OFFICIAL: Air Trainer 1 Mid Premium aka "Chlorophylls"... paging Wallyhop....

Today's wear:

700
 
just wanted to share this as content.  this happened last summer and i filled it with epoxy, not to restore it, but merely to salvage what was left.  it really saddened me to see that it had happened, and replacing these is pricey.  dont really know what to do about it except to accept that i took an L on a classic.  

rip. 
mean.gif
 
You HAVE to wear them.

Or they crumble.

Simples
interesting.  explain. 

edit: "Their role in degrading polyurethane can be attributed to the chemical processes of hydrolysis (in the presence of moisture) and oxidation (in the presence of oxygen). Simply put, the humidity in the air, and, yes, even the air itself, seeps into the PU and, slowly but surely, breaks it into itty-bitty sticky pieces."  

i get this bit on hydrolysis, but dont understand why wearing them would deter crumbling. 
 
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Let's just say (and I may have posted it with photos etc.) about March of 2013, I had a nice barely worn pair of 2000 retro Chlorophylls being worn.... A couple wears in, the midsole has a vivid foam crumble mark.

That IMHO marked for me, any sort of PU midsoled AIr Trainer 1 at a death mark of ~13 years (or as early as 13 years).


I still have a few air trainer 1 2000s that are holding up. But I just won't risk it. They are in the retirement home with slight wears on a one wear/month basis.

I have some 97 sc HIGH Bo jacksons, along with, I believe 99s that didnt seem to hold up past 12 years either (visible air, similiar to what you hear out of jordan IIIs can degrate faster). I wont dismiss that the sc bo (sc III) line has some issues

Seriously guys. Look at what you have or what you may be buying and go nowhere past 12 years.

TRUST ME
 
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Just to clarify, unseen had the 2003 Energy pack pair that apparently started to crumble. That 12-15 year mark is a sad reality. In and around the knicks, argyle, orca, JD sports first editionss, and HUF sf may be on their way out too. WEAR THEM!

Breaking them in for a once a month wear can help initially. But I just don't know if anything has been proven long term. At some pt., there is no turning back
 
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I'm determined to do a sole swap on these. Researching now. Need a donor pair if anyone got some beaters and feeling philanthropic.
 
All I know is that any sneakers that are worn occasionally are still wearable now when compared to ones that aren't.

I'm guessing something to do with stiffening if allowed to sit. Whereas walking in them keeps them flexible.

But who knows.

All I know is if they sit around, then you'll leave the sole on the floor behind you within a few steps.
 
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Yeah, I don't know the technical reasoning but I've had two older pairs (circa 2001) crumble. Both were deadstock. I've got a few pairs from around the same time period that I've worn over the years and they're still in good shape. I've only read that wearing delays but won't prevent imminent death. No matter what you do, the materials aren't meant to last forever unfortunately.

I just got sad reading and writing some of this lol.
 
Another thought I had and wanted to add - I pretty much quit buying older pairs, just to avoid the inevitable. I know some people buy to collect but I buy stuff to wear. It sucks to pay $100+ for a shoe and have it crap out before you can get your full use out of it. So I just started telling myself no on buying pairs that are more than 5-7 years old. It sucks but it beats wasting money.
 
Another thought I had and wanted to add - I pretty much quit buying older pairs, just to avoid the inevitable. I know some people buy to collect but I buy stuff to wear. It sucks to pay $100+ for a shoe and have it crap out before you can get your full use out of it. So I just started telling myself no on buying pairs that are more than 5-7 years old. It sucks but it beats wasting money.
yeah i feel you.  my problem with this is newer at1 color ways are garbo.  i know yall feeling the SB 49 and 50 trainers but im good with the flashy kicks.  overall the concepts for recent at1s are cool in theory, terrible in execution.  jerry rice bric layer?  meh....  paid in full?  couldve done so much better.  putting any dope color way on at1 lows?  hard pass.

 so whats left, seek out the old ish and pray they dont fall apart.  ive been rocking my seersucker microstripe and legacy pack chlorophyll on the weekly just to make sure they dont crumble.  theyre from 08 and 12 respectively, so i should be okay.  
 
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yeah i feel you.  my problem with this is newer at1 color ways are garbo.  i know yall feeling the SB 49 and 50 trainers but im good with the flashy kicks.  overall the concepts for recent at1s are cool in theory, terrible in execution.  jerry rice bric layer?  meh....  paid in full?  couldve done so much better.  putting any dope color way on at1 lows?  hard pass.

 so whats left, seek out the old ish and pray they dont fall apart.  ive been rocking my seersucker microstripe and legacy pack chlorophyll on the weekly just to make sure they dont crumble.  theyre from 08 and 12 respectively, so i should be okay.  

Enh, I'm not head over heels w/ a lot of the newer ones either. What I end up doing is finding a few that I really like and doubling up on them and things of that nature. Also, joints like that corduroy - denim pair, those are nice and more true to a classic look over something flashy. Quality was pretty good too.
 
Enh, I'm not head over heels w/ a lot of the newer ones either. What I end up doing is finding a few that I really like and doubling up on them and things of that nature. Also, joints like that corduroy - denim pair, those are nice and more true to a classic look over something flashy. Quality was pretty good too.
right.  im [kind of] on the search for shimas but i know previous owners have already had issues with them, so you know its going to be a nightmare.  ive really been into educating myself on restoration.  if i can get these energys swapped out, i'll def look for older models.  interestingly enough, chasing after at1s is cost effective compared to other kicks.  i didnt even know it, but i have a handful of at1 "grails."  
 
Short answer....

Maybe.

Depends if the outrigger will line up on the shoe.

The other dimensions work but the 1 outrigger is in a slightly different position and slightly shorter than the 3.

Only one way to find out....

Or find the same shoe to be safe.
 
I don't know how sole swaps work beyond the basic idea of them. I'm pretty sure they can do almost anything but I'd personally try to go w/ a matching setup.

I watched a pretty informative video by sneakerheadinthebay and it seems rather straight forward. However I'm sure it's easier watched then done.

I think one of the most important steps is to prep the sneaker that takes on the donor really well.
 
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