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Cheap Skateboard Shoes: Vans, Fallen, Globe
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Published: November 28, 2006
In the sport of skateboarding, it is easy to develop a shoe fetish.
This claim may sound like an exaggeration, but the connection between skateboarders and their shoes is a practical concern. Just like one should not get on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, one should have the proper shoes before attempting to ride a skateboard.
Skateboard shoes have distinctive style features which have made them popular among adolescents, but many of those elements, such as the thick sole and puffy tongue, also are important for skateboarder safety.
Though shoes cannot replace a helmet or other protective gear in terms of preventing injury from falls, the wrong skateboard shoes can impair a person's balance, feel uncomfortable and quickly wear out. Most beginning skateboarders discover the difference between right and wrong skateboard shoes the hard way — when they skate holes through the bottoms!
Skateboard shoe designers strive for comfort, durability, balance and style. Though their features are as numerous and diverse as the brands themselves, each skateboarder must discover their own individual footwear preference. High-end skateboard shoe styles may have sophisticated elements like heel-airbags, which are built into the sole of the shoe to reduce heel-bruising and landing impact from aerial tricks. Beginner skaters, however, might get a better value out of lower-end models which can withstand the wear-and-tear of everyday street skating and yet remain affordable.
Considered by many skateboarders to be the premier brand of skateboard shoes, Fallen Footwear was founded by professional skateboarder Jamie Thomas. Although Fallen shoes can be pricier than other brands and difficult to come by (they only are sold on the Internet and at specialty stores), they offer heel airbags, lower lace protectors, gel pads, soles specially engineered for balance, and superior comfort. Offered in a variety of colors and materials, Fallen skateboard shoes look as attractive as they feel and perform.
Globe skateboard shoes also are highly regarded. To do away with the common problem of tongue slippage, Globe innovated is a line of tongueless skateboard shoes. Lined with memory foam which conforms to the rider's foot, these tongueless shoes are fastened with Velcro and offer wearers superior comfort and durability. As with all things, Globe's most sophisticated designs come at a price, and unfortunately for more frugal skateboarders, it often is not cheap.
For skaters who are willing to forgo a customized fit or high-level impact protection, DC and Vans shoes are excellent finds and generally are affordable. With their trademark waffle soles, Vans was a trendsetting company for teenagers in the late 1990s. Though adolescents often wore Vans for stylistic rather than sporting reasons, their light, flexible soles and triple-stitched upper help keep skateboarders loyal consumers year after year.
DC shoes especially excel because of the company's recent innovation: super suede. Super suede has the texture and appearance of ordinary suede leather, but is approximately twice as strong. Skateboarders say one can notice the difference super suede makes in the durability of their shoes, which can last up to three months longer than those which use ordinary suede. DCs are flat-soled shoes, meaning they unfortunately skimp on arch support, but they are affordable, functional and comfortable for most wearers, whether casual or serious skateboarders.
One developing sector of the skateboarding shoe market is women's shoes. With approximately three-quarters of skateboarders being men, companies have less incentive to manufacture high-end women's skateboarding shoes than they do men's. In fact, skateboarding might be one of the only sports in which men can afford to be pickier about their shoes than women, simply because they have more choices on the market.
But whether the buyers are male or female, skateboard shoes are here to stay, and the race for better features and greater comfort will continue.
Sources:
Bartmann, John. The Great Skate Shoe Myth, available at http://www.extremesports365.com/features/story_903 22.shtml, last accessed September 26, 2006.
Cave, Steve. Top 10 Skate Shoes, available at http://skateboard.about.com/cs/gear/tp/TPShoes.htm , last accessed September 29, 2006.
Jamie Thomas available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Thomas, last accessed September 29, 2006.
Skateboarding Shoes, available at http://shoes.lovetoknow.com/Skateboarding_Shoes, last accessed September 26, 2006.
Signature Shoes available at http://www.dcshoecousa.com/home.asp, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://fallenfootwear.com/index.html, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://shop.vans.com/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.globe.tv/skate/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
This claim may sound like an exaggeration, but the connection between skateboarders and their shoes is a practical concern. Just like one should not get on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, one should have the proper shoes before attempting to ride a skateboard.
Skateboard shoes have distinctive style features which have made them popular among adolescents, but many of those elements, such as the thick sole and puffy tongue, also are important for skateboarder safety.
Related Articles
Skateboard shoe designers strive for comfort, durability, balance and style. Though their features are as numerous and diverse as the brands themselves, each skateboarder must discover their own individual footwear preference. High-end skateboard shoe styles may have sophisticated elements like heel-airbags, which are built into the sole of the shoe to reduce heel-bruising and landing impact from aerial tricks. Beginner skaters, however, might get a better value out of lower-end models which can withstand the wear-and-tear of everyday street skating and yet remain affordable.
Considered by many skateboarders to be the premier brand of skateboard shoes, Fallen Footwear was founded by professional skateboarder Jamie Thomas. Although Fallen shoes can be pricier than other brands and difficult to come by (they only are sold on the Internet and at specialty stores), they offer heel airbags, lower lace protectors, gel pads, soles specially engineered for balance, and superior comfort. Offered in a variety of colors and materials, Fallen skateboard shoes look as attractive as they feel and perform.
Globe skateboard shoes also are highly regarded. To do away with the common problem of tongue slippage, Globe innovated is a line of tongueless skateboard shoes. Lined with memory foam which conforms to the rider's foot, these tongueless shoes are fastened with Velcro and offer wearers superior comfort and durability. As with all things, Globe's most sophisticated designs come at a price, and unfortunately for more frugal skateboarders, it often is not cheap.
For skaters who are willing to forgo a customized fit or high-level impact protection, DC and Vans shoes are excellent finds and generally are affordable. With their trademark waffle soles, Vans was a trendsetting company for teenagers in the late 1990s. Though adolescents often wore Vans for stylistic rather than sporting reasons, their light, flexible soles and triple-stitched upper help keep skateboarders loyal consumers year after year.
DC shoes especially excel because of the company's recent innovation: super suede. Super suede has the texture and appearance of ordinary suede leather, but is approximately twice as strong. Skateboarders say one can notice the difference super suede makes in the durability of their shoes, which can last up to three months longer than those which use ordinary suede. DCs are flat-soled shoes, meaning they unfortunately skimp on arch support, but they are affordable, functional and comfortable for most wearers, whether casual or serious skateboarders.
One developing sector of the skateboarding shoe market is women's shoes. With approximately three-quarters of skateboarders being men, companies have less incentive to manufacture high-end women's skateboarding shoes than they do men's. In fact, skateboarding might be one of the only sports in which men can afford to be pickier about their shoes than women, simply because they have more choices on the market.
But whether the buyers are male or female, skateboard shoes are here to stay, and the race for better features and greater comfort will continue.
Sources:
Bartmann, John. The Great Skate Shoe Myth, available at http://www.extremesports365.com/features/story_903 22.shtml, last accessed September 26, 2006.
Cave, Steve. Top 10 Skate Shoes, available at http://skateboard.about.com/cs/gear/tp/TPShoes.htm , last accessed September 29, 2006.
Jamie Thomas available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Thomas, last accessed September 29, 2006.
Skateboarding Shoes, available at http://shoes.lovetoknow.com/Skateboarding_Shoes, last accessed September 26, 2006.
Signature Shoes available at http://www.dcshoecousa.com/home.asp, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://fallenfootwear.com/index.html, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://shop.vans.com/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
http://www.globe.tv/skate/, last accessed September 29, 2006.
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