Each skateboarder may have his/her different style and favorite type of skate shoes.
Off course, trend is a big influence on what you wear, and also which products are easily available in stores.
I took out the current shoes I have and that I could “potentially” skate and was thinking that each kind of these different shoes would represent a different era or mood, style, or personality.
Family photos:
In order, Brand, Model Name
(+color eventually, specific details, limited edition year), first release date:
– es “Prequel Mid Aqua” (2008)
– Etnies “Number Mid” (2009, Designed and tested by AAron Roos, Pro BMX rider)
– Reebok “Chuck Taylor All Star Knock Off”
– Vans “Chukka Low” (2008)
– No Brand cheap shoes
– DC Shoes “Motive SE Model” (2003)
– Reebok Pump “Omni Lite Limited Edition” – Metallic Pack, Gold 2007 (1992)
és “Prequel Mid Aqua” (2008)
This “Aqua” color is the less common for the Prequel’s model.
I like the fact that this és model offers a good protection to the ankles and it absorbs shocks well while still “feeling” the board and not having BIG shoes. For me it’s the classic-modern skate shoes style. Definitely my style to go skateboarding.
Etnies “Number Mid” (2009)
This Etnies model has been designed and tested by AAron Roos, a Pro BMX rider.
Initially, it’s supposed to be a BMX shoe but it’s definitely a great skate shoe as well.
It has a strap that add support to the ankle, that is already protected by the Mid design of the shoe.
This shoe has a similar design to the és Prequel but it is SO light, that makes it even more enjoyable. It feels like house shoes!
Reebok “Chuck Taylor All Star Knock Off”
I bought them on eBay for cheap, but I personally never seen this model anywhere nor seen anyone wearing those Reebok.
I can’t even find them in a google search..
Anyway, it’s a quality Knock Off from the famous Converse Chuck Taylor All Star.
I’ve seen multiple Hipster guys skateboarding the “Chucks'” but I’ve never tried (yet) to skate in those.
I’m not sure, but I don’t think I’d enjoy them for skateboarding.
Vans “Chukka Low” (2008)
You can’t go wrong with the Chukka Low, or other similar looking skateboard shoes.
I like it. Looks sober and classic, nice, universal. You can perfectly feel the board while still having a sole solid enough to absorb shocks.
The model I currently have is canvas, not sure about the longevity in a grip/shoe relationship though:)
No Brand cheap shoes
I skated them twice, look at the photo for yourself…no comment…
Almost no comment; well I had these super cheap shoes and they feel so light, I was wondering how long they could last if I was to skate them….answer is 3 times! lol
Canvas is not the way to go for tricks, and this canvas was so fine, it didn’t take long for the grip to yell victory. Sole was like if I was bare foot as well..I remember landing a flip on the edge .
Even if it was cheap shoes, this is a big no no. It still too much money for using it 3 times and doesn’t provide any comfort nor protection…always go with skateboard shoes!
DC Shoes “Motive SE Model” (2003)
Even if I used to see these shoes a lot back then, the color of my Motive model from DC Shoes is really rare, never seen anyone wearing them but me 😉
They came out at the end of the big bulky shoes, that had air bubbles. I’ve been through this era with the Axion Kareem Campbell and other Globe Chet Thomas or és Chad Muska models. I liked it, it had a slight basketball shoes feeling.
See Kareem Campbell’s shoes at: https://skate1dayskate4evr.wordpress.com/skaters/90s-skateboarders/kareem-campbell/
Skateboarding with this style of shoes is interesting, you don’t really feel the board but at the same time – at least for me – I managed to land tricks that I usually struggled with. You feel indestructible with those. (If only)
It looks “old new school” when I wear my DC’s nowadays…as trend is an eternal renaissance, we may see big shoes like these again in stores shelves in 5-10 years from no w maybe? Who knows? Best selling shoes today are deeply inspired from the 80’s and early 90’s.
Reebok Pump “Omni Lite Limited Edition” – Metallic Pack, Gold 2007 (1992)
The Reebok Pump had its big glory in the 90’s. It was then disregarded in the late 90’s and until the mid 2000’s (Can I say it like this??)
The Pump Omni Zone was released in 1992, and a new similar version called the Omni Lite was released around 2005. The model I have is a limited Edition from 2007 that exists in Gold and Silver.
I’m not sure about how good or terrible it could be to skate as they are so huge on the feet, but there are definitely some basketball shoes that are good to skate: from the classic Adidas Superstar (see at the end of this post) to the the Nike Air Force (also called “Uptowns”) or Nike Dunk. Nike even added the model in the Nike SB section and offers customization! P-Rod even add his first pro-model shoe that was slightly inspired on it, the P-Rod Zoom Air Low from 2005. This model was re-released as 10 years anniversary shoe in 2015. (It will definitely a future purchase for me, I love it)
P-Rod Zoom Air Low (2005 / 2015)
Photo courtesy of: http://solecollector.com/news/nike-sb-p-rod-10th-anniversary/
There are also the new “technical shoes” such as the Nike P-Rod’s, Nike Koston’s, DC Shoes Chris Cole’s, DC Shoes Nyjah Huston’s to name a few but I don’t own any model yet:
Nike SB Erik Koston 2 Max (2014) – Nike SB P-Rod 8 (2014)
Photos courtesy of footlocker.com
DC Shoes Chris Cole Lite 3 (2015) – DC Shoes Nyjah Huston N2 (2015)
Photos courtesy of jackssurfboard.com & tactics.com
Finally, I wanted to end this post with Classic Adidas shoes: Stan Smith, Gazelle, Samba, and Superstar.
I’ve seen people wearing those to skate, essentially in Europe years ago though.
I previously skated Stan Smith’s a long time ago. Comfortable but not resistant enough for Skateboarding, lightly built and a slim sole not absorbing impacts well.
The Gazelle & Samba look very similar and as for the Stan Smith model, they look comfortable but too light for skateboarding.
Finally the Superstar seems a good choice for skateboarding according to some of my friends who had and liked them for skateboarding.
Gazelle (1968) – Samba (1950)
Photos courtesy of adidas.com
Stan Smith (1971) – Superstar (1969)
Photos courtesy of adidas.com
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