The Sneakers we wear with our jeans

[Double 0 Soul]

2 hours ago, MJF9 said:

We had a 200m cinder/gravel athletics track at school... I'm pretty sure I was wearing the Hi-Tek when I broke the 400m school record... not intending for gratuitous self PR here... I mention it because my lad and I were comparing times at similar age... and I had to make the point that he's wearing carbon fibre spikes weighing 125g per shoe on a modern 400m track, whereas I was skidding around corners on gravel in my 1.25kg shoes (ok slightly exaggerated but you get the point).  The only Nike I had in my yoof were spikes. 

Given the advances in running shoes and running tracks, it makes World Records like David Rudisha's 800m in 1.40.91 from 2012 and Seb Coe's UK record of 1.41.73 from 1981 (44 years ago) all that more remarkable.  I love the Nike Waffles from OO but they wouldn't cut it for serious athletes these days given the advances in technology.  Very nice for 'feet-up Fridays' though!! 

I like to watch old footage of the 1981 'Cascade Run-Off' on YT to see all the early adopters of Nike running shoes .. wearing what are now vintage pairs worth £1000s

Both Adi and Rudi Dassler were very enthusiastic members of the Nazi party .. they never told us that when we were growing up did they Martin? ..so @ATWM whatever odious direction you think Bill & Phil took the brand, at least they wern't fkin national socialists

..but yes, the older kids around my neighbourhood primarily wore Adidas and Puma in the early 80s

 

I'll leave you with the words of KRS1 from 1988

"How many people got Nike's on?
If you got your Nike's on, put your feet up in the air
If you don't got Nike's on
I think you need to keep your feet down.."

Edited yesterday at 09:19 AM by Double 0 Soul

[smoothsailor]

Phil knight his bio gives a good insight in nike. 

[UkeNo]

Shoe Dog 

[Maynard Friedman]

4 hours ago, Double 0 Soul said:

Both Adi and Rudi Dassler were very enthusiastic members of the Nazi party .. they never told us that when we were growing up did they Martin? ..so @ATWM whatever odious direction you think Bill & Phil took the brand, at least they wern't fkin national socialists

Can’t beat a bit of whataboutery, it’s like criticising Guardian readers for supporting the Transatlantic slave trade! Anyway…

Run DMC’s ‘My adidas’ (1985) is too obvious but let’s see if you can guess this song from 1987 from the lyrics below (the rapper has a terrible lisp, so best read rather than listened to 😬)

”They call me Puma, by the clothes that I wear, on my feet, on my body, on my head, everywhere”

[Double 0 Soul]

It's why i never wear flip-flops.. I just can't forgive the Romans

[bod]

Didn’t Schoolly D rap about Filas back in 85-86

Edit-he did in ‘85 😀Put Your Filas On

Edited 23 hours ago by bod

[Maynard Friedman]

Yep. He also rapped about his Gucci watch!

[Maynard Friedman]

Brooks Vantage Heritage, released in 2014 I think, although I bought this pair a couple of years later, from Brooks UK. Here’s a couple of links about them and the originals from 1976/77 here and here. I must get around to wearing these!

 

[Geeman]

22 hours ago, MJF9 said:

This got me thinking back though there is always a risk given the huge time-span that I conflate years.  Like Maynard, school years were predominantly Adidas - Adidas shoes (Corsica, Dakar), Samba, Bamba etc - and many hours were spent in Liverpool at Wade Smiths lusting after rare af German Adidas imports (think we discussed this a few years back).  Though I fondly recall getting a pair of Hi-Tek Silver Shadow, which doubled up for running and knocking around it.  I remember bouncing out of the shop in them (yep wore them straight off the bat) like they were the best thing ever with the comfort making up for the fact they weren't the coolest pair... yet.  We had a 200m cinder/gravel athletics track at school... I'm pretty sure I was wearing the Hi-Tek when I broke the 400m school record... not intending for gratuitous self PR here... I mention it because my lad and I were comparing times at similar age... and I had to make the point that he's wearing carbon fibre spikes weighing 125g per shoe on a modern 400m track, whereas I was skidding around corners on gravel in my 1.25kg shoes (ok slightly exaggerated but you get the point).  The only Nike I had in my yoof were spikes. 

Given the advances in running shoes and running tracks, it makes World Records like David Rudisha's 800m in 1.40.91 from 2012 and Seb Coe's UK record of 1.41.73 from 1981 (44 years ago) all that more remarkable.  I love the Nike Waffles from OO but they wouldn't cut it for serious athletes these days given the advances in technology.  Very nice for 'feet-up Fridays' though!! 

I've just splashed out on a pair of Alphafly,  that Eliud Kipchoge wears and endorses... 

They won't make me run like him but they are so wildly far from normal running trainers, they are incredible to run in. 

 

[MJF9]

13 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

Brooks Vantage Heritage, released in 2014 I think, although I bought this pair a couple of years later, from Brooks UK. Here’s a couple of links about them and the originals from 1976/77 here and here. I must get around to wearing these!

 

Nice them... what size??? 😉

[Talan]

On 4/5/2025 at 10:15 AM, Double 0 Soul said:

I like to watch old footage of the 1981 'Cascade Run-Off' on YT to see all the early adopters of Nike running shoes .. wearing what are now vintage pairs worth £1000s

Both Adi and Rudi Dassler were very enthusiastic members of the Nazi party .. they never told us that when we were growing up did they Martin? ..so @ATWM whatever odious direction you think Bill & Phil took the brand, at least they wern't fkin national socialists

..but yes, the older kids around my neighbourhood primarily wore Adidas and Puma in the early 80s

 

I'll leave you with the words of KRS1 from 1988

"How many people got Nike's on?
If you got your Nike's on, put your feet up in the air
If you don't got Nike's on
I think you need to keep your feet down.."

As it happens, Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike, owned a large ranch near the town of Antelope, Oregon. It was there, in 1981, that the Bhagawan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) movement set up their commune, Rajneeshpuram.

Bowerman, not particularly enthused by the sudden arrival of spiritual utopia next door, became a vocal opponent. He used his considerable influence and financial means to support efforts aimed at removing the group. In doing so, he rather stirred the pot—his actions contributed to rising tensions and, quite unintentionally, may have helped provoke some of the more extreme responses for which the Rajneeshees became somewhat infamous.

[Double 0 Soul]

Those Brooks are a nice 70s repro runner but yellow is a hard colour for me to wear.. even shoes, if i wore a yellow t-shirt, it would give me a washed-out, pastey northern european smackhead kinda vibe.. i just don't have the complexion to pull it off .. i would buy the blu/whi colourway, they're a beauty!

Edited 4 hours ago by Double 0 Soul

[Double 0 Soul]

4 hours ago, Geeman said:

I've just splashed out on a pair of Alphafly,  that Eliud Kipchoge wears and endorses... 

They won't make me run like him but they are so wildly far from normal running trainers, they are incredible to run in. 

 

Let's see them?

[Maynard Friedman]

Full Count 1101, PF Flyers (MiJ), dog.

[MJF9]

7 hours ago, Geeman said:

I've just splashed out on a pair of Alphafly,  that Eliud Kipchoge wears and endorses... 

They won't make me run like him but they are so wildly far from normal running trainers, they are incredible to run in. 

 

Nike Air Zoom Victory spikes with carbon fibre plate in action... with a win today at the lad's season opener 👍