Converse shoes are known for their rubber soles and canvas uppers. The original Chuck Taylor All-Stars was the most common style of Converse shoes, which is now available in a variety of colors, materials, patterns, and designs. More than 120 years after its introduction, Converse remains one of the world’s leading sports shoe brands. Now, let’s get into the business. Are Converse shoes good for skateboarding? The question that brought you here doesn’t have a straightforward answer. Find out why.
What Makes Converse Shoes Great for Skateboarding?
Converse was initially designed for basketball players and later turned into a fashion item. But, it now has a wide range of collections for skateboarding. They offer stylish designs as well as the necessary features for this activity. Many famous skaters are seen wearing their line of shoes dedicated explicitly to skateboarding.
Not All Converse Shoes Are Good for Skateboarding.
Converse shoes have a lot of different styles now. Not all are great for skateboarding though. Converse shoes that are designed for casual and fashionable wear are not as durable as skating shoes are supposed to be. They are comfortable and can be long-lasting, but they will not stand all the heavy impact of skateboarding. Skating shoes are supposed to have a thin yet durable outsole to let you feel the skateboard so that you can have sufficient control over it. Casual Converse shoes don’t offer these qualities, making them less durable than other durable shoes.
Which Converse Shoes Are Good for Skateboarding?
Among the wide range of Converse shoes, an entire line is specially designed and dedicated to skateboarding. Their Converse CONS are just excellent as skating shoes. They have all the desired features for differently built feet types.
Many brands out there offer perfect skating shoes but Converse CONS has maintained its integrity as skating and casual footwear for decades now. It is one of the favorites of professional skateboarders.
Features That Make Converse CONS Good for Skateboarding.
If you buy a pair of Converse CONS, you will definitely notice that the soles and backing of the shoes are made of a special kind of rubber. It is actually the special CONS Traction Rubber owned by Converse. It makes their skating shoes different from their regular shoes. This rubber provides the user with a flexible and durable experience with the shoes without taking away the skateboard feel. It is thin enough to let you feel the skateboard, and it also offers durability.
Not many skating shoes offer extra cushioning as they focus more on making the shoes durable. The adequate cushioning inside helps in better shock absorption. However, Converse CONS provides you with the extraordinary cushioning effect that absorbs shock perfectly. This increased comfort is what every skateboarder dreams of.
This line of skating shoes offers a variety of options in the features. You can choose what fits your feet and style. They have toe caps made of rubber, an elastic tongue, and different varieties of ankle support and protection (low-tops, mid-tops, and high-tops). Rubber toe cap offers excellent control for skaters.
Things To Consider Before Using Chuck Taylor Or All-Stars High Top For Skating
When the era of skateboarding truly started, most skateboarders preferred doing this barefoot. It lets them feel the skateboard properly, giving them a proper sense of control. When this activity drastically gained popularity, the skaters started seeking a pair of shoes that would be protective enough yet give them the proper feel of control over the skateboard. They started using the Chuck Taylors All-Stars basketball shoes and found them really comfortable and in favor of skateboarding. When Chuck Taylors gained popularity among the skaters as well, other brands started launching shoes specifically designed for skating.
The other brands provided some great and improved features for skateboarding that the Chuck Taylors didn’t offer. Chuck Taylors or All-Stars high-top shoes were mainly canvas, whereas other brands provided them with suede. This decreased the popularity of Chuck Taylors among the skaters in a while. This is why Converse made a comeback with a separate line of shoes, especially for skating-the Converse CONS. If you still want to use the good old Chuck Taylors All-Stars for skateboarding for the sake of vintage vibes, here are a few things you should consider beforehand.
Ordinary Chuck Taylors tend to be very thin from all sides so they will not be as durable as skating shoes are supposed to be. They will not be as comfortable while skateboarding. They have poor shock absorbency. Most of them are made of canvas which makes them less durable. Just after some ollies, you will see them ripping apart, and soon, you will start to see holes forming in them. If you don’t do many stunts with them, and you just want to roam around with the skateboard, you can choose Chuck Taylors. However, professional skaters may damage them within a day with all the heavy moves and tricks. Canvas easily gets damaged by the grip tape on the board.
All-Stars Hightop provides extra protection by covering the whole ankle. But it has a comparatively thinner sole than Converse CONS. While it is intended for support and protection, you might as well take all the breathability taken away into consideration. It takes time to get used to high-tops and it can make your feet sweat a lot after prolonged usage. It can reduce the feeling of the board, but it may not matter to many riders.
A little bit from history
Converse Shoes became a fashionable item in no time. They were originally made as basketball shoes in 1917. They were redesigned in 1922 after Chuck Taylor asked for an upgrade in the quality of the shoes in terms of flexibility and support. The company became ‘Chuck Taylor All-Stars’ when Converse finally added Taylor’s signature on the ankle patch.
The basic design of the shoes has remained mostly unchanged since the 1920s. These shoes gained huge popularity and had an impact on 70% to 80% of the market selling basketball shoes. However, this popularity collapsed in the 1970s when more and more brands barged into the market. Basketball players started trying different brands. Converse failed to plan a good marketing strategy and didn’t have Sufficientfunds, so they failed to prevent this drastic fall.
That wasn’t the end of the popularity of Converse. They made a huge comeback in the 1980s when people started wearing them casually as retro-style fashionable footwear. Nike Joined with Converse in 2003 for a huge amount (about $305 million). It continued to Market the Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Converse started expanding their business for these shoes and other shoes of the company to countries like India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Features Of Good Skating Shoes
Skateboarding is a very energetic and exciting activity. For someone who is not trained and practiced enough, it can be a sport with a high risk of injury. The very first step for a safe and enticing skateboarding experience is to choose the right shoes for it. Your feet in contact with the skateboard controls your every single move and stunt. If you don’t wear the perfect shoes for this, no matter how good you are at this, you will be putting yourself at risk of a serious injury.
How To choose the right shoes for skating? Everyone has different feet and different styles of skating. At first, you will have to understand what are the features of a good pair of skating shoes. Look for the following features as a guide and know why they are essential:
Stitching of the shoes
Skateboarding requires a lot of random and quick movements and bending of shoes. To withstand all the pressure, the shoes MUST be stitched. If you choose shoes that have glued areas, the chances of your shoes not being able to hold themselves together will increase. The shoes need to be at least double or triple stitched to last long perfectly.
Material of the shoes
Not all materials can handle all those aggressive moves you plan to show off with your remarkable skateboarding skills. Canvas is the last thing you want your skating shoes to be made of. Strong skating shoes are usually made of suede or leather. However, synthetic materials just as strong as them will work just fine. If you want the best skating shoes made of synthetic leather, you should only look for them from high-quality brands like Fallen. This pretty much answers what material is best for good skate shoes.
Design and manufacturing of the shoes for support
If you only pay attention to the material of your skating shoes, you are not doing enough. You have to look for the way it is reinforced to combat all the attacks it is going to face during harsh skateboarding. Let’s be real; skateboarding is not anything like walking or running, so your shoes are meant to be damaged quicker. You’re cap and sides must have extra layers as these parts are going to be dragged during the activity. Look out for extra layers in the lace eyelets and heels because heel support is crucial. Your shoes are supposed to look like armed robots who are ready to face a war. More layers mean more protection. Make sure your skate shoe provides better ankle support and protection.
Bulk and breathability
Expecting more layers does not mean you have to deal with heavy shoes. Heavy shoes can refrain you from doing all those cool tricks and stunts. The layers are supposed to be made of light enough and breathable materials that are strong to handle the movements. Many shoes use vulcanized rubber to use less of it and make you able to feel your skateboard. Lightweight skate shoes like vulcanized shoes have edges over heavy shoes in terms of comfortability and breathability. But careful, not too light! You don’t want delicate shoes. Many shoes have ventilation holes to help your feet to breathe and not get too sweaty.
Protection of your shoelaces
Most people miss out on this detail while choosing skating shoes. They don’t care about the shoelaces, which are also very vulnerable to damage. You should look for shoes with metal shoelace eyelets. These help in preventing them from being ripped through easily. Lower Laceholes are supposed to be protected by flaps. This helps the laces to be protected when you are doing flips. Some shoelaces are also made using leather or wax to make them long-lasting.
The grip of the soles
This is one of the most important features of a good pair of skating shoes. Your shoes need to be able to grip on the skateboard for preventing any kind of accident. Skating shoes are specially designed with soles made of well-gripping gum rubber instead of ordinary sneaker rubber sole.
Padding of the shoes
This feature is more about your comfort. If you like your shoes to be tough, padding will not be necessary. But, if you are a professional skater, you probably do a lot of extraordinary moves that involved hitting different surfaces. This means you need extra shock absorbency in your shoes to take all the pressure without stressing your joints too much. Padding will provide you with that cushioning effect that will not only make your skating shoes comfortable for you but will also reduce the potential risk of injury and pain.
These were pretty much all the features that answer what is unique about great skate shoes. Remember, it is said that a great pair of skating shoes will protect your feet and also let you feel the skateboard.
You can also check our article, are platform Converse suitable for lifting?
Final Thoughts
Skateboarding came to life after the surfers didn’t have much to do when there was no wave. It eventually became very popular now, it is even a huge part of the Olympics. Converse, once a pioneer of athletic shoes, will always remain a classic piece for skateboarding even though there is a lot of competition now in the market. They may not be the best skate shoes or absolute right shoes for skateboarding, but they will be relevant for skate fashion earth for a long time. In the end, always remember to choose skating shoes that have a promising shelf life and give you enough comfort and efficiency.