Shopping for just one pair of sneakers, actually intending to play a sport with them

[josepidal]

I've never really worn sneakers (and never fancied those Chuck Taylors), so I injured a toe when someone dragged me to play badminton and I found out too late that the only sneakers I owned had soles for hiking.

Now I figure I should buy a pair of sneakers, and I want something that looks nice.

But, being practical, I want something I can actually use to play a sport. I don't really like basketball so I suppose a tennis or indoor gum soled shoe would do it. Or maybe a running shoe.

I tried browsing forum threads and ended up thinking I liked the Adidas Millennium Samba, and wanted a black pair in kangaroo leather. Do you guys like this model? Just how many kinds of Samba are there? Would this make a good all-purpose sneaker that still looks good with jeans and a t-shirt?

The Adidas salesman said their new Sambas will ship sometime in December and he'll call me the moment he finds out. The only thing they have now is this silly "Lifestyle" line, sneakers designed purely for fashion and walking, and the salesmen actually advise you not to do anything athletic with them.

In the meantime, I bought a pair of badminton shoes on sale from a new China brand called Victor, which I think is modeled after Yonex shoes except they sell at 40% of the retail price. I was told the real higher-end badminton shoes had some kind of graphite balancing rod in the sole, which none of the larger sneaker manufacturers I checked had (more expensive Nikes, Reeboks, Adidas, Fila, etc.)

Actually, my main basis for buying them was they were the only pair of white indoor sport sneakers I could find that didn't look terribly like gym shoes, and white because I want to buy a pair of black Sambas.

Thoughts?

[breakfasteatre]

dont buy a running shoe, they dont have the lateral support that you need to be doing anything other than running. Sambas are fine, a nice low profile soled show will be fine, its not like you are playing competitively or anything.

Sambas i would say are a really good choice, sambas go with anything and are so classic.

[134]

Good advice above.

Is it just me or are white sneakers getting a lot of attention from the fashion media? I have seen tons of mini-articles on white sneakers featuring various white sneakers (especially Y-3's and Dior Homme's).

I wouldn't consider this a trend because they have been around for awhile, both on the streets and on the runways. It just seems like they are getting a lot of attention....

[triniboy27]

If you want something that you can use for multiple sports/purposes, I'd say get a cross-trainer.

While sambas look good and are definitely timeless, they're specifically indoor soccer shoes and are designed as such.

Only caveat is that functional sneakers aren't always the nicest looking.

[josepidal]

Yeah, the friend who dragged me to badminton warned me not to take running shoes because I'd likely trip and get an ankle injury because of lack of traction. So I take a pair with too much traction and get a bad cut anyway.

I was looking for cross trainers, but the only white one I found was a pair of tennis shoes from Nike, at 250% of those badminton shoes I ended up buying.

I am getting very annoyed with white sneakers. I have a pair of white boat shoes from before the white sneaker craze began, and I always felt they look better with light jeans.

Thus, I want BLACK sneakers. (The Samba Skate model with the red stripes looks interesting... anyone think it's better than the classic white?)

I predict my future sports will be indoor racket sports like table tennis and badminton, swimming, and casual jogging. Will Sambas work as an all-purpose sneaker for me, given this?

And two more questions:

1. Is it worth it to specifically look for kangaroo leather?

2. Would you take gum soled shoes like Sambas as traveling shoes, or should you be wary of rough surfaces and wearing them out quickly?

Edited by josepidal on Oct 14, 2005 at 11:58 AM

[KFC ONE]

Trainer III's can be had for cheap on ebay

Here's a white/gum pair that's kinda fresh (in an old school volleyball shoe sorta way):

[breakfasteatre]

sambas are excellent swimming shoes

[josepidal]

@breakfasteatre: LOL.

@kfc: I want black sneakers, heh. Also, do you guys like your sneakers with an all-leather front, or do you like a bit of mesh showing?

[breakfasteatre]

mesh on the toe is preferable to prevent the showing of creases

leather on the toe box is garbage

suede on the other hand is beautiful. Just get a pair of sambas, they are meant for indoor soccer, i played in them when i was younger and since your activities cant be that extreme, they should be fine. As well, GQ tells us that you can wear sambas with a suit anytime, it is classic

Edited by breakfasteatre on Oct 14, 2005 at 01:34 PM

[smurf]

I wouldn't worry so much about the specifics, other than whether it's an indoor or an outdoor shoe. For example a court shoe might be more comfortable (or not) based on your own particulars. The Samba, or any soccer shoe, is designed as much for foot control as it is for foot protection. A basketball or tennis shoe might feel the same, but you can't kick for shit in them!

As for Kangaroo, I wouldn't worry about it. I know that Kangaroo leather is lighter and stronger than cow hide, which is great if you're wearing full riding leathers, but probably doesn't matter too much for everyday messing around.

[greentalks43]

I have owned two pairs of Sambas in the past years. I love them. Best shoes for the price.

"Patience, both we and our words are overproduced by influence"

[josepidal]

Heh. Is it worth getting a pair in Kangaroo leather just to say you have a pair of sneakers in that material?

What activities would you not recommend doing in Sambas? Basketball because your soles might hurt after too much jumping? What about running for any considerable time?

Would you use Sambas as travel shoes or should you avoid walking on rough surfaces with the softer sole?

[Quinnt11]

let me address the sports or "activities" you predict you will be doing in the future

-table tennis : you could do this barefoot, sneaker doesn't really matter

-badminton : ditto above

-swimming : if you want something on your foot, uhhhh ... aquasocks?

-light running : anything light and lowtop, new balance would be the brand of the choice

now if you want to do something like basketball you need a hightop unless you have superhuman strength ankles. i've played basketball all my life and sprained my ankle three times, and that was the only three times i wore low tops to play. there's just way too much hard cutting for a low top to protect you.

so to sum up i'd recommend a good pair of new balances, because they could do the job for everything you said you wanted to do. just take them off before you go in the pool.