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[ Air Jordan XVII ] [ Air Kidd ] [ Air Payton IV ] [ VC Shox ]

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AND 1     [ Kg Select ] [ Silky Smooth ]

REEBOK     [ Answer V ] [ X-Beam Franchise ]

REEBOK XBEAM FRANCHISE

The Reebok Xbeam Franchise Mid has modern looks, but less than modern underpinnings.

by Professor K, posted March 20, 2002

Xbeam is both the name of this latest shoe from Reebok and the name of its core technology. As far as I can tell the Xbeam, or cross beam, technology is a piece of translucent plastic that runs the length and width of the Reebok Xbeam Franchise Mid. The plastic "plate", as Reebok refers to it, sits between the upper of the shoe and its outsole. According to Reebok the advantage of the Xbeam design is that it "allows for a shoe to be lighter, more flexible and more responsive." Unfortunately, in testing, I didn't find this to be quite the case, but more on this later.

In addition to being the first shoe to incorporate Xbeam technology, the Xbeam Franchise Mid is also the first shoe from Reebok to bear Steve Francis' name, or at least his nickname; the Franchise. But where this shoe has received the most attention thus far was on the feet of Jason Richardson while he competed in the 2002 NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge and Slam Dunk Contest. For those who missed it, he was voted the MVP of the Rookie Challenge and handily won the Dunk Contest while wearing the Reebok Xbeam Franchise Mid.

Personally, I would say that the Xbeam Franchise Mid is the best looking hoops shoe to come out of Reebok in a long time. The upper features a simple design that is primarily a play on textures, with shiny surfaces contrasting subtly against matte surfaces. And the two piece outsole is a natural extension of the lines emphasized in the upper.

The Xbeam Franchise is also a very comfortable shoe. As far as I know, it's the first hoops shoe from Reebok to employ a partial inner-bootie system. It's similar to the system employed in the Nike Shox BB4 in that the tongue doesn't just sit on top of the foot, but wraps around it from the midfoot on through the toes. And while Reebok doesn't use materials anywhere near the quality that Nike does in the Shox BB4, the partial bootie in the Xbeam Franchise does the job of protecting the forefoot from internal stitching. I had no problems with chafing while testing the shoe.

But what the Reebok Xbeam Franchise Mid provides in comfort, it gives up in fit. I was surprised by the amount of lateral movement I felt within the shoe at the heel. If I pulled the laces of the shoe very tightly at the midfoot and ankle I could minimize this movement, but that made the shoe uncomfortably tight at the top of my foot. Internal heel movement is bad for two reasons. First, because any movement within a shoe can eventually lead to blistering, but given the smoothness of the Xbeam Franchise's inner, I don't see this as being a problem. It's the second reason that concerns me; lateral heel movement within a shoe increases the potential for ankle inversion. As the heel of the foot shifts to the outer edge of the shoe during a hard cut, the lateral forces exerted on that edge can cause the shoe to roll over on its side, thus inverting the ankle. This is a bad thing. I don't mean to say that this will happen, but the poor fit of the Xbeam Franchise at the heel increases the potential that this may happen.

Seemingly to compensate, the outsole of the Xbeam Franchise is aggressively flared outwards at both the forefoot and heel -- more so than any other hoops shoe that I've tested. If you've read my reviews in the past you will already know that I'm not a big fan of this tactic for enhancing stability. The reason I don't like it is that it hinders the natural movement of the foot. I often found myself inadvertently catching an edge of the outsole on the court during hard drives, while fighting for rebounds and while trying to stick with a fast player on the defensive end. After a couple of wearings I was able to compensate for this, but I was always aware of it and, as such, the shoe never felt like a natural extension of my foot.

Now back to the Xbeam structure itself. As noted at the outset of this review the Xbeam is a translucent plastic "plate" that runs the length and width of the shoe. As it sits between the upper and outsole you could technically say that the Xbeam structure is the midsole. But, in practical terms, the Xbeam is a stabilizing/impact distribution structure along the lines of the midfoot support shank/spring plate structures employed by adidas, Fila and Nike among others. The primary difference is that Reebok's Xbeam runs the full length and width of the shoe. Another difference is that it is much more flexible than the structures employed by the other manufacturers. In fact, Reebok cites the "flexibility" of the Xbeam as a benefit. But the problem is that torsional flexibility is not a good thing in a hoops shoe as it allows the heel to rotate independent of the forefoot. This, again, increases the potential for ankle inversion. To be fair, shoes from Nike that employ carbon fiber spring plates are much more expensive than the $89.99 Xbeam Franchise Mid, but even shoes in the same price range as the Xbeam, such as the adidas T-Mac, And 1 Spree Mid, and Nike Air Jet Flight, provide more torsional rigidity.

Since the plastic Xbeam structure sits in place of a traditional midsole you might wonder "how does the Xbeam Franchise Mid provide cushioning?" The answer is in the outsole. Instead of a traditional thin rubber outsole, the Xbeam Franchise Mid features a thick outsole made primarily of a material called 3D Ultralite with strategically placed rubber inserts. 3D Ultralite is a blend of EVA and rubber that Reebok has been using as a combination midsole/outsole material in recent years. This is augmented by Reebok's "shockpad" sockliner, which provides soft, responsive cushioning (the sockliner is removable).

In theory this is an interesting idea. By integrating the midsole and outsole and bonding those to a support plate (the Xbeam structure), Reebok should be able to simplify the manufacturing process while also providing edge-to-edge cushioning that evenly distributes impact forces across the surface of the foot. But, again, the theory and reality don't quite mesh.

Merging the roles of the outsole and midsole into one material has resulted in a shoe that provides neither good traction nor particularly good cushioning. The rubber inserts placed at key areas of the outsole help, but 3D Ultralite simply does not provide anywhere near the traction of a good solid-rubber outsole. It should be adequate for outdoor play, but indoors it is far from ideal. If I kept the outsole clean with a damp towel traction was good, but I had to do this every 15 - 20 minutes to keep grip at a high level. I would say that traction is about on par with the black/varsity red colorway of the Air Jordan XVI, which is not a good thing.

Cushioning, while adequate, had a dead feel. The soft sockliner feels great for walking around, but when playing basketball it's largely a non-factor because the light, low-density foam employed bottoms out almost immediately. Overall, I'd say that the cushioning feel provided by the Xbeam Franchise Mid is similar to that provided by the Reebok The Question Mid, with the Xbeam feeling a bit more firm under heavy loads. This isn't bad, but I find it disappointing that Reebok has progressed so little in the cushioning department in the 6+ years since The Question's release. And 1, which has existed as a company for only a little longer than that span, has already eclipsed Reebok with its Harmonix cushioning technology. I wish that Reebok would spend a little more time on its fundamental basketball performance technologies and a little less time hyping new applications of plastic.

To sum up, the Reebok Xbeam Franchise Mid is not a bad hoops shoe, but neither is it particularly good. If you're looking for a shoe that provides comfort and good looks, but will not be pushed too hard on the court, the Reebok Xbeam Franchise Mid is a very good choice -- particularly given its very reasonable $89.99 price tag. But, if you're looking for a performance hoops shoe that you can push to the limit with confidence, there are better options available today at a similar price point. Perhaps Xbeam technology will mature into something more effective, but, at least for now, it's more about hype than hoops.

.:2002 Glenn's Hoop Page. All Rights Reserved:.