Nike Joyride: Making Running Easier
Nike realizes that running is a challenge for most people so their solution is to make it easy. “Our innovation? The Nike Joyride — Nike’s latest proprietary cushioning system made of thousands of TPE beads is the most innovative cushioning system that gives you better impact absorption and a personalized fit, ” according to Nike EKIN Soy Soriano.
The latest silhouette to feature Nike Joyride technology, the Nike Joyride Dual Run is designed to help keep legs fresh for a range of runners — whether a first-time jogger or a veteran on a shake-out run.
INNOVATION AND INSPIRATION.The inspiration for this product was to focus the Joyride technology in the areas where the runner needs it most, primarily the mid-foot and heel of the shoe.
Soy says that the Nike Joyride Dual Run is Nike’s most innovative launch for the year as it solves the problem of running being hard, exhausting, painful, and mentally difficult.
A majority of runners are heel strikers. In order to provide the consumer with the best experience, the Running team wanted to provide the maximum benefit of Joyride in the area that benefits Nike consumers most. The team focused on putting the beads in the heel as a Two-Pod and using a traditional foam in the forefoot, which provides runners with a more familiar and smooth toe-off sensation. The gradient colors seen on the Joyride Dual Run are a nod to the smooth transition runners will feel going from beads to foam.
Reluctant Runner: The Running team targeted the reluctant runner when creating this innovation. This is someone that might run for other sports, they might be new to the sport of running, or they might run once a week. The product team wanted to create a shoe that is not just about getting faster, they wanted to create a shoe that helps people get out the door and have fun with running. This is a huge opportunity for the running team, as they have not been able to authentically connect with these runners in the past.
Conforming Cushioning: While developing the Joyride, the team prioritized creating a new sensation for runners. They understood that simply creating a comfortable shoe would not be enough to inspire runners to wear the shoe. The beads in the Joyride system create a conforming cushioning sensation. The shoe conforms to the shape of the foot. The beads were placed where they need them most. They are then encased in a soft foam carrier. The shoe is then covered with a top cloth. By encapsulating the beads in these cavities, the beads are allowed to travel and compress inside of the cavity, creating a conforming sensation. The air that is trapped between the beads escapes when the foot compresses the system. A traditional midsole does not allow for this level of compression, as the air is not able to escape.
New Method of Make: All of the shoes across the entire marketplace feature a strobel and a sock liner. The strobel traditionally sits between the foot and the mid-foot cushioning. The Running team wanted to get the consumer’s foot as close as possible to the beads, so they partnered with the factory to create a new method of make that allowed for the removal of both the strobel & the sock liner. Getting the consumer to feel the beads directly was essential to the creation of this shoe.
Optimizing Weight: To optimize the weight of the shoe, the team wanted to remove excess components and focus on the most important areas of the shoe. Removing the two pods in the forefoot from the original Joyride Running helps to drop the weight of the Joyride Dual Run. This brings Joyride to the consumer in a lighter feeling shoe
TPE Beads: These beads are the catalyst that will allow for runners to give their legs a much-needed day off. The air pockets that are created inside of the Joyride system allow for the beads to compress more than a slab of foam. When the runner puts more force on the system, the air leaves and the beads compress to create more cushioning for the runner, which in turn creates more impact absorption. The shoe also uses SR02 Foam to provide the right amount of durability and softness underfoot.
Two Pods: The pods in the shoe are overfilled, creating a mound of beads in the shoe. By overfilling the heel pod, the beads are able to compress when a runner places their foot into the shoe. Each pod has a different fill rate to create the precise sensation the design team was aiming for. For the Nike Joyride Dual Run, it was important to provide maximum comfort in the heel and mid-foot.
The Nike Joyride Dual Run retails for Php 6,745 and will be available at Nike Park and partner retail stores on December 2, 2019.
About The Author
ChicksNiManok
Que Gavan, known as ChicksNiManok in the running community, is the better half of the brains behind Takbo.ph (registered and managed by Runningpeak Event Management and Services). You can also read more of her homeschool family adventures in FilipinoHomeschooler(dot)com.