NikeTalk: WDYWT?

Recycled.

Air Max 90 "Neon"

(white/volt-neut-anthracite)

Photo credit: ATP

Unlaced: Episode 7 - Monday, April 24, 2011

What's good everyone?! Sorry, we've been on hiatus for the past couple weeks, but we're back with a special "Playoff" Edition of the Unlaced Podcast! This week we discuss Chi McBride, the NBA Playoffs, Soled Out's playoff pool, Manny Pacquiao, and more sneaker talk with another edition of "This or That?". Thanks for listening.

Unlaced - Episode 7

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This podcast contains language some listeners might find offensive.
Discretion is advised.

J2: Pick-Ups vol. "All About Retros"

Good evening! Since my camera was out and fresh boxes were just laying in my room, I took a couple quick snaps of some of my most recent pick-ups. I've recently picked-up a wave of Retros this past month (not all at the same time) ranging in the early 90s. I seem to dwell so much in the 90s because the greatest things came from that particular era. And the sneakers were no different. I guess it was the breeding ground for the kinds of sneakers you see today. Here are a few pairs that most people seem to have forgotten until they came back for a second round.

92' Nike Air Tailwinds

Air Jordan VII "Bordeaux" (1992)

Nike Air Burst (1994)

Nike Air Penny (1996-97)

J2: HDR Imaging

I took a shot at HDR imaging the other day. I wish I chose a better day to do this, it was kinda gloomy out, but it was really more of an impulse session than anything. I'm not really good at it yet, but it was worth trying it out for the first time. There are definitely lots of room for improvements, but here's how a couple of them turned out:

Still working on it. I'll try it again soon. One.

J2: "New York State of Mind"

I miss this place. I've always wanted to go back. New York is one of THE places to be in the world. I personally LOVE the concrete jungle. And New York City is the epitome of just that. There is no other place in the world like Manhattan. Every block has at LEAST one landmark, one scene from a movie, one photo opp to take home with you. Everything.

Aside from being the sneaker capital of America, I love New York from it's very core- from the busy streets to the complex architecture and right down to the rudeness of the typical New Yorker. I wish I had been into photography back in 2008, when I went. I would have taken much better pictures. Or at least tried to. Here's a couple that weren't total crap. Hahaha.

I'll be back someday. One.

Unlaced: Episode 6 - Wednesday, April 6, 2011

What's good? Well, we've been on break, but after a week and a half stretch, Unlaced is back with Episode 6. This week discusses April's releases, "This or That", "MY fave 5" and our new segment, "Quickstrike". Thanks again to those who have been listening! Again, they are free for download to your iPod. Hopefully, we'll get these up on iTunes sometime.

Unlaced - Episode 6

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This podcast contains language some listeners might find offensive.
Discretion is advised.

J2 Customs: AF1 Teaser

CLASSIC! If you rewind to the era of the Air Force One, you can see that the shoe is timeless. Thousands of colorways in hundreds of different materials warrant the timeless steez and in 2011, the shoe is still going strong. I was finding a specific pair of trainers in storage when I came across an extra pair of classic all white Air Force 1s. I decided it was time for a new custom. I'm not done yet, but for this pair, I decided to do something a little challenging - elephant print. I've been practicing on a couple beater pairs and ended up with something like this.

Here's a teaser. Look out for these in the blog come Spring 2011. These might be for sale OR maybe they'll be on my feet, I haven't decided yet.

To pay homage to one of the greatest sneakers of all time, a classic track by some of hip-hops greatest - DJ Premier, Nas, Kanye West, Rakim and KRS One.

One.

J2: Kijiji Idiots

So I was selling an item on Kijiji. For those who are unaware of what that is, it's a buy/sell/trade forum like Craigslist, which allows you to put up personal ads for buying and selling. So I have a set of headphones listed at about $420 which retails for significantly more than that, and is brand new. I love the headphones, but I had an unexpected bill to pay, so bye bye (Damn you, Canada Revenue Agency!)

I don't mind getting offers that are lower than my asking price. As long as it's reasonable, I will consider it. But there are some seriously retarded lowballers on the internet that are really hard to ignore.

e-mail from: chadcute_16@xxxxxx.com
$300 ill take it


That's $120 off. Really? I ignored the e-mail. I figured, if he doesn't get a reply, he'll get the idea. Then I get this 2 days later.

e-mail from: chadcute_16@xxxxxx.com

$300 ill take it

I ignored it again. Considering this was brand new with an asking price lower than retail, I consider this a major lowball. Then on the same day:

e-mail from: chadcute_16@xxxxxx.com

still available?

e-mail from: jordan.dino@gmail.com

Yes, it's still available.

e-mail from: chadcute_16@xxxxxx.com

what is the last price?

I don't know what that means, but I'm assuming he's asking how low I can go.

e-mail from: jordan.dino@gmail.com

$380.

e-mail from: chadcute_16@xxxxxx.com

$300 ill take it

Are you shitting me, son? I ignore your previous two offers, give you my lowest price and you continue to throw the same bullshit price at me?

e-mail from: jordan.dino@gmail.com

Nope. These are basically brand new. 

The next day:

e-mail from: chadcute_16@xxxxxx.com

ILL TAKE $300

For real!? You'll take $300 from where exactly? What an idiot. Assuming he meant to say that he'll take my headphones for $300, I basically told him to fuck off. I looked up this moron and found out he's a fellow Filipino. Go figure. We are cheap people. He is almost just as bad as my cousin who offered $5 for my HKS Intake. SMH.

One. 

Summer Movies 2011

The 2 movies I'm looking forward to this year.

I'm not sure how old these are, but I JUST saw them today.

I hope they don't disappoint.

J2: Under Armor Micro G Blur Review

Test Subject: Micro G Blur

"Sneakerhead" was sort of the term for who I am to some. But I realized, I'm no sneakerhead, I'm a Nikehead. I really don't wear anything other than Nike. It's not that I don't like wearing other brands, but I'm just a HUGE fan of Nike Inc and everything that revolves around it.

But once in awhile, I'll step outside of the orange box and try something totally different. This week, as promised, I would wear a different brand of footwear, should it go on sale at my local store. For the one's that have been listening to the podcast, I decided to succumb to the ever expanding footwear society and purchase a newcomer into the basketball world - Under Armor.

Under Armor has been world renown for their products in all-purpose cross training, thermal fitted work out gear and running apparel. It's very risky for any new brand to step into the basketball market when you have companies like Nike, Adidas and Reebok. That being said, it would be interesting to see how the Micro G stacks up against the top performers of the hardwood. Will under UA take step further up the sporting goods pedestal? Or will they fall short on certain aspects for a well built basketball shoe?

Thanks to a local hook up at Sport Chek on the Friends & Family Sale, I was able to cop a pair of my current test subject, the Micro G Blur, in gray/white, for a very fair price of $55. My first test wearing was a fairly positive one. Here is my official review of the Mirco G Blur.

For one, the shoe looks great overall. Not something I'd wear on the daily, but it looks great on the basketball court. The colorways need to get back to simplicity, some were too busy for me, but the gray/white ones looked great.

Fit/Comfort
Stepping into the shoe initially was a little narrow, but wearable and didn't give me any problems during my test run. The height from the floor, the height of the upper and overall fit was similar to the Jordan 13. The lacing system was similar as well, but my only beef aesthetically was the flat laces. When running with a narrow sneaker with an inner lacing system, use round laces. Not only did I catch them untied in some occasions, but they just looked ugly with a lacing system like that.

Perforated toe-box

Ventilated upper with UA's Heat Gear and the UGLY but effective lacing system.

Breathability was a major issue. The shoe looks like it breaths really well . The upper is ventilated with small holes, but there is a layer of fabric under that area which, for me, didn't allow the shoe to breath. The Micro G Blur is also equipped with Heat Gear, UA's Dri-Fit type material to keep your skin cool. For me, the ventilation and Heat Gear did very little. I felt hot inside the shoe and my feet ended becoming a little sweaty. Although, it didn't breathe it didn't cause any discomfort. But it didn't do what it claimed to be doing.

The sock liner is also thin. It reduces the lockdown fit that many slashing guards might be looking for. The molded collar is a nice touch, but the toe box and inner sock liner could use some improving.

7.5/10

Ankle Support
The ankle support, I found was a little better than the Jordan 13. Albeit the Jordan 13 is a 12-13 year old shoe, it still remains as one of my favorites for ball wear as far as Jordans go. The heel cup and TPU support on the Blur were solid. This allowed the upper heel counter of the shoe (right above the achilles tendon) to fall low for more maneuverability. Overall, I didn't have major issues with ankle support, but the shoe could be wider for more stability.

9/10

 Low cut upper heel counter

TPU heel counter

Traction
This is where the shoe falls short. The phylon midsole is great, but the outsole doesn't do so well in this department. It's narrow at the arch of foot, which doesn't respond well in latteral movements. And it would have improved much more with herringbone traction. It didn't grip as well as I would have thought, but it wasn't shitty either.

7/10

Midfoot was a little too thin for me

Traction comparison: Air Jordan 13 (L), Micro G Blur (R)

Cushioning/Stability
I'm not sure if the Mirco G technology requires significant break-in time, but the cushioning was very stiff. Parts of the shoe in the heel and forefoot provided some good impact cushioning, it's hard to say if the cushion was good or bad, because honestly, I don't know what Micro G does. If it's strictly for explosiveness or impact stability, it does a good job. But if the shoe is supposed to respond like Zoom Air does, it's not as good. Micro G does however, provide a nice court feel and is also very light weight, with the shoe weighing only 13.8 ounces.

I didn't feel a solid response from the Micro G as I would have liked. And it also appears to be lacking a midfoot shank at the arch of the foot. It could be inside the midsole, but I won't know anything about the cushioning until I dissect the shoe and see what's inside. This may be my first subject for an "Unlaced Autopsy".

8/10

Overall
I enjoyed wearing these, to be honest. Other than small traction and transition issues, it's nice to say UA came in with a solid effort to bring us a shoe for the hardwood for the first time and come out a success. Again, the shoe was very similar to the Jordan 13s, with the usual pros and cons compared to MJ's '98 signature. If you're a forward in the post, spot up shooter or clutch 3-pointer, these babies are mighty fine. If you're a picky guard with a cut and slash game, I wouldn't recommend these. But overall, for a first timer in the basketball market, Under Armor can actually be a solid contender at a fair budget. The Micro G Blur provides a solid performance at a retail price of $99 CDN.

8/10

Similar looks and feel

Air Jordan 13 (L), Micro G Blur (R)