Next week Nike will be releasing a new model for their basketball line during All-Star Weekend. Future signature athlete, James Harden, will be lacing the new Nike Zoom Hyperchase in a NYC inspired colorway. I was able to take an early look at the model and figure out what kind of cushion and grip it would feature. So let’s take a look.
First off, the cushion. I put the shoe on and immediately wanted to see if there was some type of Zoom cushioning inside, but I felt nothing. It was weird though because the shoe felt pretty damn good. The fit was true to size and wrapped my feet so much better than the Zoom Run The One. Barely any dead space and was really a one-to-one fit. It might be just as good as the original Nike Zoom Crusaders. Anyway, I proceeded on to the grip of the shoe. Walking around trying to see if there was any squeaks and there was. Now as I walked I was curious to see what cushion was truly there so I removed the insole. Next thing I know, the insole ended up being a drop-in Cushlon feeling midsole. I was totally expecting some Zoom Air in the forefoot cause it felt real good up front, but it wasn’t. I was wearing my Kobe 7’s with the Attack Strong Inserts that had that Cushlon midsole. Not planned, just a coincidence that I was wearing them at the time. I then compared both and man, it was similar. Having remove the insert, you just have a shell of a shoe exactly like the Kobe 7’s.
So now we have a Cushlon insert, that I thought was just a regular thin insole, and no Zoom Air. No Zoom Air for the first time for James Harden. I mean, I could be wrong, but the shoe was flexible at points where it shouldn’t flex IF the Zoom Air units were in place. So I’ll stand by my Cushlon set up. Then again, it may not be Cushlon at all, but it sure does feel like it.
For those who don’t know what Cushlon is, it can be best described as the Air Max version in foam. It provides greater impact protection than Phylon and is also a lot more softer. In addition, it will also last longer than Phylon because of how resilient it is. For those who have ran in the Nike Air Pegasus, that shoe’s main foam is Cushlon.
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Next up was the updated traction. Unlike previous models, the Crusader and ZRTO, the traction on this Hyperchase features this new circular grid-like pattern. It worked pretty well from my initial try on so i’m pretty excited to try it out. Also, the fit of the shoe runs pretty much the same as the Crusader. The ZRTO had a bit more dead space, but these fit my narrow feet pretty damn good. I really enjoyed it. So stay true to size and for those who have a wider foot, you might want to try these on first.
Hope this helps a lot if you decide to try this new model. Really looking forward to more colors later down the road. The Nike Hyperchase ASG James Harden PE willl retail for $120.00 USD on February 12th, 2015. Note that the $120.00 USD price is for the ASG sneaker, so the standard model might possibly be $110.00. No official price yet on standard model so keep it locked here for that info.
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