Air Zoom Tennis Trainer Retro: Hybrid Esque of Trainer 1's and 2's Pics* Update: Hitting retail now

[wallyhopp]

interesting. im just trying to figure out where the $40 difference came from, without actually buying the shoes first. it could very well be a deal breaker.

heres a shot of my 04s with 50+ wears after 3 years:

I never had problems initially with stiffness, if anything they were soft, and after numerous wears, they got even softer. like a well aged baseball glove.

Now compare that to a shoe that I know has real leather, which has even more wrinkles, and its a confusing process:

The whole toebreak is basically fractured from its smooth state. No paint cracking though.

for all we know, the 04s got one kind of pleather and the 08s got a new kind of pleather.

 

[suguruvstotoro]

Wow.

My DS 04s don't look much better than your 50+ worn ZTs, Wally. What's your secret?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'll buy a pair of those tennis "trainers"... Maybe 2 (Chlorophyl and black)

 

[soleaddict34]

nice pics fellas. I'll post up close pics of the new versions when I get home, but its safe to say the material is different. they're like the materialon the straps, but stiffer.

 

[Sinner]

well my ZT 08's were initally a bit stiff too... but after a few wears, its much better now...

 

[soleaddict34]

here's some crappy pics I took. See how flexing the toebox just warps it, not folding/creasing like leather or a softer, more pliant material might do.



Wally, this is where they saved $40 in production costs.

 

[cincybcats22]

The way the leather bends on the toe doesnt really affect anything IMO. Real leather or not, they are a nice shoe for the price. Comfy and clean look.

Wore them the past 2 days to work. No complaints...

 

[archeever]

Yeah my pairs came in, and they are pretty comfortable. The leather is a little cheap. It seems to be action leather when I look up close, which is basicallyreal but low quality leather, that has a PU coating on top to cover the imperfections. Its that PU coating that makes it feel real cheap. But my guess is theywent with an a stiffer leather for performance reasons and price reasons. Since they are heavily pushing this shoe towards the tennis crowd, i think theywanted a material that can handle the rigors of tennis. Something a little stiffer for support and durability.

 

[kicksfinder]

Info & Photos: SneakerNews.com

We first learned about these Nike Zoom Tennis Trainer's way back in early January of this year. It has been a long wait, but the shoes are finally here. The shoe has a white, perforated toe box with a grey toe cap and a black forefoot strap. The grey, tumbled leather side panels stretch all the way to the back heel and contain a black swoosh. There are also a few green accents on the back heel logo and on the eyelets. Technology wise, the sneakers feature a lightweight phylon midsole with cushioned Zoom Air units in the heel and forefoot and a XDR rubber outsole with versatile traction pattern for great grip. These sneakers are available now at NikeStore.com and Finishline.com.

Color: White/Black-Cool Grey-Green Spark
Style#: 324753-101
Price: $80

 

[downyboy]

i cant believe theres so much love for these now. copped at ES for 40 back in the day.

 

[n1ke drawer]

I could have had 2 pairs for $93 total if I ordered sooner (2 pairs)...oh well...can't wait for them to come in

 

[labanger]

Just got mine from NDC and they are really nice. Now just waiting for the Air Trainers III to drop.

 

[jinkazama]

Got mine in yesterday...this may be the best $80.00 shoe nike has ever created. Great midfoot support (I have flat feet) just the right amount of zoom air (notso bouncy that it fatigues your foot, yet not so stiff that you can't feel it), long wearing outsole, the leather doesn't bother me as much(they're $80.00 and meant to be performance shoes)...I bought these for stylin' but once I stepped in them I had to take these for a spin at the gym.All I can say is wow...from the treadmill, to squats, to shootin' hoops these kicks performed great. I usually wear bball kicks to workout in but I amdefinitely replacing them with these.

Since these are being slept on hard I may have to pick up a few more pairs if they hit sale racks. Which judging by the availability online they definitelywill.

 

[slefly]

its ok. looks better than it performs. does it really have zoom air or just foam? cant say i feel the zoom air compared to lebrons or zoom bbs. for 60 bucks,cant have everything. reason why they are selling these everywhere. be patient and get a good deal on deez.

 

[archeever]

slefly, yah there is definitely zoom air in the heel and the forefoot. I can feel it in the forefoot for sure. Actually when you take out the insole, and lookinside, you can kind of make out this elliptical shape in the forefoot area where the big ball of your foot would land. That is the zoom air. Kind of like thesetup in the Huarache 2k4 as shown in this pic.

 

[wallyhopp]

you can definetly feel that airbag outline in the 04s. so they appear to be the same.. which is great news. thanks for posting that photo. I thought someonemightve taken apart the new zt1 08s to prove a point on NT.

I finally decided to just get these. couldnt pass up the 25% off on NDC. I'll have 04 vs 08 comparison shots by wednesday if someone else doesnt post themby then. im gonna take a guess and claim the new colors on the shoe are different. Green is more green in the 08s and the grey upper is a slightly differentshade. Can't wait

 

[slefly]

appreciate the pic. same setup as kobe 1 and huarache elite. guess i am spoiled by the lebrons or zoom bbs.

 

[wallyhopp]

I finally took the dive when the price was right. 25% off on NIKE.com.

Comparison shots of the 2004s vs. 2008s will be coming soon.

First impressions right off from when i opened them up. The shoes feel and look cheap from the getgo. Is that because of more "durable hardierleathers" or is that from the $30 MSRP difference? The whole upper feels stiff. The 2004s were soft from the get go. I compared two DS new models toverify that fact.

The white leather on the 2004s may have not been the real deal either, but atleast that leather consisted of some padding. It's hard to explain but the2008 leather appears to be a thin rather stiff piece, whereas the 2004s had some cushioning and depth to the white leather..The 2004s reminded me of anupholstered leather couch or seat. It almost feels like a cotton underlayer with a leather covering, if that makes any sense. Ideally, I don't know what itcomes down to, i guess after 50 or so wears, you can make that determination. Do you wan durability at the expense of comfort or a cheaper cost when theresreally no difference. I guess we shall see.

The grey upper immediately stood out to me as having a lot more texture and being a bit more stiff. The 2004s had a soft almost suede like nap on the greyupper. I'm not a materials expert so i dont know the two types of materials on either, but they are far different. you go from soft and plush with a nap,to rugged and mean. again the question is raised, are the 2008s more adapt to take a beating on the courts or gym floors at the expense of the comfort? or isthere no difference, after a certain amount of time.

Some photos then more analysis:

2004s were denoted as a mid... more on that in a minute

Most know about the obvious difference by now, if youve read this thread.
-outrigger is no longer see through.
-no morse code on the black midsole trim
-Swoosh doesn't have the embossed look. Instead is larger and all stitched.

When the two models are side by side however, the other differences become apparent immediately.

-It's no surprise the grey upper is a difference color. Darker on the 2004s. The green accents are also surprisingly different. Finally, after 18 years oftrying, Nike has gotten the originial GREEN accent color from the 1987 trainers back onto a real cross trainer shoe. No more chlorophyll or mean green. More onthat later.

Obvious differences include:
-exposed stitching on the new toe drag area, with a vinyl like material.
-tongue is now mesh. tongue tag now reads ZOOM TRAINER quite generically. 04s stay true to itself.
-the 2008 tongue appears to be stuffed and is rather stiff from the get go. The 2004s have that leather couch like pluffy leather on them and are not stuffed.

The New brighter greener green becomes more apparent in these next few shots. I like that green spark. But the biggest surprise of all came with thisdiscovery. The 2008s are about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch HIGHER in the ankle collar area. The midsoles are the same dimensions and sizes, so its an upper issues.

-The texture of the grey uppers shine through here with both of their unique properties. One of the suede like deerskin nature, and the other a tumbled mattefinish leather.

Starting with the black midsole piece, the shoes profiles are surprisingly different. The shocker is that the upper lace locks match up to the same height, soits more of a higher cut in the rear/achilles area than anything else.

2004s are in front here, with the 2008s peaking out just a bit.

I spent as much time as you'd probably want to spend time investigating each shoes outsole. The green shank plants show its shoes true green color. 2004slighter more lime like, the 2008s a true green color. The see through middle is now out. I tried finding differences in the where the XDR rubber is now inplace and could only find one area. That very same middle area that is no longer see through. The white outter trim and the BLACK circular pivot areas seem tobe composed of the same materials off of looks and feel alone. Sadly, the pivot point is the part that was concerning to me with the 2004s and thought wouldhave XDR usage. I could be wrong here, but looking up close, they have the same look and imperfections.

XDR area=GREY AREA

Interesting design element added here. Right at the upper lace lock area, the 2008s appear to be constructed to be permanetly INWARD.. The 2004s simple lyeopen.
-Thanks to the extra layer in the boot construction of the 2004s, the ankle has more padding in the 2004s as shown from this aerial shot. This may add somecomfort because when initially feeling the inside of the 2008s, the mesh felt rugged and tough. 2004s again, had that softness to it.

botty construction of the 2004s where the tongue is locked in place.

-rather generic inside on the 08s:

--------------------------------
Some extra shots.
Here is showing the many different shades of grey and greens used to showcase the same c/w from the originial air trainer high. The 2008s took a step in theright direction with its lighter grey and perfectly matching green.

From Left to right:
2000 trainer 1 chlorophyll, 1990 trainer high, 2008 tennis trainer, 2004 zoom trainer 1 mid.

By far the biggest accomplishment of the 2008 tennis trainers, is finally matching the green color from the originials. Chlorophyll was used in 2000 and i haveno true answer as to why, but my guess is that was the closest green they had in production at that time. Mean green was used in the 2004 zoom trainers andother products of that era. That color has gone extinct.. Now just recently, green spark has come about and finally gets used.

4 shades of green and grey. 2008s match up real nice with the 1990 originials

IN closing, the color differences, which is a plus, has me really loving these. its gonna take weeks or months to get a grasp of whether using the"hardier" materials was a good choice or not.

we shall see

 

[superblytrife]

Props on the breakdown Wally.

STILL waiting to pick these up myself. Things just keep coming up, but I gotta get these before they're gone this time.

 

[tronics.urbanfreeflow]

Thanks for the knowledge Wally, much appreciated.

Got mine for CABDV the other day too.

Such a dope shoe.

Would have bought two if i had the money.

 

[Sinner]

didn't realize how dark the grey was and how different the ankle part is... good comparison fotos...

 

[flintgrey]

Wally, well done sir. I plan on jumping on board with these soon....

 

[n1ke drawer]

thanks for the breakdown on the comparisons WallyHopp.....I wish I had some 04's in person so I can feel that quality you are talking about.......I also took advantage of that25% discount + free shipping

anyways ....does anyone have actual pics of the neutral grey/deep royal colorway? ...none of this catalog pic nonsense

...

 

[taxtow]

Wow WallyHopp really gave a nice comparison of the 08's versus the 04's. I used a discount from FNL and picked up a pair last week. The workersdidn't know what I was asking for at first and then all of the kids looked suprised at me buying them.

Anyhow I put a better insole in them to help my bones out and now after a few days wear I may need a set of hose crease stoppers (or make a Jelly Roll) becausethe leather on the toe boxes is piss poor. But for retail of $80 + many discounts available these are very affordable retros.

 

[cjb23]

While the 2004 zoom trainer and the 2008 zoom tennis trainer are spiritually the same shoe - lets not forget that they are aimed at 2 different market niches

the 2004 was a "cross trainer" in execution - really designed for indoor gym use - use of higher quality BUT MUCH MOER FRAGILE materials - neverreally intended to be used on hard court tennis surfaces = hi quality leather more prone to tearing, scuffing, stretching with excessive use typical of tennisplayers
normal material outsole more prone to weraing out compared to typical tennis outsoles
OVERALL the shoe is aimed more at comfort than durability

the 2008 is a "tennis shoe" in execution - designed for outdoor hard court use - lower quality BUT MUCH MORE DURABLE material
lower quality but reinforced leather that appears coated to resist tearing, over strteching, etc
higher density xdr sole for more durability on outdoor hard court
reinfored vinyl toe box to more withstand toe drag typical of tennis players
OVERALL the shoe is aimed more at duarbility than comfort


BTW Wally -since you have a 2000 trainer 1 to compare how much of a size diff is there between the trainer 1 and 2008 tennis trainer - ive heard to go up asmuch as a full size when buying the trainer 1s

 

[Sinner]

^ the 2004 and the 2008 AT1's (checkerboard tongue) both ran small... I had to go 1/2 a size up my normal size... not sure about the 2000 AT1'sthough... the Zoom Tennis Trainer run true-to-size.