We Are All Witnesses
Written: Jun 10 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Incredible fit and support, hyper-responsive Zoom Air, lush collar area, beautifully-crafted outsole
Cons: Incredibly heavy
The Bottom Line: If you need a shoe that does it all in terms of basketball performance; fit, cushioning, support, traction, overall engineering, this is the one for you.
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| nikefreak's Full Review: Nike Zoom Lebron IV |
LeBron James has a stellar run of shoes in his short Nike career, with the Air Zoom Generation starting things out, then with the previous incarnations of the Zoom LeBron II and III being powerful weapons on the court. Having moved into this next generation, the IV is an over-hauled court banger that more than improves over its predecessors.
Lets start with the upper, which is re-tooled and is completely different than any of the previous LeBron shoes. It is made of Foamposite material, termed Flexiposite by the designer of the shoe, Ken Link. This is because it is linked with Nike's Free concept in which it partners with the Foamposite material to create a secure, supportive, and flexible basketball shoe. I'll do a quick run-down of the Foamposite material, for those you don't know what that is. It's made by heating liquid polyurethane in a mold to create a seamless, one-piece upper. This in turn, is relatively lightweight (the concept of it, but not in this shoe; more on that later) and is extremely durable without compromising stability and support. The fit is unmatched by any shoe in the industry and that's why the price tag is always so astronomical for a Foamposite shoe. When I slip this shoe on, after a few wearings, it molds to my foot perfectly, cradling it in uncompromised fit. It's indicative of this fit because one of my friends asked to try it on, I let him, and he declared it to be the most uncomfortable shoe he has felt. Well, that is because the shoe had been molded to MY foot, not his, and shows how well this material works.
As if the shoe needed any more support, there is a Velcro ankle-strap that wraps perfectly around your ankle (duh) to provide even more support. There are three flexible bands that run down the length of the shoe, hiding the laces and provides lockdown to the footbed. Weaving your way inside the shoe, you find a lush collar made of slow-recovery foam for flexibility and support. It molds to your foot so well and really made my foot feel warm inside the shoe, in a good way. Just make sure to wear above-ankle socks in this ride because you might get some chafing along your Achilles tendon if you don't. The full-length Dynamic-Fit sleeve takes care of the rest of the foot, coddling it in soft, lush comfort the length of the shoe. When I make a hard, lateral cut on the court, my foot is protected and doesn't go anywhere it's not supposed to go. The combo of the Foamposite and inner support features makes for a highly effective support piece.
A beefy polyurethane midsole, which provides maximum protection from impact, houses the full-length articulated Zoom Air unit which, to say the least, is beyond responsive and provides the ultimate of court response and feel. Foamposite just seems to pair with Zoom Air technology perfectly and this shoe is no exception. The way the unit moves and actively responds to my foot when I cut continually amazes me and makes for a pleasurable experience in a game. This combo is further enhanced by a full-length glass fiber propulsion plate under the Zoom Air unit to provide lateral stability and torsional rigidity. Link used glass fiber this time, instead of the usual carbon fiber because it was too rigid; the glass fiber provided the motion he wanted in the shoe. I have somewhat of a bad left arch and the shoe provided me with more than enough stability that it didn't bother me during any game that I played.
The outsole is also a marvel and that is where the Free concept comes into play. The Free-inspired foot bucket combines with integrated outriggers, one on the lateral (outside) forefoot and the other two on the sides of the heel, enables the wearer to have more of a sense of where they are on the court, cutting down the reaction time. This may seem like a trivial thing, but it's not for hardcore athletes that depend on their footwear to get them to the places they need to be, as well as avoid things they don't need. The outriggers also provide another sense of stability and act like levers, propelling the foot in the right direction and providing that base on which to move forward, backwards, or laterally.
The translucent, segmented outsole has the Free-inspired flex grooves cut into it for supreme flexibility and freedom of movement. Solid rubber herringbone insets are added to provide the traction, which it does with supreme effectiveness. There are seven segments on the bottom of the outsole, with a pivot point on the fourth one from the top. The Free tech makes for a great feel underneath, combined with the lowering of the midsole approximately 2-3 mm, which may not seem like a lot, but I can feel the difference on the court.
Appropriately, a clear, plastic bar running underneath the shoe and on the back of the heel, has the word "WITNESS" on it, making sure that we know what we have seen so far from this amazing 22 year-old phenom known as LeBron Raymone James. His LJ23 logo is placed in chrome on the ankle strap , as well as etched into the pivot point on the outsole.
You can find this shoe in a dizzying array of colors, such as black-white/red, black/red, white-reflective silver/chrome, black/anthracite, white-crimson/navy, a limited-edition white/red-maize yellow from China that will set you back $500, another white-red/yellow Fairfax edition, a New York City graffiti edition, similar to the one LeBron wore in the All-Star Game, CTK (Christ the King) edition, SVSM edition, and a crazy Fruity Pebbles-inspired motiff. All the special editions will cost you a lot more than the retail of $150.
The only disappointment in this shoe is its extreme weight. At 20.7 ounces, this is no shoe to be toted around easily by lightweights, which is saying something because I'm one of those people! I did feel a bit more fatigued in my feet because of the extreme weight, but because of the overall feel of the shoe and the technology put into it, I put that thought from my mind. But if you are a point guard, I would definitely suggest you look elsewhere. For all other positions, you must take into consideration whether lightweightness is a main priority with you. For everyone else, this is truly one of the most staggering pieces of engineering around in terms of basketball performance footwear. Like LeBron, take your game to another level with these. We Are Truly All Witnesses.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 60
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