Biggest Running Shoe technology flubs of all time

another shoe guy wrote:

http://images.sneakernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/nike-sock-racer-1.jpg

Actually kind of loved these at the time, but I was a teenager so what the heck did I know.

Those were wonderful shoes---waaaay ahead of their time.

redux wrote:

SHOES are the biggest flub of all time!

This.

LDV 1000s were heavy, with such a wide flair that I was continually clipping my inner calves, which always had black marks.

I tested the original pair of Tailwinds, Nike's first Air shoe, and though they rode like an old Buick, they helped me recover from hip bursitis.

Visible air,in any form, always struck me as an egegiously poor idea, first because those shoes featured excessively cushiony air bags, and secondly because the air bags were exposed. My tires have air in them, but there is no reason I should be able to see it.

Varus wedge was a terrible idea from the get-go.

Gore-tex running shoes proved a bust. Step in a deep puddle, and yup, the water that got inside your shoes would stay there all day.

sock racers! awesome shoe. loved these and loved training in the "air flow".

worst shoe of all time: Nike 180 airs.

My nike waffle racers were one of the best shoes I have worn. Great for some xc courses, roads, indoor track and they never wore out. They may even still be at my parents house packed away.

I don't know about the technology but I tried a pair of Brooks in the early 80s and they were the worst shoe ever. They fell apart within the first couple weeks. Didn't try another pair for 30 years.

ashley madison wrote:

Nike LDV 1000

I believe there were two iterations of this shoe. The original was the Nike LD 1000, which had the ridiculously wide flared sole:

After everyone who wore them developed knee issues (including, I think, half the Oregon Ducks), they modified the flare and came out with the LDV, which was a much more normal 70s shoe.

But that original LD 1000 was the worst shoe of all time, no doubt.

I bought a pair Nike Air 180's on close out from Herman's(out of business soon after) for half off. I loved them!

Does anybody remember the Asics GT III. These shoes were a horible "improvement" to the great GT II. Clunky and the fit was awful, wide in the heel and narrow forefoot.

Yep, true this. The LDVs weren't half bad.

ashley madison wrote:

Nike LDV 1000

Nike waffle racers (I know, started the craze, but the little waffle nubs fell-off/didn't last).

Nike Cortez (Made hamburger out of the big toe).

Addias SL 72s and SL 76s (rock hard).

You youngsters don't know truly bad shoes . . .

???...the Nike Waffle Racer a flub??!?!...it has one of the longest tenures of any shoe ever made - they've been making them for what, 30+ years now?...really 40+ years if you look at previous versions with different names (ie Oregon Waffle) I never had problems with the the "nubs" (waffles) falling off. They're racing shoes, not meant to be a day to day shoe. They're awesome for when spikes can't be used. I used the same pair for several CC/track seasons.

These may have been mentioned: What were the Adidas with the removable rods in the mid-sole of the heel? You could change them out to supposedly get a firmer or softer feel?

How about the Nike Sock Trainer? The Sock Racer did OK I think...more of a promo piece for Nike though it seems...

As a running shop manager in the early '80's we were always amazed by the crap that sometimes arrived. You took a shoe out of the box and INSTANTLY could tell what problems it would have. Nike Terra TC - midsole too soft it'll collapse, original Tailwind - way too stiff, Adidas Dellinger Web - oh please!

I never could figure out why the folks at Nike/Reebok/NB/Brooks etc. could not see what was great (there were many that hit the spot) and what would simply give their company a bad name. You didn't even need to put them on your feet.

Oh, and the LDV was a top seller for us.

HurdyGurdy wrote:

As a running shop manager in the early '80's we were always amazed by the crap that sometimes arrived. You took a shoe out of the box and INSTANTLY could tell what problems it would have. Nike Terra TC - midsole too soft it'll collapse, original Tailwind - way too stiff, Adidas Dellinger Web - oh please!

I never could figure out why the folks at Nike/Reebok/NB/Brooks etc. could not see what was great (there were many that hit the spot) and what would simply give their company a bad name. You didn't even need to put them on your feet.

There may have been issues with the shoes you mentioned, but that doesn't make them a "flub"...the Terra TCs were a big seller...they didn't last, but were good for a time...

Puma disc system!

Worked in a running store way back and the only pair we ever sold was to a blind man because he found it easier than tying laces.

Nike Shox anyone?

I also liked the split tongue on the asics gel lites.

Had the tailwinds that blew out.

No one has mentioned the Adidas torsion bar...did that thing actually benefit anyone?

Also loved my Brooks Johnny Walkers. Didn't like that as soon as they got wet the blue dye in the brooks logo bled all over the white shoes and I had trouble getting the blue off my feet. They were a death sentence if you combined them with a dose of DNMSO.

i had the blue ones, my toe nail wore through the sock, but i liked the shoes.