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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Nike LunaRacer 4 Review}} The Nike LunaRacer 4 is a pleasantly simple, light weight, every day running shoe. There is no particular novelty or unique feature, b..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Nike LunaRacer 4 Review}}
The Nike LunaRacer 4 is a pleasantly simple, light weight, every day running shoe. There is no particular novelty or unique feature, but Nike's done a good job at producing a functional shoe. I only have 2 significant complaints, the first being the appalling shape of the toe box, but that's a flaw shared by the overwhelming majority of modern running shoes. The other problem is that it has a little bit more of a drop than I'd like, though it was never enough to make me feel like I was running in high heels.
I rated the LunaRacer as "recommended", and were it not for the two problems I do rated it higher. Even with the toe box cut open I found the non-anatomical forefoot shape to be a little annoying. I'm hopeful that Nike will improve the LunaRacer over time as they have with the makings of an awesome running shoe. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Nike LunaRacer 4-top.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Nike LunaRacer top]]
|[[File:Nike LunaRacer 4-outside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Nike LunaRacer outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Nike LunaRacer 4-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Nike LunaRacer bottom]]
|[[File:Nike LunaRacer 4-inside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Nike LunaRacer inside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The LunaRacer uses Nike's "Lunarlon" foam, which they claim is 30% lighter than their usual foam. I found it to be on par with many of the better running shoes I've tested. It's broadly similar in cushioning to the [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]] and not far behind the [[Hoka Clayton]], which is an impressive achievement. The cushioning is as smooth and even as you'd expect from a modern running shoe and the cushioning-to-weight ratio is up with the best of them.
* {{H:drop}}. The LunaRacer has too much drop for my tastes, and is on the edge of what I can tolerate at 7mm. The large drop is one of the downsides to the LunaRacer and combined with the poor toe box shape prevented me rating it higher.
* {{H:structure}}. The LunaRacer has a dual density midsole, which normally implies a Medial Post. However, in this case it's actually a soft foam midsole surrounded by a slightly firmer and harder wearing foam.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The LunaRacer has a similar flexibility to other lightweight running shoes. If you look at the photos of the soul, you'll see some lines that look like they might be gaps in the foam rather like the Nike Free. Sadly, that's not the case and these are just very shallow grooves. Given that the hard rubber outsole is only in small patches, I'd expected a somewhat more flexible shoe, but that's not the case. The LunaRacer does have a tendency to want to bend in just one specific line, corresponding to a gap in the hard rubber outsole patches. So it has pretty good flexibility, and I've got no complaints, but perhaps I just had overly high expectations.
* {{H:outsole}}. The LunaRacer has harder rubber outsole patches, they are placed in the primary contact points. In addition, the exposed midsole foam is slightly harder wearing than the inner foam that provides the bulk of the cushioning. If you are a forefoot runner that lands on the outside edge of your forefoot consistently, you might find a little bit of extra wear in that spot, but I don't expect that to be a big deal.
* {{H:shape}}. The LunaRacer is nothing like the shape of the human foot, so the [[Shoe Modifications| toe box needs to be cut open]]. The LunaRacer is a perhaps slightly worse than an average running shoe, and given how bad a typical example of a modern running shoe is, that's pretty bad. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is light weight, and very open for good breathability. It has no seams, but it does have an odd reinforcement band around the midfoot. This is where the upper forms loops for the laces and goes back down to the midsole, which seems a little peculiar and pointless, but it's mostly harmless. There is a modest amount of padding around the ankle opening and I found it to be a comfortable shoe once I cut the toe box open.
* {{H:tongue}}. The LunaRacer has a traditional style of tongue that's completely unpadded. I found I needed to pay attention when putting it on to make sure the tongue was flat as it easily gets worked up.
* {{H:lacing}}. The LunaRacer has flat laces that work how laces should and don't come undone mid-run.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The LunaRacer is only a tiny hint of a heel counter, and it's only purpose seems to be to keep the shape of the shoe when it's sitting on the shelf. I'd rather Nike had left it out, but it's harmless.
{{FastBlr|Nike/type-a6-597|597|Nike LunaRacer}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
The Nike LunaRacer 4 is a pleasantly simple, light weight, every day running shoe. There is no particular novelty or unique feature, but Nike's done a good job at producing a functional shoe. I only have 2 significant complaints, the first being the appalling shape of the toe box, but that's a flaw shared by the overwhelming majority of modern running shoes. The other problem is that it has a little bit more of a drop than I'd like, though it was never enough to make me feel like I was running in high heels.
I rated the LunaRacer as "recommended", and were it not for the two problems I do rated it higher. Even with the toe box cut open I found the non-anatomical forefoot shape to be a little annoying. I'm hopeful that Nike will improve the LunaRacer over time as they have with the makings of an awesome running shoe. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Nike LunaRacer 4-top.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Nike LunaRacer top]]
|[[File:Nike LunaRacer 4-outside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Nike LunaRacer outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Nike LunaRacer 4-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Nike LunaRacer bottom]]
|[[File:Nike LunaRacer 4-inside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Nike LunaRacer inside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The LunaRacer uses Nike's "Lunarlon" foam, which they claim is 30% lighter than their usual foam. I found it to be on par with many of the better running shoes I've tested. It's broadly similar in cushioning to the [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]] and not far behind the [[Hoka Clayton]], which is an impressive achievement. The cushioning is as smooth and even as you'd expect from a modern running shoe and the cushioning-to-weight ratio is up with the best of them.
* {{H:drop}}. The LunaRacer has too much drop for my tastes, and is on the edge of what I can tolerate at 7mm. The large drop is one of the downsides to the LunaRacer and combined with the poor toe box shape prevented me rating it higher.
* {{H:structure}}. The LunaRacer has a dual density midsole, which normally implies a Medial Post. However, in this case it's actually a soft foam midsole surrounded by a slightly firmer and harder wearing foam.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The LunaRacer has a similar flexibility to other lightweight running shoes. If you look at the photos of the soul, you'll see some lines that look like they might be gaps in the foam rather like the Nike Free. Sadly, that's not the case and these are just very shallow grooves. Given that the hard rubber outsole is only in small patches, I'd expected a somewhat more flexible shoe, but that's not the case. The LunaRacer does have a tendency to want to bend in just one specific line, corresponding to a gap in the hard rubber outsole patches. So it has pretty good flexibility, and I've got no complaints, but perhaps I just had overly high expectations.
* {{H:outsole}}. The LunaRacer has harder rubber outsole patches, they are placed in the primary contact points. In addition, the exposed midsole foam is slightly harder wearing than the inner foam that provides the bulk of the cushioning. If you are a forefoot runner that lands on the outside edge of your forefoot consistently, you might find a little bit of extra wear in that spot, but I don't expect that to be a big deal.
* {{H:shape}}. The LunaRacer is nothing like the shape of the human foot, so the [[Shoe Modifications| toe box needs to be cut open]]. The LunaRacer is a perhaps slightly worse than an average running shoe, and given how bad a typical example of a modern running shoe is, that's pretty bad. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is light weight, and very open for good breathability. It has no seams, but it does have an odd reinforcement band around the midfoot. This is where the upper forms loops for the laces and goes back down to the midsole, which seems a little peculiar and pointless, but it's mostly harmless. There is a modest amount of padding around the ankle opening and I found it to be a comfortable shoe once I cut the toe box open.
* {{H:tongue}}. The LunaRacer has a traditional style of tongue that's completely unpadded. I found I needed to pay attention when putting it on to make sure the tongue was flat as it easily gets worked up.
* {{H:lacing}}. The LunaRacer has flat laces that work how laces should and don't come undone mid-run.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The LunaRacer is only a tiny hint of a heel counter, and it's only purpose seems to be to keep the shape of the shoe when it's sitting on the shelf. I'd rather Nike had left it out, but it's harmless.
{{FastBlr|Nike/type-a6-597|597|Nike LunaRacer}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}