M GoLite Footwear (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2006)
by Ryan Jordan
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Article Summary:
GoLite introduces new shoes: the Sun Dragon, the Set Wing, the Trail Fly, and the Spike Tail.
In order to understand GoLite Footwear, you need to reverse what you already know about sole construction.
Conventional soles are comprised of a "more rigid" (or hard, and thus, more protective) outsole and a "less rigid" (or soft, and thus, more shock-absorbent) midsole. The result is that makes walking on pavement rather comfortable. In fact, most trail running shoes are built on this concept that has defined the construction of road running shoes for decades.
The problem with this construction, says Bill Dodge (General Manager, GoLite Footwear), is that when the outsole strikes an irregular surface (e.g., a rocky trail), the rigid sole rocks over the surface, creating instability in the biomechanics of force distribution in the body's joint system and musculature.
That's where "Area 51" comes in.
Area 51 is Timberland code for footwear R&D, which has analyzed the biomechanics of trail running and fed the data to the Timberland Invention Center, responsible for brainstorming and implementing footwear prototypes no matter how stupid - or brilliant - they might be.
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