An instant Classic?

DC Shoes have come a long way from the days of Droors Clothing. In my opinion no company has been so adamant about design and the advancement for technology in their footwear. Some have been successful and some have been either mocked or ridiculed by their target group. As the say, however, beauty is in the mind of the beholder. Say what you want about DC and their so called space boots or futuristic design, you cannot take away the fact that if you really love shoes, you love their dedication to advancement of skateboard footwear technology. From nylon hoops to protect laces, to their super suede technology every shoe DC comes out with reflects the love and the dedication they have for skateboard footwear.


Our test subject for today is the Rob Dyrdek 1.0 Signature Model.



Construction:

The Rob Dyrdek signature model is crafted using Performalite Polyurethane, Super Suede and abrasion resilient leathers. The shoe is a super light and at times it felt as though I was wearing flip flops. They are nice and comfy and require little break in. The shoe comes equipped with heel air bags for greater comfort and protection. I must admit im not a bog fan of air bags on skate shoes due to their ability to pop and pop often, but with everything else that comes with the shoe. That is one thing I can look past.





Toe Cap:

The toe cap comes with a triple stitched construction that will assist with helping the toe cap last through the numerous ollies and flip tricks. The toe cap is constructed using DCs abrasion resistant leathers, along with super suede. The shoe has remarkable feel while skating and performed well during flip tricks. Not too bulky and not too thin.





Breathability:

Surprisingly this shoe has decent vents to keep your feet nice and cool. The tongue comes with the standard mesh vents and the top cap comes with perforations to add more breathability. After 2-3 hrs of skating I had no issues with my feet getting hot and uncomfortable.




Footbed:

A footbed is a footbed! Got issues? Buy some Dr. Scholls.... :)





Outsole:

This is what impressed me the most about the shoe. The outsole is specifically design with a skateboarder in mind! The toe and heel of the outsole comes with your standard herringbone pattern for traction when pushing your skateboard from one obstacle to another. The rest of the outsole is made with DCs Dynamite Grip Technology ( DGT ) which is designed to not only grip your board but is somewhat flexible to give your feet just enough movement without causing injury.






Overall:

Overall I love this shoe! Its one of the better skateboard shoes I have put on in a long time. Its a classic DC shoe. No frills, No gimmicks, just an awesome skateboard shoe. DC and Rob Dyrdek have done a great job on this shoe. I now wish I would have bought multiple pairs since we all know skate shoes dont last forever... unless, you dont skate...

Parts of a shoe

As this blog rolls along I will be talking about parts of different shoes and using names some might not be familiar with. I will try not to get to technical with it 'cause for one it gets to be too much and two I just wont have the time to explain EVA Injection molds to you all HAH!

To help here is a simple sketch of a shoe with call outs of the different parts of an athletic shoe.

Nike SB Zoom FC

First of all I know this shoe is roughly 2 years old. Maybe even more, but you cant deny a good shoe no matter how old it is. Just look at the long lasting boom of the retro shoe craze!

Our first shoe to review is the Nike SB Zoom FC. This shoe was in production in 2006. It is a shoe that is inspired by Football ( Soccer Trainers ) trainers. I recently ran into these shoes while shopping at Willys Workshop in Mira Mesa, CA www.willysantos.com . To my surprise these shoes were a whopping 60% off! I just couldnt resist! This was also the shoe that inspired me to start this blog, therefore it gets the first review even though it is 2 years old. So here goes!


Construction:

There is really nothing new to the design of this shoe. It is a classic Football Trainer. Exquisite in its simplicity this shoe will catch your eyes on and off a skateboard. To those that are not familiar with football trainers, they basically are shoes that Football players use off the field therefore the style and construction mimics that of a Football/Soccer cleat.

The contrast double stiching on the shoe is a nice touch that adds elegance to its look while adding reinforcments to all areas of the shoe through the rigors of skateboarding.

Another nice touch is the faux snakeskin on the swoosh. Again a nice elegant touch by the Nike design team.

I have my doubts about the longevity of this shoe for skateboarding due to its denim fabric. I have a good feeling that after a few hours of skating you would really see a big difference in how your shoe looks after. I personally prefer a suede toe cap for skating 'cause IMO i just feel they last longer.



Toe Cap:

Due to the nature of skateboarding the toe cap plays a pivotal part in the longevity of the shoe. This shoe comes equipped with a double reinforced toe cap as well as added layers to ollie spots.
However these shoes are not bulky and provide an excellent feel when skating.


Breathability:

This is the one thing that worries me about the shoe, the most. Its Denim, I live in Southern California. When it gets hot, this shoe will get hot with it! The padded tounge appears to have this problem solved with a mesh overlay, but its more for aesthetics than anything. It will give you some relief, but not much.


Footbed:

As the name its self implies this shoe comes with a zoom air footbed. The zoom air footbed is a nice addition strong enough to prevent heel bruises, but also thin enough to give you that adequate board feel.




Outsole:

The outsole is a standard herringbone pattern with strategically placed sections at the ball and heel of the outsole for added traction during pivoting.




Insole:

To me an insole is an insole..but thats just me. This one comes with a anatomically contoured footbed, which was designed to make your feet that much more comfortable.

Overall:

I like this shoe... am I gonna skate in them? I highly doubt it! The NikeSB Zoom FC is tagged as a skateboarding shoe, but we all know the market for them. Hypbeasts, SneakerHeads. Sadly the FC was discontinued from the SB line, but suprisingly there has been 2 new colorways introduced in 09. We'll just have to wait and see!

Intro

What is MidSole Story?

MidSole Story is my new blog dedicated to reviewing Skateboard specific footwear. I will attempt to provide in depth information regarding each specific shoe from top to bottom. Each shoe will be wear tested ( if possible ) to give you a more precise look into the durability of each shoe.

I came up with this idea, because I love shoes first and foremost! Another reason I decided to do this, is because I was having such a tough time looking through sites hoping to find REAL reviews of shoes, other than descriptions provided by the maker.

So in the next coming weeks look out for our first reviews!

NOTE: I am not affiliated with any of the companies I will be reviewing. The funds for the footwear come right out of my own pocket! BUT if companies wanna send me some to review I wear a size 9! HAHA.

In all seriousness this is about the shoes....the love for them and the joy of breaking one fresh out the box!


Rich