Who do you think made this trail-running shoe? Huge amounts of bio-mechanical research have gone into it. It has a seamless upper to reduce weight and blistering and zoned reinforced areas. Underfoot it has an exclusive Vibram sole unit with two different rubber compounds for a mix of traction and durability. And it utlisises a revolutionary, permanent water repellent treatment that covers the entire shoe.
And no, it's not one of the massive global sports giants you might thing, the new Infinity V-Lite is actionally made by Hi-Tec. The shoe in the pictures is one of less than 100 seeding samples in the world and we picked it up last week at the OutDoor show.
It really does look and feel like a state of the art bit of kit. The uppers look amazing and are seam free which reduces weight but also potential blister-causing hot spots. The outside of the shoe is reinforced with a transparent plastic-type substance and the heel area has a luxuriously soft moleskin-type lining. Even the tongue seems to be made from neat, perforated foam.
But that's just the uppers. Hi-Tec have put a huge amount of research into the biomechanics of the shoe. The green area of cushioning on the inside of the heel is designed to counter over-pronation, which is fairly standard practice with running shoes, but the shape of the Hi-Tec EVA has been carefully designed, they say, to work better ergonomically 'through the gait cycle'.
And they say that lab-testing shows it works with the Infinity V-Lite giving a 'straighter centre of pressure with less wobble and more efficient gait cycle'. Underfoot there's a gradual flex zone to work with different flex points in different people and the outsole is a unique collaboration between Hi-Tec and Vibram.
The central, green rubber is softer and stickier for improved grip and traction, which the peripheral, black-coloured stuff is harder wearing for durability.
Finally, the shoes are treated with Hi-Tec's Ion Mask technology, an advanced durable water repellent treatment applied to the entire finished show which repels water and improves drying time when they do get wet. Hi-Tec claim that it actually reduces the average water uptake by 87.66% keping the shoe lighter and more comfortable in use.
So that's the official line. What more can we tell you? Well, they have a glove-like fit, they're respectably light and they're due to actually go on sale in December 2010. Unfortunately we have to do a 24-hour mountain bike race or we'd take them for an exploratory run, but for now you'll have to watch this space until we can.
One thing's for certain though, H-i-Tec has never looked better.
