Here’s a vintage 1980s catalog for REI featuring some great 1980s sneakers. The shoes featured in this catalog are the Nike Pegasus Running Shoes, Nike New Internationalists, Nike Intrepid, REI Junior Winds, REI Equalizers, Adidas Oregon Trainers, Adidas Seattle, Adidas Tennis Champ, Reebok T.D., Reebok Victory G, Reebok Hurricane, New Balance 460 & W460, and Reebok Aerobic Energizers.
Here’s a 1983 vintage Consumer Reports “Penny Power” magazine featuring articles on sneaker testing kids retro runners. This article compares Nike, adidas, Sears and Kinney NBA vintage sneakers.
Article info is below:
APRIL / MAY 1983 A Consumer Reports Publication for young People
PENNY POWER
TESTING SNEAKERS
Part Three: THE TESTS
In order to pick which brands to test, Penny Power used two kinds of "experts." First, an experienced runner looked at many pairs of running shoes sold in children's sizes, and told us which ones were sturdy and well made. Second, junior-high students weeded out the "dorky-looking" pairs from a group of good quality sneakers. They liked the four models you see in the "before" picture below. These ranged in price from $14 to $25.
Before
NIKE ($25)
KINNEY'S NBA ($20)
ADIDAS ($20)
SEARS ($14)
We decided to put these sneakers through the toughest test of all—a "kid" test. The 8-to-13-year-olds you see on these pages were each fitted with two different brands. All wore both pairs through an entire summer and into the fall. One pair was worn one day, the other pair the next day, so that each pair received the same amount of wear— at camp, on the beach and in the country. Running, jumping and skidding would show up differences among the sneakers, we thought. We were wrong! When we gathered in the 20 pairs of sneakers at the end of the test, a few were slightly shabbier or a bit more worn. But, as the "after" picture shows, most came through the test in about the same condition. One reason they were still in good shape was that the testers were switching between two different pairs. Changing your sneakers every day gives them a chance to dry out between wearings, and that's good for all shoes. It's also better for your feet. The testers were asked to choose the more comfortable of the two pairs they had worn. No one brand proved to be more comfortable than the others. Some testers liked one feature (such as the Sears's thinner sole or the NBA's cushioning), some another. We then washed a few pairs of each brand to see how well they would clean up. Again, all four brands washed pretty much the same. Only the light-colored sneakers were hard to get clean. The dark suede trim faded in the wash, however. (Turn to the back cover to see the results of our sneaker spruce-up.)
After
NIKE
ADIDAS
SEARS
KINNEY'S NBA
What did The Sneaker Project teach us? Since no brand stood out in durability or over-all comfort, you should look for a well-made model that fits your particular pair of feet. While you're looking, don't ignore some of the well-made but less-famous brands. Some of our testers were firm Nike or Adidas fans until they discovered the fit and comfort of a less-expensive brand. They were surprised. Maybe you will be too!
Here’s an old school Starting Line Sports vintage sneaker ad from 1978 for the adidas Runner, Lady Runner, Arrow, TRX and TRX Competition vintage model sneakers. This original vintage ad is for sale over at our Rewind Running web store.
Ad info is below:
adidas Lady Runner - A
New! One of our best selling women's shoes. All new ripple sole for long wear with good traction and flexibil ity. Improved midsole cushioning. Powder blue nylon with white trim. Sizes: Women's 4-10. $40.95
adidas Runner - B
Made particularly to support the heavier runner with thick, long wearing outer sole, improved sole flex, and wide flared heel. Yellow nylon mesh with blue trim. Sizes: Men's 6-13. $37.95
adidas Arrow - C
Popular cross-country racing flat. Lightweight nylon upper has seamless toe for blister free running. Durable sole studded for maximum traction and cushioning. Royal blue with red trim. Sizes: Men's 7-12. $21.95
adidas TRX - D
New improved cushioned midsole. Waffled sole is flexible yet long wearing. Royal blue nylon with yel low trim. Sizes: Men's 7-12, Women's 4-10. $30.95
adidas TRX Competition - E
New! Excellent for both road racing and cross-country. Waffle-type sole gives good traction on grass or dirt. Extremely lightweight. White nylon with blue trim. Sizes: Men's 6-12, Women's 4- 11. $30.95
adidas
STARTING LINE SPORT'S
BOX 8, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94042
Here’s another 1977 vintage ad for the adidas Formula 1. This sneaker has ben rebranded as the Racing 1 and if you’re interested in buying them now we have posted them over on our updated Top 10 Retro Runners list or check out the adidas affiliate link below.
The original vintage print ad is available at our web store RewindRunning.com.
Ad info is below:
Road Test: Formula I
PERFORMANCE: A
Special traction profile makes this shoe highly responsive. Extended sole and racing spoiler stores up touch-down energy and throws leg into longer stride at lift-off. Time-saving ghilly lacing makes for quicker starts.
SAFETY: A
Special arrangement of profile eliminates lateral slip – the main cause of knee injuries. Combined effect of carefully determined width of heel, extended sole area and grooved wedge reduces heel impact by 25%. Full padding and heel counter built in as standard.
SUSPENSION: A
Excellent shock absorption on any road surface. All-round grooving of wedge provides a smooth, yet positive ride.
ROAD HOLDING: A
Perfect stability achieved through flared heel and thick wedge. Special sole profile (developed in collaboration with the Automobile Industry) holds the road and ensures perfect traction.
AIR CONDITIONING: A
No overheating. The uppers – made of nylon and leather – provide perfect air cooling where it’s needed.
MILEAGE: A
On long distances, a real energy saver (see performance). Durable quality rubber profile developed to provide out-standing mileage for money.
Optional extras: your feet. Just for the record. The Marathon gold medal at Montreal was won in adidas. In the New Year’s San Paulo 1977 Marathon and Boston Marathon adidas came in first too.
Here’s an old vintage adidas ad from 1977 for the SL72 model running shoes.
Ad info is below:
SL72 - voted one of the 25 best-designed products by Fortune.
In the May 77 of Fortune magazine, the SL72 training shoe from adidas was selected as one of the twenty five best designed factory-made products available in America today. No other athletic shoe was featured. Need we say more?
adidas
The all-sports people
We’re back to old school runner ads today with this 1978 vintage adidas Formula 1 print ad. This is one of our favorite adidas sneaker models from back in the day. If you’re interested in buying them now we have posted them over on our updated Top 10 Retro Runners list.
Ad info is below:
Road Test: Formula I
PERFORMANCE: A
Special traction profile makes this shoe highly responsive. Extended sole and racing spoiler stores up touch-down energy and throws leg into longer stride at lift-off. Time-saving ghilly lacing makes for quicker starts.
SAFETY: A
Special arrangement of profile eliminates lateral slip – the main cause of knee injuries. Combined effect of carefully determined width of heel, extended sole area and grooved wedge reduces heel impact by 25%. Full padding and heel counter built in as standard.
SUSPENSION: A
Excellent shock absorption on any road surface. All-round grooving of wedge provides a smooth, yet positive ride.
ROAD HOLDING: A
Perfect stability achieved through flared heel and thick wedge. Special sole profile (developed in collaboration with the Automobile Industry) holds the road and ensures perfect traction.
AIR CONDITIONING: A
No overheating. The uppers – made of nylon and leather – provide perfect air cooling where it’s needed.
MILEAGE: A
On long distances, a real energy saver (see performance). Durable quality rubber profile developed to provide out-standing mileage for money.
Optional extras: your feet. Just for the record. The Marathon gold medal at Montreal was won in adidas. In the New Year’s San Paulo 1977 Marathon and Boston Marathon adidas came in first too.
adidas
