Changes

=Characteristics=

[[File:NikeSpiderForefootSmaller.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A slice through the forefoot, showing the black plastic shank. The foam cushioning is slightly thinner under the shank, and I could feel the difference when running.]]

* {{H:cushioning}}. The LunarSpider‏‎ is not quite as soft or well cushioned in the forefoot as the better shoes like the [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]]. I think this is partly due to the hard plastic plate that runs under the forefoot. This plate also makes the forefoot cushioning a little uneven as the foam under the plate is not quite as thick as the foam on its own. The rear cushioning is as good as the Nike Streak, but not the Hyper Speed, and it's heavier than either. That makes the LunarSpider good, but not great.

* {{H:drop}}. The LunarSpider only has 3mm of drop when loaded, which is pretty good for a mainstream shoe.

* {{H:flexibility}}. The LunarSpider‏‎ has a springy plastic shank that extends from the rear of the shoe to very close to the tip. The shank can be seen in the underside pictures as black "Y" shaped plastic, but the actual shank is much wider under the surface. Under the forefoot it's about 2 inches/50mm wide. This shank reduces flexibility, something I normally dislike. However, unlike foam that simply resists bending, the plastic shank acts as a bit of a spring, helping toe off. I only noticed the difference at slightly faster paces, as my stride lengthens and there's more toe off emphasis, but I came to rather like it. One downside to the shank noted above is that the cushioning is uneven under the forefoot.

* {{H:outsole}}. The LunarSpider‏‎ has firmer outsole under the heel, but it has an aggressive plastic outsole in the forefoot that provides great grip on road surfaces. I appreciated the extra grip when running faster on wet asphalt, and it gives extra confidence on sharp turns.

* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible and only has a seam where the green and blue upper meets in the pictures. The upper is fairly standard and quite breathable, but for some reason Nike has added strings from the midsole to the eye holes for reinforcement. (You can see these as black lines on the pictures.) While these did not cause any problems, they do seem a little pointless. There is a tiny bit of padding around the rear of the foot, plus a bit more padding around the ankle opening. It's not the most comfortable upper, but it's not bad either.

* {{H:tongue}}. The LunarSpider‏‎ has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces. The tongue has only a tiny bit of padding.

* {{H:lacing}}. The LunarSpider‏‎ has flat laces that worked well and I never had them come undone.

* {{H:heelcounter}}. The LunarSpider‏‎ has rigid heal counter which reduces the rear comfort a little bit.

=Comparisons=

Here are some direct comparisons with its potential competition.

|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 outside]]

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==Nike LunarSpider‏‎ and New Balance RC5000==

The LunarSpider‏‎ is more than twice as heavy as the ultralight [[New Balance RC5000]] while providing only slightly more cushioning.

|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 outside]]

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==Nike LunarSpider‏‎ and Asics GT 2000==

I tend to compare shoes against my benchmark "normal running shoe", the [[Asics GT 2000]]. The GT 2000 is nearly twice the weight of the LunarSpider‏‎ but provides slightly less cushioning in the heel and not much more in the forefoot. There's a lot more padding in the GT 2000's upper, but I've not found there's a huge difference in comfort. Given the weight and inflexibility of the GT 2000, it feels like a clog compared with the LunarSpider.

|[[File:Asics-GT2000-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 outside]]

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=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=

{{:Shoes-include}}