Grip tape wears out everything it touches, landings hit your heels, and you need to feel your board under your feet. A good skate shoe has to find the right balance between grip, durability and comfort. Here's what to look at.
Vulcanised sole or cupsole?
It's the first choice to make.
- Vulcanised sole: thin and flexible, it gives great board feel and breaks in quickly. It's how the Vans Authentic is built, for example. On the downside, it absorbs big impacts less.
- Cupsole: a thicker sole, stitched or glued around the shoe. It gives more support and cushioning, handy for jumps and stairs, at the cost of a bit less feel at first.
Suede or canvas?
Suede stands up to grip tape much better, especially where you ollie. Canvas is lighter and more breathable, but wears out faster. Many skate models reinforce the most exposed areas. At Adidas Skateboarding, the ADV versions of the big classics, like the Samba ADV, the Gazelle ADV or the Superstar 80 ADV, are made precisely for skateboarding.
Low or high?
A low shoe leaves the ankle free and is still the most common. A mid or high shoe protects your ankle bone better from board hits. It's mostly a matter of preference.
Support and size
A skate shoe should hold your foot well, with no play: if your foot moves inside the shoe, you lose precision. And since every brand fits differently, the best thing is still to try them on.
Our skate shoes
- Vans: the Authentic and the Slip-On, timeless classics.
- Adidas Skateboarding: the Busenitz, Dennis Busenitz's signature model, and the ADV versions of the classics.
- New Balance Numeric: New Balance's skate division, including the 933 (Andrew Reynolds' signature model).
- Last Resort AB: the brand of Pontus Alv and his friends, with simple, quality models like the VM001.
Make your shoes last
A hole showing up where you ollie? A bit of Shoe Goo glue and your pair is good for a few more sessions.
Find all our skate shoes online, or come and try them on in our shop in Avignon, at 3 rue Folco de Baroncelli.