Lakai MJ5 video

Here is a new video of the Marc Johnson 5 Lakai/Chocolate Colab..

Love design? Love footwear? Love skateboarding? Lets design!

Do you have the love for footwear that goes beyond simply keeping a collection? Do you sit at home at night wondering how to create the perfect toe cap? Dream of one day being the top designer at Lakai, DC, Adio, or Etnies? Maybe you just love to draw! Well heres your chance! We are inviting all artists young and old to partake in a summit of sorts. Since this site is about skateboard footwear we invite you to submit so of your designs to share with other avid footwear collectors and designers.

We hope to use this as a vehicle for you to get constructive criticism regarding your work. Hopefully we can get some top guys in the industry to come in and offer some advice to you, BUT even if they dont the advice you receive from your peers would be pretty damn valuable!

How will this work? Well its simple. Email your designs to us in JPG form to Midsolestory@gmail.com and every Monday we will post some of the work we receive.

Simple right? well now its your turn!

Cup Soles vs. Vulcanized Soles - The Debate Continues.

In recent years the most debated part of a skateboarding shoe, that we have heard, has always been the difference between the cup sole, and the vulcanized sole.

To those not familiar with the terms or the difference. Let us explain.

Sneak Peak: Etnies Ryan Sheckler

Here is a quick look at Ryan Sheckler's upcoming Etnies pro model shoe. Its a pretty simple design, which is great! The design kinda reminds me of Vans, which is such a hot thing right now! We arent complaining though we love Vans and we love simple skate shoes! The one piece toe cap is nice, less fabric to frill from ollies and flip tricks. As always a good number of nice colorways can make a shoe go from "Ehh its ok" to "WOW!" we will just have to wait and see!

 We dont have a release date for the shoe, but we are guessing Spring 2010. Well let you know more about the shoe and release date once they become available.

Photos were made available via Ryan Sheckler

For more information please visit Etnies

Sneak Peak: Chico Brenes DVS x LRG colab "NOW"

Early this year LRG got together with DVS shoes to come up with a two part shoe for long time rider Chico Brenes. The "Then" version was a special designed DVS Munition CT Mid with Red Flannel Accents and the insole printed with Chicos first pro board graphic from World Industries.


THEN

 

 Today via his Twitter account, Chico gave us a sneak peak of the "NOW" version of the shoe. The shoe is set to drop soon along with new footage. For more information visit www.dvsshoes.com for now enjoy the sneak peak!

NOW

The shoe appears to have a snake skin accent. Along with snakeskin like laces to match. More info as the release date gets closer!

Sneak Peak: Mike Mo Capaldi's new Lakai signature shoe

We were blessed today with a sneak peak of a finished sample of Mike Mo's upcoming Lakai signature shoe. Set to be released March 2010. This picture was provided via Mike Mo from Twitter this morning. Theres really not that much info we have on the shoes other than the picture, but we do trust in Lakai to put out a quality product. As the release date gets closer we hope to be able to provide you with additional details regarding the shoe.


Enjoy the pic

Nike SB Omar Salazar Pro Model

As many of might have already heard. Nike SB is coming out with an Omar Salazar signature shoe. It will incorporate Nike's Flywire Technology to assist in locking down your ankle.

Check out this video from Nike SB regarding the new shoe.



Watching the video makes you appreciate this shoe that much more. It gives you insight on construction, technology, inspiration. From this video alone, I have become a fan of this shoe.

As footwear junkie, Im totally geeking on this shoe. Nike has always set the standard for innovation and with this shoe, it seems as though they have upped the ante.

Release date: Spring 2010

Check out more future releases from NikeSB

News and Changes

For the last couple days I have contemplated adding something a bit more dynamic and time consuming to the blog. I have decided to add ALL skateboard products / accessories / hardware etc. Granted it will be much more limited than footwear, but I thought about adding more spice to the table. In the next coming weeks I will occasionally add reviews of things other than footwear.

I hope you have enjoyed the blog and its information so far. We have several updates ready to go, but we are still in the process of doing the needed reviews.

To be automatically updated on the blog and its content please feel free to subscribe


Thanks

Rich

Ninja Stars and Latex KA-POW!

Remember the days when skate shoes looked like they were lined with bubble wrap? Bulky shoes that somehow became a huge fad to skaters and all those kids who dressed like skaters. In those days there was one company, to me, that was the epitome of bulk. That was Osiris Shoes to their defense Osiris was not the only shoe company that produced these types of shoes, but for me at least whenever I thought about it. I thought Osiris.

Well its 2009 now and thank God that most skateboard footwear companies have trimmed down on the fat ( sorta speak ) Osiris has always had the reputation for building tough shoes. Shoes that can stand the wear and tear of daily skating. To this day my Jerry Hsu Chinos are still being actively used and have stood the test of time and failed heel flips!

Our Test Subject today is the new Osiris Shuriken Shannon signature shoe aptly named The Shuriken at a retail price of about $69.99 its a decent price point for your typical skater and their parents.




Construction:

The Shuriken is constructed with a combination of Suede and synthetic uppers. Its a standard skate shoe shape very much like the Chino. It comes with a EVA full latex wrapped mid-sole for durablility. Vulcanized out-sole with a vulcanized wrap.

The synthetic leather upper is accented by a shimmery leather than adds a bit more pizzaz to the shoe. So you can possibly wear this out on a dinner date with your favorite girl/guy. Metal Osiris accents adorn the upper as well as a Ninja Star/ Shuriken on the tongue. Horizontal stitching run up the upper to add reinforcements. Aesthetically this is a nicely built shoe.

Another nice touch is the metal aglets ( shoelace tips ) on the shoelaces. It simply added to the overall sleek design of the shoe.


The ollie area is triple re-inforced for added durability. One area could have received more coverage, but design-wise I can see why it was done. Hey, you cant have looks and performance all the time! haha!




Toe Cap:

The toe cap comes with a double stitched suede / synthetic leather construction. The synthetic leather on the toe cap is so buttery smooth and comfortable. Aesthetically I like how it shimmers. Not only does it give it a bit of a fancy side, it also aids ( somewhat ) in hiding toe creases. The smoothness of the toe cap also aided in performing flip tricks. It was soft enough to give me maximum feel of my board while keeping me confident that the construction will hold up over time.




Breathability: Aside from the two vent holes and maybe the tounge there isnt much in the way of ventilation on this shoe. It was a hot day here in San Diego today so my feet were burning a bit. As always it doesnt help wearing black shoes on a hot day, but aside from that breathabilty was not a serious issue.






Insole: Standard insole.







Outsole:

The outsole is a vulcanized outsole with a traditional herringbone pattern and the traditional Osiris Logo locaton on the balls of your feet. The herringbone is designed aggressively for added traction. The grip of the outsole is nice very grippy which gave me a bit more confidence that board would stay beneath my feet.






Overall: This is one comfortable shoe. Much like the Jerry Hsu Chino's these are simply comfortable. The padded collar and the padded tongue add to the comfort. From time to time I like to wear my shoes with no socks. Yes, its a bit gross, but its a habit of mine. These shoes felt so comfy with no socks it was an added bonus.

The board feel is nice and the shoe is pretty light weight. After skating on them for a few hours, they show little signs of use and im pretty sure once they really break in they will perform to its full potential.

Shuriken Shannon and Osiris have designed a very nice shoe at a very modest price point.

Special Thanks: Osiris for hooking me up with pair, much appreciated!

To view more of Osiris' 2009 line of footwear please visit www.osirisshoes.com