Why do Nike Retros not look and fit like OG's....?

kapepper · Mar 7, 2009

why are the adidas retro a lot better quality wise? (point of reference are the retro torsions zx 9000-8000)
at least the materials look more decent, they dont have a midsole paint chipping and they are actually comfortable compard with most of the nike retros

machman23 · Mar 29, 2009

"The WORST part was how Nike skimped on the air sole unit and made it smaller...i mean come on...last i heard air was free."

This complaint comes up over and over again across this board. I know an explanation has been touched on before, but I don't how much people remember it.Nike is NOT trying to mess with you by putting smaller air units in retros.

Several years ago Nike changed the gas (not air) that they put in the air units (can't remember the name of what the new and old elements are). The newgas, or "air" as we know it, contains smaller molecules and takes up less space, thus allowing for a smaller unit to be used, saving on materialcosts. The "new air" is also more environmentally friendly, another reason for the change. That's my patchy recollection of the explanation foreveryone who #%$$!%% about "small air bubbles."

prez t · Mar 29, 2009

dudes are talking about how hard it is to replicate original molds ... Nike is using entirely different materials . theleather they use for their shoes now is a complete joke in comparison to the quality of leather on the OGs and some of the earlier retros . its not just aboutduplicating design fellas , theyre blatantly not duplicating quality

kapepper · Mar 30, 2009

OK OK OK

but the fact remain:

new air unit is bad, i would even say it's a fake air unit....this is only based on experience:

my feet hurt afterwaring to long (couple of hours) a pair of retro air max's or whatever retro nike with an air unit

THIS IS NOT THE CASE when wearing my pre-1999 nike's like my skylons from 1994 or a my flights

i am not even going to mention my wearable og air max 180

i consecuently don't buy retro nike's becauseof that reason (Fake air unit) and secondly: poor quality of materials

i am a 100% Nike guy, but i haveto saythat i war more and more adidas retro's bcthey look good, good materials and comfy

swerv1n · Mar 30, 2009

I don't think people really understand why I complain about the small air unit on shoes but mainly this shoe. If u look at the OG Air Pippen 1 with the OGair unit it goes with the shoe perfect. The shoe is bulky but the big air sole unit complements it perfect !!!! With the retros they have a much smaller airunit and it makes the shoe look like a car with flat tires. It just don't look right when u do a side by side comparisan and I never bought the retro butI'll guarantee they're no where near as comfortable as the OGs. Call me picky but I like when a good thing stays the same. I don't think anyonewould challenge the fact that they wouldn't change a single feature on the XI that's how I feel about these. They're had to be a better way toswitch air units witout compramising the whole shoe.

trydan · Mar 30, 2009

As much as I wish all retros were clones of the OG's, facts are that even if they wanted to make the exact same things 10-20 years after the originalproduction runs, they may not have the same machines, production process or access to the same raw materials anymore that they used to. The old axiom of'they dont make em like they used to' applies to nike just as much as anything else, its the price we pay for such a high rate of change in modernlife.

Also if anyone can post that article reffered to by ElderWatsonDiggs on the last page id be interested to read it.

sukwonee · Mar 30, 2009

In general, retros are puffier and bulkier than OGs. Quality of the construction and material is also much worse (obvioiusly). At least the price didn'thike up too much... with the exception of a few models.

untitled · Mar 30, 2009

Originally Posted by UrN0tLike

Only retro i feel a difference in that I have is the bred xi from the cdp. Fits way diff.

XI fit is all over the place honestly....

suguruvstotoro · Mar 30, 2009

Originally Posted by kapepper

OK OK OK

but the fact remain:

new air unit is bad, i would even say it's a fake air unit....this is only based on experience:

my feet hurt afterwaring to long (couple of hours) a pair of retro air max's or whatever retro nike with an air unit

THIS IS NOT THE CASE when wearing my pre-1999 nike's like my skylons from 1994 or a my flights

i am not even going to mention my wearable og air max 180

i consecuently don't buy retro nike's becauseof that reason (Fake air unit) and secondly: poor quality of materials

i am a 100% Nike guy, but i haveto saythat i war more and more adidas retro's bcthey look good, good materials and comfy

Nike retros can't have a better description:

"my feet hurt after wearing to long (couple of hours) a pair of retro air max's or whatever retro nike with an air unit

THIS IS NOT THE CASE when wearing my pre-1999 nike's like my skylons from 1994 or a my flights"

...Nike CAN change "air" in air units WITHOUT changing shape, size and everything else from air unit itself. Every "new" retro is exactlymade as Nike wants. So, air units are as Nike wants, materials are cheaper as Nike wants, shape is true to original as Nike wants, colors are the same as Nikewants....