Lightweight Nikes Steal the Olympic Limelight

Sportswear manufacturer Nike is causing a stir at the Beijing Olympics with its latest innovation, the Flywire track shoes. The company has supplied the US track and field team with two pieces of Flywire footwear - the Zoom Victory Spikes and Zoom Matumbo.

Already creating quite a buzz in the industry with its revolutionary lightweight construction, the Flywire design is said to be inspired by the cables from a suspension bridge. It makes use of a strong Vectran thread arranged in a fan-shaped pattern at anchor points around the shoe, creating a shoe that’s extremely light, yet cheap and easy to manufacture.

Sports shoe technology has developed massively since the first Nike Air’s hit the shelves back in 1987. Shoe manufacturer Brooks has recently released “Trance 8”, a show which features a biodegradable midsole. The sole contains a natural additive that encourages anaerobic microbes to break the shoe down once it hits the garbage.

The footwear company is debuted its midsole in the US$140 Trance 8 last month, with plans to extend the technology to all Brooks performance running shoes by the end of next year.

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