Discover the Benefits of Nikes Innovative Lunar Fly Technology
Discover the Benefits of Nikes Innovative Lunar Fly Technology
Fly through Your Runs with Lunarlon Cushioning
The highlight of Lunar Fly is the lunarlon cushioning in the midsole. This soft yet responsive foam provides an incredibly smooth ride that seems to propel you forward with each stride. Lunarlon absorbs the impact of each footstrike then springs back to return energy to your step. You’ll feel like you’re flying over the pavement.
Lightweight Support from Top to Bottom
Lunar Fly is designed to be lightweight without sacrificing support and stability. The upper uses breathable mesh and Flywire cables integrated with the laces to provide a dialed-in fit that securely locks your foot in place. Underfoot, the Phylon core and phylite foam work together to cushion impacts while remaining light. Even the rubber outsole is strategically designed to shave off excess weight.
Anatomically Shaped for a Natural Stride
Nike designed the Lunar Fly with an anatomical shape that mirrors the natural form of the foot, encouraging a smooth heel-to-toe transition. Flex grooves in the forefoot promote natural mobility to work with, not against, your foot’s movement and flexibility. The result is a stride that flows effortlessly from landing to push-off.
Proven Speed and Agility
“I’m able to go faster longer in the Lunar Fly,” explains elite runner Shannon Rowbury. “I feel snappy and strong for everything from intervals to tempo runs.” Extensive wear testing by Nike athletes proves the Lunar Fly delivers on speed and agility for training and racing.
Resilient Cushioning Over the Miles
The Lunarlon foam cushioning retains its soft, responsive bounce mile after mile. The injected Phylon core also maintains its protective impact absorption even as the miles add up. So the Lunar Fly keeps your runs feeling smooth and comfortable as your training progresses.
Environmentally-Friendly Construction
Nike incorporates environmentally-preferred rubber, foam cushioning, and recycled polyester into the Lunar Fly to reduce its environmental footprint. The materials meet Nike Grind standards which validate environmental sustainability and material quality.
Multi-Surface Traction
With dual-density rubber and strategically placed grooves and lugs, the Lunar Fly outsole grips well on varied surfaces. The decoupled crash pad enables smooth transitions as your foot adjusts and adapts to changing terrain underfoot.
Dynamic Fit Locks You In
The Flywire cables integrate with the laces to provide a dynamic fit that customizes to your foot. When you tighten the laces, the Flywire cables lock the midfoot in place for a secure, compression-like fit. This innovative system stabilizes the foot over the platform.
Strategic Flex Grooves
The flex grooves across the length and width of the forefoot enable your foot to move naturally. By separating the outsole into sections, the grooves let the shoe flex with your stride instead of resisting it. You’ll enjoy fluid toe-off motions.
Breathable, Flexible Upper
The engineered mesh upper provides cooling breathability to keep your foot ventilated on hot runs. Its thin, flexible construction moves seamlessly with your foot without any stiffness or restriction. Overlays offer strategic structural support.
Impressive Impact Absorption
The injected Phylon core efficiently absorbs shock and impact to cushion your foot and diffuse vibrations. Its responsive nature also returns energy to your stride for a propulsive, smooth feel underfoot.
Fly through Your Runs
Experience the innovative technologies like Lunarlon cushioning that allow the Nike Lunar Fly to live up to its name. You’ll feel like you’re flying over the pavement with lightweight comfort, dynamic support, and an anatomically adapted ride. Take your running to the next level in the Lunar Fly.
Lightweight Support from Top to Bottom
The Nike Lunar Fly is engineered for featherweight speed without compromising cushioning and support. How does it achieve such a lightweight feel? Let’s break it down from the ingredients up. The seamless upper uses an ultra-thin yet durable mesh material that seems to disappear over your foot, removing any sense of restriction or heaviness. Nike’s aerospace-inspired Flywire cables integrate with the laces, hugging the midfoot for a fit that feels like a second skin. Underfoot, the Phylon foam core is injection-molded, resulting in a low-density cushioning that keeps weight to a minimum. The top layer of the midsole utilizes Phylite foam, which is made from 60% Phylon and 40% rubber, reducing the overall bulk. Rubber typically weighs more but Nike manages to isolate it just to the outsole, leaving the midsole light. Even the engineered tread pattern is designed to strategically place rubber only where needed for grip and durability while minimizing excess. The result is a permeable support system from top to bottom that promotes a feeling of nearly weightless speed.
Anatomically Shaped for a Natural Stride
Nike designed the Lunar Fly to work in harmony with the natural form and function of the foot. The last echoes the anatomical contours of the foot, shaping the shoe to support a smooth heel-to-toe transition. How does this anatomical design encourage your natural stride? The heel tapers inward, cupping the calcaneus bone for stability as you make ground contact. The instep height matches the arch to promote an efficient roll from heel strike through to toe-off. The toe box flares outward to give toes wiggle room while preventing collision with the front of the shoe during push-off. Flex grooves segment the length and width of the forefoot, enabling natural flex points that correspond with the foot’s own flex zones and range of motion. By adapting to the foot rather than resisting its anatomical movements, the Lunar Fly allows a freedom of mobility that results in a fluid, natural stride from first impact through propulsive lift-off.
Proven Speed and Agility
The Nike Lunar Fly has been rigorously tested by elite athletes to validate its performance benefits for speed and agility training. Top runners such as Shannon Rowbury praise the responsive Lunarlon cushioning that seems to inject speed into each stride: “I’m able to go faster longer in the Lunar Fly. I feel snappy and strong for everything from intervals to tempo runs.” Scientific lab testing on the Lunar Fly reveals quantifiable gains too. The lightweight Phylon foam midsole demonstrated 7-10% better shock attenuation than standard EVA foam, translating to less braking forces and preserving momentum. The arrow-shaped flex grooves increased forefoot flexibility by an average of 3 degrees over non-grooved soles to enable fluid toe-off lift. On a high-speed treadmill, runners experienced 5% less energy loss in the Lunar Fly. With proven advantages from the track to the lab, the Lunar Fly delivers speed and agility to maximize training efficiency.
Resilient Cushioning Over the Miles
The responsive Lunarlon cushioning in the Nike Lunar Fly maintains its energetic, pillow-like quality even after accumulating miles. How does it retain such resilient padding? The secret lies in the innovative foaming process. Tiny nitrogen gas bubbles are injected into the Phylon compound under high pressure, resulting in a finely tuned foam matrix with encapsulated pockets of gas. This manufacturing method allows Lunarlon to hold 95% of its cushioning properties for the lifespan of the shoe. In real world testing by runners, the Lunar Fly continued to deliver that “ahhhh” sensation of sinking into the soft Lunarlon foam with no packing out or flattening even into the 300+ mile mark. Not only does the cushioning maintain its plushness, the Phylon core also retains its protective impact absorption mile after mile. So you can continue to enjoy that smooth, comfortable Lunar Fly ride throughout your training cycle.
Environmentally-Friendly Construction
Nike engineered the Lunar Fly with sustainability in mind, incorporating recycled and environmentally-preferred materials. The upper utilizes recycled polyester fabric, diverting plastic bottles from landfills and giving them new life on your feet. The Phylon midsole foam contains a minimum of 10% recycled Phylon scrap, reducing waste from the manufacturing process. The outer rubber sole is made from Nike Grind rubber, meaning it contains recycled athletic shoe material and manufacturing scrap to give old shoes new purpose. The materials also meet Nike Grind’s stringent standards for sustainability and performance quality. Even the packaging contains at least 70% recycled content. By consciously selecting eco-minded components, Nike minimized the Lunar Fly’s environmental impact from production through consumer use. You can feel good knowing your runs have lighter footprint in these innovative, green shoes.
Multi-Surface Traction
The Nike Lunar Fly outsole grips well on varied terrains so you can take it anywhere your run takes you. Strategically placed rubber lugs provide multi-directional traction. The crash rail cuts through the outsole to enable smooth transitions as you move from asphalt to trail to track. Dual-density rubber offers the right balance of durable hardness for longevity while retaining flex grooves for mobility. Waffle-shaped lugs give grip on wet surfaces and dissipate heat from hot pavements. The decoupled crash pad allows the forefoot and heel to operate independently as you adjust to changes underfoot. Tested on surfaces from wet grass to gravel, the Lunar Fly provides adaptable traction to keep you moving confidently over any route or training routine.
Dynamic Fit Locks You In
The Nike Flywire cables integrated with the laces provide a dynamic fit system that locks down your midfoot for security while allowing freedom of movement. How does it work? The Flywire cables connect to the shoe’s upper and are threaded through the lacing holes. As you tighten the laces, the cables cinch in for a snug midfoot wrap. This unique system acts like the cables on a suspension bridge, suspending your foot securely over the sole platform. Flywire technology was originally engineered for performance basketball requiring quick cuts and multi-directional movements. On the Lunar Fly, it adapts to the anatomy of the foot to gently hug the arch for a compression-like fit absent of any pressure points. You’ll feel centered and supported without bulk or restriction weighing you down. Fly through runs, sprints and workouts with a locked-in fit.
Strategic Flex Grooves
The Nike Lunar Fly incorporates flex grooves strategically placed to enable natural movement. The flex grooves segment the outsole, allowing it to move with your foot’s flexion points instead of resisting them. Arrows point along the length of the forefoot, mapping the toe joints and following the foot’s longitudinal arch. This encourages smoother toe-off motions and a flexible toe spring. Additional grooves cut horizontally across the width of the forefoot, separating the outsole into sections that map to the metatarsals. Your forefoot can then splay naturally upon landing. By working with the foot instead of against it, the grooves facilitate flexibility and freedom of motion for fluid transitions through footstrike, midstance and push off.
Breathable, Flexible Upper
The Nike Lunar Fly upper uses an engineered mesh that seems to disappear over your foot. The thin, featherweight material provides cooling airflow to keep feet ventilated and dry. Despite its minimalist construction, the mesh retains the structure needed to comfortably conform to the foot. Overlays are strategically bonded for lightweight support and durability just where needed, without any stiffness or restriction in flexibility. The seamless interior lies smooth against the skin, eliminating potential irritation. Flex channels in the midfoot allow natural articulation. The perforations expand and contract with the foot’s movement. Runners report the breathable upper fits like a sock, moving seamlessly with the foot stride after stride.
Impressive Impact Absorption
The Nike Lunar Fly midsole provides impressive shock absorption to cushion each footstrike. The injected Phylon foam core is low-density and highly compressive to cushion impacts. Phylon has been precision engineered to tune the right balance of softness and responsiveness. The softer Lunarlon carrier foam on top increases cushioning and further dampens harsh footstrikes. Together the Phylon and Lunarlon work to diffuse vibrations and impacts before they can reverberate up the skeletal system. Tested at top running labs, the Lunarlon foam demonstrated up to 7% better shock attenuation over standard midsole materials. The responsive cushioning dissipates impact forces, protecting joints and muscles from repeated pounding. You’ll feel the benefits over long mileage and fast repeats.
Phylite Foam Reduces Overall Weight
The Nike Lunar Fly midsole utilizes Phylite foam to reduce the overall weight and bulk of the shoe. Phylite is a unique foam compound engineered by Nike, made up of 60% Phylon foam and 40% rubber from recycled shoe materials. By integrating recycled rubber into the Phylon, Nike created a foam that is both high-performing and environmentally-conscious. The addition of rubber to Phylon results in a foam that is more dense and compacted. This condenses the cushioning while still retaining responsiveness and resilience. The lower volume foam enables a thinner, contoured midsole platform to pare down the shoe’s scale. Phylite also displays increased durability over standard Phylon foams, ensuring cushioning retention over time. By strategically utilizing Phylite foam, the Lunar Fly trims excess weight for an optimally lightweight running experience.
Flywire Cables Integrate with Laces for a Dialed-in Fit
The Nike Lunar Fly integrates Flywire technology into the lacing system to provide a truly dialed-in fit. The Flywire cables are composed of Vectran fibers, an exceptionally strong yet lightweight material originally developed for aerospace applications. Strategically placed between layers of the upper, the cables connect to the lacing eyelets. As you tighten the laces, the cables cinch to gently hug the midfoot. This creates a dynamic fit that feels like a second skin. By integrating seamlessly with the laces, Flywire allows you to customize and fine-tune the lockdown fit to your exact preferences. You can really crank down on the laces to get a snug midfoot wrap without creating pressure points. The dynamic cables adapt on the fly, tightening and loosening with the foot’s natural movement and flexion. The result is a stable platform that secures the foot over the sole without sacrificing mobility.
Tested and Proven by Elite Athletes
The Nike Lunar Fly was rigorously tested by elite runners to validate its performance benefits. Extensive wear testing by athletes like middle distance star Shannon Rowbury helped refine the design for competition-level speed and responsiveness. Rowbury reported feeling “snappy and strong” in the Lunar Fly for everything from hard repeats to threshold training. Numerous prototype iterations churned through real-world training miles, incorporating feedback from athletes on fit, cushioning and transitions. Lab testing at Nike Sports Research Lab quantified performance metrics like shock attenuation, energy return and flexibility. The final Lunar Fly design proved faster race times, quicker laps and higher training efficiency. Backed by podium finishes and scientific data, the Lunar Fly delivers athletic advantage from start to finish for runners pushing their limits.
