Nike Zoom Tre A.D.

I’ve never owned a pair of Nikes. Ever. Not running shoes, not basketball shoes, not anything. When the first Jordan’s were popular in the early street skating days my parents weren’t putting 100 dollar shoes on my feet. And I’ve never been into Dunks. They just don’t seem like shoes I could skate in and I wasn’t buying into the whole ‘limited edition’ idea for skate shoes.

All that being said, I’ve been very curious about Nike’s take on skating in the last few years. They haven’t been afraid to spend money on talent, they’ve made the right moves culture wise (for the most part) plus there’s no denying their technical capabilities. So what does this mean for skate shoes? Their short answer is the Zoom Tre A.D.

Right out of the box these shoes are different. In the black / baby blue colorway they look a bit like those dress sneakers you see on corporate casual Friday. The square toe is fine, but…let’s just say that the future colorways I’ve seen look much better. With such a different look you would think Nike would try to go with more classic or traditional colors. I’m sure this will be sorted out with dozens of ‘limited’ colors but I just found this first color choice strange. Back to that square toe…it’s a bit wider than the back of the shoe; a friend said the combo made the silhouette look a bit like wet suit booties. Vans knock-offs these ain’t.

The fit is impressive. Once laced up the first thing you notice is the ‘Memory Foam’ heel. The rear of the shoe itself is very thin and fits tight around your heel. And your ankle is in there. And I mean REALLY in there. Not a bit of lift, even with very loose laces. Take a few steps and you notice the flex of the ‘Free Forefoot Flex’ sole right away. This technology was taken from Nike running shoes for a thin flexible board feel. When you stand up on the balls of your feet the soles do indeed feel instantly broken in. Above the ‘Zoom Heel Airbag’ sits a very comfy sock liner while below the laces is a tongue that is padded, but not puffy.

And yes, they skate very well.

After about 20 minutes on my board I was completely used to the new Zoom Tre A.D. The sole with the firm heel and flexible front was odd at first but after running out of a few bails in the bowl, I could see where the heel airbag was helpful. Heel bruising is the only problem I have with the majority of thin, vulcanized shoes and there would be none of that with these. The molded toe piece grabbed my board for ollies fairly well. After an hour I could see the scuffs on both the toe piece and the side of the shoe but compared to most materials it’s clear these things would last a long, long time. And I have to mention the heel again. It was almost strange to never feel any heel lift AT ALL. I’m guessing some people may not like how these are almost molded to your foot…but I was impressed.

All this being said, the big question is this: Would you buy one pair of these odd looking Nikes for 95.00 or pick up two pairs of cheap vulcs? How about these or another skate only brand and still having a good amount of cash left over? Tough call. We all know change is slow in skateboarding and I’m really not sure if skaters are ready to trade functioning fashion and brand acceptance for more radical performance. We aren’t wired like a basketball or running consumer…and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing in terms of product progression.

- Chris

03/21

03/31 - Pitcrew Video - Feels Like the First Time
03/21 - Nike Zoom Tre A.D.
02/19 - The Bacon Video
01/05 - SkateBook - Issue 1
- Full Archive




July 25, 2008