves as a significant update even if the mid and outsole see no changes whatsoever. Again, there’s no need for any changes in that department.

The tweaked upper brings about huge differences to the entire wear experience. The neoprene-like use has been reduced to just the tongue area, and while you still can’t see through to the inside of the shoe, the liner under the outer mesh (no longer the welded star design) is made of much thinner and softer fabric. As a result 3.0 v5 weighs in at 7.45oz compared to the 8.2oz of the v4.

The sizing is now back to my usual US9.5, my apprehension unfounded.

v5 in the foreground. Notice the sizing.

No change to the soft heel section.

The swoosh is no longer a reflective material, if that’s important to you. The most significant gain, as mentioned, is the added breathability. I put that to the test one hot afternoon during route marking duties recently and my sock less feet came away much drier than it would compared to the previous version. One can’t underplay the importance of a breathable shoe in this weather!

The Free 4.0 v5 sees a major update to the upper, giving the wearer a cooler experience. The neoprene-like bootie, in my opinion, could be entirely removed to improve the wear experience more and hopefully the next iteration will be even better. Like the 5.0, the 4.0 is a wear anywhere shoe short of the trails. The 4mm drop would work the calves of newbies who are seeking to depart from the world of bulky shoes, so if your plan is to wear them for half marathons, do transition slowly.

Both the Free 4.0 v5 and the 5.0 are now available in Nike stores in the country. Both shoes were review units provided by Nike Sales Malaysia. Head on to the Nike Running site for more details on the Nike Free.