Cutting is tough. Part 3.

It was a strong finish by everyone who entered the New Balance x CounterKicks Design Competition. As with life and emo scissors, cuts have to be made. The following is a non-ranked selection of NB Sprint Spike design concepts that didn’t make the winners circle but deserve to get some shine.

Brett Golliff is willing to give feedback/critiques to any of the NB x CK design participants at his email: bgolliff@gmail.com

And now, NB x CK Design Competition: The Cuts (Part 3 of 3)…

*Updated

-The Cuts (Part 1 of 3)
-The Cuts (Part 2 of 3)
-The Cuts (Part 3 of 3)
-The Winner is…

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This is the all-new next gen New Balance sprint shoe called Velox. Velox is the Latin word for quick, which is appropriate for a sprint shoe that is all about achieving maximum quickness and speed on the track. The user for this shoe is a serious track sprinter looking for more explosiveness and speed in the 55-400m sprint.

Inspiration-
The inspiration for Velox was found in places like sports cars the human body and nature. My first source of inspiration was lightweight sports cars. Mainly Sports cars that focused on weight reduction and the bare essentials to improve performance and driving experience. I was also inspired by internal bone structures found in the human body. They have great rigidity and strength for their weight from their honeycomb like structure. Pinnate veins are another structure that is found in many plant leaves, this is also a source of inspiration that is found in the design of Velox.

Design and Materials-
The upper and inner lining of this shoe is made primarily from spider silk fabric that is light and has a very high tensile strength to ensure durability when in use. Both pieces are fabric welded for a seamless construction. The Vectran support system in the shoe ensures good lockdown fit and adds some structural support for the upper as it runs down the center and spreads out into different areas of the shoe. The system is housed in between the upper and inner lining as the path is highlighted on the upper. In an effort to save more weight all the excess material in the upper was removed and replaced with an ultra thin tpu film. The see thru film helps give the shoe a lighter appearance and also helps ensure a smooth surface along the shoe for better aerodynamic efficiency when running. The one-piece sole plate is made from a new forged carbon composite that is lighter and stronger than your standard woven carbon fiber composite. This new process in the construction of the composite also allows for more design freedom. This is shown on the bottom of the sole plate, its aggressive pattern and spikes are designed to have more bite and grip on the track surface. This allows for ultimate traction for the sprinter off the start line and in full stride. All these ingredients make for an ultra lightweight sprint shoe that will help the sprinter gain an edge and maximize their potential.

-Emil Blanco