What do you think of the Joyride?
- Chic shoe, exciting concept!32%
- Plastic that the world does not need.68%
The competition has ended.
Nike Joyride and the expected shock absorber
30.7.2019
Translation: machine translated
Until now, Nike has mainly turned air into gold. Now the company is throwing pearls in front of its customers and launching the "Joyride" cushioning system. Thousands of plastic beads in the sole ensure a soft impact and hard reproaches.
At the beginning of the 90s, the world was still clear. "Joyride" was a song by Roxette and number one in the charts for eight weeks. And Nike's were the good guys. The cool ones. The ones who succeeded like no other company in presenting sport and lifestyle as a seductive mix. So I had to explain to my mother why a sneaker, which was still called a trainers back then, was not perfectly cushioned with gel, honeycomb, Torsion soles or other competitor systems. No, it had to be a Nike Air. The fact that the air in the shoe was a little more expensive? No problem. To this day, the company has been able to make its products sparkle like no other with superstars and marketing fairy dust. But times have become more complex.
Light and carefree? Not in 2019!
"Joyride" is the new cushioning system from Nike that has just been launched. The highlight of the whole thing are thousands of colourful plastic beads made of TPE, which are distributed in several zones of the shoe sole. Around half of them are in the heel area and are visible through the transparent sole. Otherwise it would be boring. In addition to the interesting look, the integrated ball pool should of course also provide soft cushioning and appeal to athletes who want to give their feet a break on recovery runs.
Source: Nike
Nike claims that the Joyride's cushioning system offers 14 per cent better impact protection compared to popular running shoes such as the "Air Zoom Pegasus 36" or the "Epic React FK2". But facts and figures are only marginally important. And I doubt that the colourful Joyride models will only be seen on athletes' feet. The lifestyle is served by emotions and "Joyride" - the joyride - stands for the light, carefree. A feeling, almost a bit like the early 90s, when the future seemed golden. But that is long gone.
Microplastics in shoes?
When Nike fired up the marketing machine these days and presented the Joyride Flyknit in a shower of colourful plastic balls, it was clear what was coming. Accusations. The world is sustainably on the brink, microplastics are polluting the oceans. And the world's largest sporting goods manufacturer unabashedly packs millions of plastic balls into running shoes that end up in the bin after 400 kilometres? Is that still possible? What happens to them? Has Nike not recognised the signs of the times? Here author Andrew Liszewski is outraged and forces Nike to say that the shoes can be recycled via the Reuse-A-Shoe programme and that they are naturally committed to a more sustainable future.
Despite the shock absorber for the new cushioning, before the global sales launch on 15 August, the beads will gradually be used in other models. And I wouldn't be surprised if they become another success story and everything stays the same: What Nike tackles will sooner or later turn to gold. A collector has just paid 437,500 dollars for the Nike Waffle Racing Flat "Moon Shoe" from 1972. A world record.
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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