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Rob Murray

Rob is a self confessed running geek, obsessed with all things related to the sport, whether road, track or triathlon.

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Latest posts by Rob Murray (see all)

• Race Review: The Egdon Easy 10k – 24th May 2015
• Training Diary: The Most Picturesque Hill Repeats in the World? – 21st May 2015
• Training Diary: Tough Track Session (400m / 10 x 500m / 400m) – 20th May 2015

Nike LunarTempo Review

Available now directly from Nike.com

The Nike LunarTempo feels like a familiar shoe… When I was first setting out on my life as a runner, I tried a lot of different shoes – the Nike LunarGlide was one of the first series of trainers that I loved and kept going back to with each new iteration, from the third generation to the Lunarglide+6. So when Nike sent us a pair of LunarTempo running shoes for review, I was interested to test out this replacement for the now discontinued LunarRacer series.

Pros

– Very light for level of cushioning at 208 grams
– Comfortable, no hotspots
– Aesthetically pleasing
– Excellent build & material quality of upper

Cons

–  Would worry about how long the rubber tabs on the sole last

Summary of the Nike Lunar Tempo

First off, Nike bill this as

the lightweight performance of a racing flat, but (with) the plush cushioning of an everyday trainer

The trainer looks good, although I find this with most Nike shoes. It’s very light when bouncing it from hand to hand (LunarTempo weight is 208 grams) and a quick push on the heel and toe shows good flex. The Lunarlon foam cushioning does give it a wedge like appearance and this, combined with the slimness of the forefoot, racer style section did feel a little strange upon first wearing the LunarTempos. To be exact, the heel to toe offset is 8mm – high for a racer but not as high as a more cushioned, structured shoe.

Fit &, Look and Feel – Nike LunarTempo Upper

The upper of the shoe is made from a ‘Flymesh’ woven fabric that has embedded support and seamless lining. I found it a little difficult to get my foot into the shoe – they didn’t just slide on like Cinderella’s slipper – but once on, they had a snug fit but in a good way. I’ve always been a size 9 with Nike shoes and this remains true with the LunarTempo. In a recent test of the Adidas Ultra Boost, similar in terms of the knitted upper and cushioned sole, I had to go up to a 9.5.

The laces are quite short and only just leave enough length to do a small double bow, but I’d rather this than too long. They’re very secure and were as tight after 10 miles as they were at the start. Nike’s proprietary ‘Flywire’ (the black bits, above) locks them into the upper really well.

Nike LunarTempo Mid Sole

As mentioned there is a good amount of cushioning on this shoe which is effectively a cushioned racing flat with an 8mm differential. A core of Lunarlon foam is bonded to a lightweight phylon carrier for support and this delivers an excellent blend of cushioning and support underfoot. The cushioning is firm rather than soft and pillow-like and for me this is a good thing as it keeps the shoe feeling responsive underfoot.

But what are they like to run in? Well the lightness, combined with the snug-yet-comfy fit makes for a very comfy ride. I did find however that they made me hit the ground with my heel rather than the usual midfoot and this was particularly noticeable on downhill sections.

Nike LunarTempo Outer-Sole

The outer sole is extremely minimal, with ‘durable carbon rubber, in high wear zones’ (say Nike). So the foam goes all the way to the sole apart from the strategically placed pieces of rubber.

After 30 miles, the toe end looks like this – all still intact with no visible wear:

Summary

Having tested them over the shorter 5k and longer 10 mile distances I’d suggest they’re best for something in the middle. When running 6:30/mi over 5k they felt slightly clip-cloppy compared to a true racing flat although very light. At the other end of the scale over 10 miles they felt very good up until I got tired and my form started to suffer (due to me not the shoes) and the heelstriking became more pronounced. But for my regular training runs between 4-10 miles these will be my go to shoe from now on as they’re fast, but with enough cushioning for higher mileage.

Available now from Nike.com

We thank the guys at Nike for sending us these trainers for testing – very nice of them however it did not influence this review one bit.

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