Old Nikes destroyed by time ... or my poor care?

[stephenj64]

I was moving to a new house today and was packing some old shoes back from when I was a Nike collector of sorts.  Sadly, three pairs were destroyed, just from sitting in a box! All of them are OLD, dating from the mid-late 1990s. Was this inevitable, or did i mess up the shoe care?

This is a pair of Air Max 1s i bought in April 1998. Bad yellowing on the side, i tried to scrape it off after spraying with 409, no dice:

The famous neon Air Max 95. I bought this pair 15 years ago in August 1997 when in when it was re-released as a 'retro' for the first time. The foam part has unglued from the bottom. Tragic.

I bought this pair of Air Shakes, the Rodman shoe, all the way back in September 1996. Still in good condition until i found this awful foam crumbling. In to the dumpster, very sad:

 

[sharpc]

Damn those Maxes... Specially the 95

 

[baltimoregutta]

I guess its inevitable that sooner or later they were going to be unwearable...but did you wear them at all?

 

[stephenj64]

I guess its inevitable that sooner or later they were going to be unwearable...but did you wear them at all?

All of the shoes were worn several times over the years. But, I hadn't worn any of them in the past 5 years or so. Maybe the Air 95s once or twice the past couple of years.

 

[stephenj64]

Damn those Maxes... Specially the 95

I didn't show a pic of what was arguably my worst loss: A still-pristine pair of Air Jordan 4 retros, the black/red variety, that i got in May 1999. That was the first Jordan retro released, and this morning i found it with the foam all crumbled too.

 

[dat dude chris]

Damn I fear the day this happens to my sneakers smh. N you could probably sole swap the 4s with the ones that come later this year

 

[bigty23]

Nothing you could done differently, especially if you live in a humid climate. Moisture is deadly to foam midsoles. Another reason to actually wear them while you can...

 

[kevvv]

i recently found a pair of 92 air bounds black/royal that crumblled the same way, I saved them for nothing. very sad becuae I passed on the retro thinikng I had the OG's.

 

[ill4eva]

Another reason to actually wear them while you can...

Yup. I learned the hard way as well. Make sure you guys throw away the old tissue paper. It gets old, and will leave a chalky residue on your shoes too. Just thought I'd pass that on.

 

[dankenstien88]

Probably a combination of both. Time will kill anything (Shoes, toys, even cars) if the item in question is not stored properly. On the inverse nearly any item that is properly stored can last ages. I have a pair of 91 maroon VIs thats still wearable and flight 89s from 2002 that crumbled on me.

I have found its crucial you regulate the temperature of the entire closet or room you store you shoes in... and I mean the ENTIRE room. Trying to regulate humidity box by box with silica packs does not work. The silica being so close to the shoes dries them out extremely fast and increases the chance of crumbling ten fold.

I know this probably sounds OD but its really not a bad idea to invest in a window unit AC and de humidifier for you sneaker closet if you have trouble regulating the climate. Ive also found its a good idea to keep shoes a few inches away from walls so they are not directly exposed to any rapid temperature changes.

 

[ballahb]

Time is always an enemy

 

[stephenj64]

Nothing you could done differently, especially if you live in a humid climate. Moisture is deadly to foam midsoles. Another reason to actually wear them while you can...

I live between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in essentially  a swamp, so humidity is about as bad as it gets. Too bad I didn't know about the effect it has on foams .... Sure, i have AC but it isn't running all the time.

 

[Magic33]

My 90's and 95's got ruined from not wearing them.

 

[mints]

I live between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in essentially  a swamp, so humidity is about as bad as it gets. Too bad I didn't know about the effect it has on foams .... Sure, i have AC but it isn't running all the time.

The weather here will kill your shoes. I keep my a/c running most of the year just because of how humid it is outside.

 

[sdot73]

when i was in ac for 4th of july the sole fell off my pearl blue IXs as i was walking through Caesars. I just wore my lightning 17s and notices some sole separation. Time is a bastard.

 

[bip roberts]

95s are definitely time bombs. I've had many gems crumble on me. Some I've been able to save - at least aesthetically - and others weren't so lucky.

 

[wallyhopp]

YIkes. I just had a wake up call on a few trainers from 2000. They both crumbled.. I told myself 2012 was the year of WEARING. You can easily get caught up on the hype of so many releases, and the cleanliness of so many WDYWT pairs. But that is only the norm here on NT and other sneaker boards... Let shoes get dirty. Let them have a full complete life.. I've gone almost back to the days of childhood. Wear one or two pairs for that entire time frame. Then toss them out or donate them. And move on. Nike has give us plenty of retro choices lately, that stockpiling now seems ridiculous. So what if I miss the marinos, or dt turf 2 retros. Next spring will have some other turf retro

 

[rpreme]

Sorry for the loss of such great shoes. I'm sure we all have that mentality to keep shoes clean and hardly wear them. But that seems to become very crucial this time around because the retros or current nike models lose their quality and comfort. And the OG's that nike made in the early 90's to mid 90's paid attention to detail and comfort. I have a couple of OG pairs that I wear a least twice a month to keep them wearable. 

 

[airiab2005]

This thread makes me sad

 

[baltimoregutta]

Nothing you could done differently, especially if you live in a humid climate. Moisture is deadly to foam midsoles. Another reason to actually wear them while you can...

Wouldn't DampRid be able to help regulate the humidity somewhat?

 

[stephenj64]

Seems like the moral this story of is to use them before you lose them. Guess i can take some solace in knowing this was inevitable. Still sucks though.

 

[trydan]

This is all too common for polyurethane midsoles that get over a certian age. If they are phylon or solid rubber tho you are good to go.

Storage conditions and regular wear will prolong the life of your shoes, but it wont stop the inevitable.

A better moral of the story would be to wear them while you can, then ebay them before they fall apart on you.

 

[suspicious]

A couple of months ago, I was at a mall wearing my Air Max (something) from 2000, and i noticed something that looked like breadcrumbs behind me. Next thing I know, the sole was detached on both shoes. All I could think is what what Tyra Banks say/do and "I owned it". I walked around that mall with my soles flopping like I was wearing a pair of Gucci loafers.

 Last Saturday, i just lost my Chris Webber's. The OG colorways (white/blue and black/blue) with the CW on the back and the #2 on the tab. I hadn't worn either of those shoes in at least 5 years, in fact they hadn't been out the box. I took them out last Saturday and the sole was separated on all 4 shoes. My Griffey 1's (Freshwaters) are on the verge of crumbling, too. That's why it is great to snap necks with older model shoes that are in great condition, but this is a lesson to all...wear your shoes! That is their purpose.

 

[jigga boi]

This should really open up people's eyes on stocking shoes for years. A climate controlled area is a must if you want to store your more rarest sneakers, or wear them and enjoy them.

 

[airthompson]

Sad thing is the quality on these were so up to par. I wonder how long these retroes will last?