Not all is lost for Under Armour… they can still make awesome hoop shoes.
Micro G might just be my personal favorite foam cushion… I like it better than Lunarlon & I LOVE Lunarlon. The full length Micro G featured on the Spine Bionic rests inside of the Spine structure… the black foam is Micro G.
At the forefoot, you can feel its cushion properties pretty nicely upon an in-store try on but when you start to warm up in them you can feel its bounce even more… it gets even better once you start running around.
However, the heel construction is a small issue. There is obviously Micro G in place but it’s what you don’t see that is the problem.
The heel cup is comprised of TPU and it continues to run under foot beneath the strobel board… much line adidas’ SprintFrame & the Reebok Zig Tech system. Upon heel strike, the impact is not absorbed by the Micro G as well as it could be since there is plastic between your heel, the cushion and the floor.
Luckily Under Armour was smart and provided some additional cushion by placing a Micro G insole inside the shoe. It’s not perfect by any means but it sure as hell is better than nothing… which is basically what Reebok gives you. The Wall Season 2 had a spongy Ortholite insole inside the shoe – feels like a mushy pillow – so upon heel strikes… your heel sank into the insole and was stopped by rock hard plastic which was stopped by rock hard foam which is what their Zig Nano crap is made of. Reebok should have put a PU insole in at the bare minimum to alleviate the pain that running on dense foam and hard plastic brings.
Under Armour should have done was open the heel of the frame so that your strikes land on foam but your foot is still caged and supported by the TPU frame… just like adidas does with their SprintFrame. This is the only thing holding back the Spine Bionic from receiving a perfect score with the cushion.
I absolutely love these. It was a process and I wasn’t impressed at first but if it performs well then it performs well… these just happen to perform very well. It’s versatile as well. Point Guards, Shooting Guards, Small Forwards and Power Forwards can wear these comfortably without any issues of support, cushion or traction.
To say the least, the Spine Bionic is a very well rounded shoe.
Definitely picking up a pair of these! Thanks Chris!!!
would you say that UA TORCH performed better??
I wouldnt say one was better than the other. They are both different. Traction is good on both, slightly better than the Torch. Cushion is better on the Torch. They both fit nice and the materials are both equally decent. Support is greater on the Spine so that may be the thing that makes them technically better on a score card.
Looking forward to the full review on these.
As always you are spot on Nightwing. Just a quick question, I have this same pair and after about 2 weeks of balling the front rubber started peeling abit, I am pretty hard on shoes but I have only been playing inside. Just wondering if you had this issue? I absolutley love this shoe so I would just end up getting another pair. One great thing about UA is they stand behind all there products, I contacted them about this issue and within minutes the sent me a shipping label to send them back at no charge if I wanted. Cant wait for this full review.
Its not just your pair. My toe is pretty shredded up – not separating though. IMO, its worth it just based on price and UA’s guarantee.
Thanks for getting back to me. Mine not seperating either so I might just hold off. Do you plan on sending yours back? It nice to have a company put out qaulity shoes and not charge 200
bucks.
I wont be sending mine back. Once I’m done with a review then its on to the next one so I doubt I’ll get to hoop in them again.
Darn, if this teaser had come out just a couple days ago I would have picked up the sick limited edition “Marylands Finest” cw, being a terp myself 🙁
I guess I’ll wait for the full performance review and then probably go with black/blue cw.
which better kobe 7 or these…i usually play SF/SG
My bro Nightwing! In regards to sizing, I’m usually a 9.5 in Nikes with just a 1/4″ wiggle room past the toe. I wear a 10 in the UA Torches. (9.5 had my toe touching the end). What size would I get in the Bionic’s if I like that toe room? Thanks bro. Ps. I’m a retired shooting guard..so I’m using them to teach Zumba. (Hey, the women love it. LOL)
LMAO! Im not hating lol. I’d go with your regular size for the Spine, just enough room to not feel too constricted but not too little room like the Torch.
Awesome, defin much appreciated my fellow Thundercat. I do hope that one of the top brands hires you as professional sneaker performance tester for their products. If I was CEO, I’d defin want someone like you on the team. Phenomenal insight for sure. As a businessman, I wish to you the best of luck in getting paid to do what you love to do, if you’re not already. Much respect from Jersey Shore. – Slinks
Which had better heel support? These or the CP 6?
nice work nightwing!
very informative and useful..
just a question, my feet are weird.. they are fat and wide and have small toes so basically i am more concerned on the width than the length..
i tried on the torch and 10.5 is just right quite snug but just ok.. what would be the ideal size for me for the spine bionic? thanks.