Nike waved the white flag AND threw in the towel when it comes to performance running shoes... Lunar

ghenges

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So somewhere between coming up with ridiculous reasons to release new Lebron/Kobe shoe colorways and re-re-re-re-re-releasing Jordans and other retros, Nike simply gave up on making decent running shoes. They're not even trying to compete with their much smaller competitors for market share in the running department.

It's as though they just said: Forget all this mesh and leather stuff. We're going to take the cheapest upper materials we can find, glue it on a piece of foam, slap a $100 - $160 price on it and call it the Lunar line.

Performance wise, they are leagues behind Asics, New Balance, Brooks and others.

This is not to say they never made great running shoes. I actually just ran my pair of Equalon 4's into the ground. It was a traditional running shoe. VERY comfortable, a lot of cushion and support and still light weight. But what did they do? They discontinued it. Just like the Kantara before it. The closest thing they offer now is the Lunar Glide or Lunar Eclipse. When I tried them on today, in comparison with the Asics and Brooks models I also tried on, it wasn't even close comfort wise. It was sad.

I guess this is a vent post. What sucks is that they CAN make a better running shoe. They've proven they can in the past. But it seems their strategy now is just to make cheaper shoes that don't perform well and just hope that their marketing department can save them. After all, they are a marketing company first and a shoe company second.

I just dropped $150 on a pair of Asics Kayanos. This is my first pair of "serious" non-Nike runners. I've already fallen in love with them in the short time I tried them on in the store. There's no turning back now.
 
In what way are the Nike shoes uncomfortable? I ask because you mentioned that you loved the Kayano, Asics' premium support shoe designed to minimize over-pronation. The Lunar Eclipse and the Lunar Glide fill Nikes support shoe category, but they weren't designed to give the same amount of pronation control as the Kayano. Nike's premium support shoe are the Structure. I do agree with your opinion about the overpriced Flyknit Line. The other brands offer shoes that feature a form-fitting, overlay-free, and flexible uppers similar to the Flyknits for half the price.
 
Well see the Structure is actually their intermediate support shoe. They always (up until 2011) had a support shoe one level above the Structure that offered more cushioning and it had a higher price point ($135 range). With that shoe they could compete with Asics and the other brands. The only reason to explain why it was discontinued is because of disappointing sales and it probably cost per unit.

At the end of the day, it's all about where they funnel their resources. You've got kids lining up to buy basketball shoes and dropping $150+ easy every couple of months on a pair that sells out on release day. Compare that to the Equalon that sits on shelves and make their way to discount/outlet stores. A runner may buy one pair per year. So if they cut down their running line, funnel more money into making Basketball/Retro sneakers.. it's probably better for their bottom line. It's the people who were fans of their running line that miss out. But in that marketing formula, it's probably more cost effective to lose a customer like me if they can gain one who buys their lifestyle line.
 
Why sit there hoping and praying for Nike to do something when you're already smart enough to recognize that Asics, New Balance, Brooks, Mizuno, etc. make superior products anyways? Just stick with those instead of wanting a close-but-not-quite-there inferior Nike product. Every pair of shoes you own doesn't have to have a swoosh...
 
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When I first started working at a shoe store I thought, sneakerheads and that basketball market you're talking about made up most of the profit for Nike. boy was I wrong as are you. I'd say damn near 70% of our money comes from running shoes.

also, I love Lunarglides. But yes, your Kayanos are better.
 
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