Sport Quotes...

Guess What's Back?

The best shoes ever! Adidas Barricade V's are back!

The shoes are available in two color choices for men and two for the women. Most of the time, I don't bother ordering women's shoes because the color offerings tend to be a little cheesy, but I love the black and pink.

When I heard these shoes were returning to the shelves, the first thing I did was go to my local tennis retail shop, Tennis and Golf Company, in Royal Oak, Michigan and ask about them. Well, I wasn't the only one. The shoe salesman said there had been nonstop inquiries about when the shelves would be stocked and people were pre-ordering multiple pairs.

I have to admit, I too, ordered three pair and as I wear through these, I am considering buying more. As you all know, nothing frustrates me more than how quickly sports equipment/apparel manufactures will move on to something new.

The Barricade V's are a heavy shoe. Since then, Adidas has gone lighter, narrower, and less supportive, in an attempt to improve what already was a great shoe for those of us who needed to have something feel a little more solid on their feet. They are very supportive in all the lateral movements that this singles player encounters in the average match. Even though they don't feel very cushiony out of the box, they have not aggravated my plantar fasciitis like my pair of Adidas Barricade 8s. Still, the insoles are easily replaceable. I am only a month into these shoes, but I hope they have the durability that I remember from the last time they were on the shelves.

I am so grateful that Adidas has brought back the Barricade Vs!

Stay tuned,
KS

Customized Adidas Barricades 8

"TAR NATION"

Blue and Gold

 

The jury is still out on how I feel about these shoes, especially since Adidas re-released my all-time favorite Barricades, the Barricade Vs, which has always been a very good fit for my feet. The Barricade 8s are not as sturdy like I need my tennis shoes to be and I've found that I cannot tie these shoes as snugly as I would like around the ankles. The eyelets are set a little weird, so if I pull them tight, it feels as though I am cutting off my circulation and if I don't pull them tight, they don't feel as secure as I would like them. Somehow they seem more narrow than I normal, yet, I keep jamming my toe and cracking toe nails. The sides of the shoe, under the ankle bones, are in a weird place that sometimes rubs my ankles the wrong way. Overall, the shoe is just bothersome in a way that makes it hard to focus on anything other than, "what the hell is my shoe doing now?"

Maybe it's just me...

It irks my soul when equipment companies change a good thing for the sake of change.

My last custom Barricades were the orange and yellow Barricade 7s. The color choices for the 8s are your usual tennis shoe colors. No purple. No orange. Forget designing an all-yellow shoe. And the options for the women's version are next to nothing.

Stay tuned,
KS

Nike Air Max Cage: A Shoe Review

At times I feel very fortunate that I am so tough on my sports equipment. It affords me the opportunity to try out different shoes and equipment. At other times, like in my hockey game last night when I got body slammed to the ice by a moose and I land on my elbow that is not covered because the elastic in my elbow pad fails to keep them secured any where close to that joint, being tough on equipment definitely stinks.

 After last year's dislocated ankle, my shoe rotation actually got way out of order and I found myself wearing holes in the outsoles of two pairs of Adidas Barricades roughly around the same time and scrambling to find a pair to replace them as I packaged them to go to the Adidas Barricade Outsole Guarantee's return center. I usually buy my tennis shoes online. Part of that is the convenience of shopping at all times of the night in my pajama's and part of it is I love to use Adidas' Customization website to put together never-before-seen color combinations. Ordering customized Barricades is a three-week process that include the highs of anticipation as I stare at the screen of my newly created shoe to the lows of ambivalence two weeks later when I've all but forgotten about the shoes to the frustration of coming home in the evening to see that "MISSED YOU" tag from the delivery company and knowing that I will have to wait another day or two to receive my shoes.

 Time was of the essence as I was about to embark upon my summer season having to go to the store and buy whatever stock shoe was available. I settled on a couple of pair of women's Nike Air Max Cage shoes, a pale blue pair accented with navy and a black and white pair with a splash of hot pink that reminded me of Good and Plenty candy. I used to wear Nikes a long time ago, but as most of you can commiserate, I hate when they change the design of a perfectly good shoe from one year to the next. All of a sudden a few years ago, Nikes became a comfortable fit to being incredibly very hard on my feet. Nike's tennis shoes' recent designs seem to narrow in places my foot doesn't naturally narrow. So, I switched to Adidas Barricades and have been wearing them ever since. I liked that they were a heavier shoe and felt steadier than a lot of other tennis shoes. They also came in cool colors and I could also customize them to any color I liked.

There was an All-American red, white, navy and metallic silver pair...

There was a navy, yellow with purple stripes and purple laces...

There was the Float Like a Bumblebee yellow and black pair...

My favorite was an orange pair with neon yellow strings and stripes that reminded me of summer...

And there were others. That Ode to Blue; navy, royal and North Carolina blue. The pink, black, silver and rose ones.

 But all good things must come to an end and my relationship with all of those pairs ended with huge holes in the outsoles. I'd done some quick research online and found many reviewers who claimed these particular generation of Air Max Cages did not cause the foot problems like plantar fasciitis that I am prone to due to my slightly flat feet. I always replace shoes' original insoles with insoles by Sof Sole anyway, so I was mostly worried about the fit. In the store, the shoes felt great. The toe box was a little wider than I remembered and the shoe didn't cut off my circulation near the instep. I bought the two pair and went on my way.

 At first, the insoles didn't feel like they fit right in the shoe, so I spent one morning practicing in the shoes while using the original insoles. The blisters that appeared immediately on my feet felt worse than walking barefoot across hot coals. The rest of that day, all I did was ice the bottoms of my feet. I found a pair of insoles that fit better and have been wearing the shoes all summer but I still developed a sore fascia on my right foot that requires me to tape before playing. Nike also has a 6-month Outsole Guarantee. I've heard from tennis friends that Nike can be much more discriminate in accepting and replacing shoes that are submitted for their warranty. Three months before I hit the six month mark, the outsoles of both pair of shoes, which I rotate frequently, were almost completely bald with excess wear on the heels.

I probably won't be buying another pair of Nike's anytime soon, but the Air Max Cages continue to draw my eye. There were no colors for the fall to compliment their fall clothes collections and I expect their will be more colors some time after the new year. For those who have the feet to fit these shoes, they certainly look good. And if you look good, you must play good, right?

Stay tuned,
KS

Just Don't Do It

I've avoided wearing Nike shoes on the court for almost ten years now. As drawn as I am to their awesome color selection for their stock shoes and the fact, that I do believe if I rock the swag, I can be like (Mike, Serena, Roy, Adrian or Alexander), their shoes have never fit by feet as comfortably and as sturdily as a pair of Barricades.

But six months ago, I succumb to my Nike fantasies and bought a pair of pretty black, white, and pink, (Mmm... Good & Plenty) Air Max Cage. I LOVED...

the way they looked...

But that's another Blog post. I took a chance on Nike because of their Durability Guarantee. As quickly as I wear through shoes, I figured, I would look good for four months and the instep aches and Plantar Fasciitis wouldn't be the death of me as long as I was able to replace them.

So, the 30th of November, exactly six months after I purchased the shoes, I called the Nike office. It was a Saturday and they were closed.

So, I called, Monday, the 2nd.

And it was too late.

There were sorry, but unable to help me.

Admittedly, this is my fault. I am used to the generosity of the Barricade Guarantee who allows for a grace period. Just in case you want to hit one more time in the shoes.

In order to take advantage of Nike's Warranty, you have to call 1-800-344-6453 (way before the sixth month), receive a claim number, return the shoes, the warranty card and the original receipt to:

NIKE RLC

Attn: Air Max Cage

3552 Avenue of Commerce

Memphis, TN 38125

I have friends, who play tennis, who put holes in their shoes when they are grinding it out on the baseline or hitting the big serve. And I have tennis friends who have tried to utilize the warranty. Twelve, exactly. Twelve different people attempting to utilize the warranty on their shoes and so far, no one has seen this mystical "Product Voucher". Imagine those quotes are air quotes because something that rarely seen doesn't deserve actually quotes...

Nike works hard to duck out of their warranty. If you read the warranty card, instead of reading like the instructions of how to return their product like the Adidas Barricade Guarantee. No, it reads more like a caveat, a disclaimer that if you violate any one of the ten bullets, you will be denied. Never mind the money you spent on a pair of shoes that wouldn't last wheelchair players the full six months. Never mind that you may be fully brainwashed by the power of Nike and will spend money to buy new shoes anyway. Never mind the fact that you may be a long time customer.

What I love most about the Adidas Barricade is that it gives me a break. I easily buy four pair of tennis shoes a year. And I wear through them and the replacements. The replacements have never caused me to not buy a pair of shoes. If anything, it made me feel more confident to keep supporting the company.

Nike, on the other hand, we are over. You are like Sheldon Cooper and his three strike rule, blindsiding your significant other when they thought things were going fine, by alerting them that they are, in fact, on thin ice. You are like the cool kid who went out with the unsuspecting plain girl on a dare. You are the judge, holding the gavel after he find out his wife is screwing the bailiff. My feelings are hurt and the only way I can express myself is in this poem...

Your shoes hurt my feet,

But I was in love,

I never noticed you suck,

Until you acted all above.

I'm going back to Adidas,

Your cruelness has rendered me mute,

But I'm still going to buy your clothes,

Cuz, OMG, your tennis skirts are totally cute.

(Don't judge me!)
KS

Adidas Barricade 6-month Outsole Guarantee

If you’re like me, you can wear through the outsoles of a pair of tennis shoes fairly fast.

My latest pair of Adidas Barricades were purchased in November and despite having a lighter training session because of my ankle injury, there is a grape-sized hole under my big toe in my left shoe and the soles are pretty bald on both shoes.

I’ve published a post about Adidas’ Six Month Outsole Guarantee for Barricades before but for those of you who need it; the address is:

Adidas 6-Month Guarantee

495 Cedar Crest Road

Spartanburg, SC 29301

Be advise the cost of shipping has gone up. It is now $13.25. So when you pack up your Barricades, include a check or money order for the shipping of your replacement shoes and your original receipt.

I have been in a three month long argument with the Adidas people about their replacement policy. After not receiving my last replacement pair, within the normal two to three week time period, I assumed they had been rejected as not eligible for a replacement pair. But then my check to cover the shipping as cashed.

I called customer service and spoke with a rude lady who assured me it was “not their policy to replace custom Barricades”. The shoes in question were my eighth pair of shoes submitted in three years that were customized.

Needless to say, I was confused.

She said they would be replaced by I should be advised that it is not their policy to replace custom shoes. She would not address the fact that my check was cashed as though the shoes were replaced or the fact that their website states, “Custom mi Barricades that qualify for the Adidas Six Month Outsole Guarantee are replaced with a current inline style and not with another customized pair.”

I am not sure what I am going to do aside from continuing to send the shoes and forcing their hands until they take that down from their website.

I have to say that I am annoyed to find that they would be so reluctant to replace a customized pair when they cost 50 dollars more than the inline style. And if someone is willing to pay as much as I do for the shoes and as often as I do, I would think they would be a little kinder and accommodating to a long-time, loyal customer.

Stay tuned,

KS

Adidas' 6-Month Outsole Guarantee

If you are as rough on your shoes as I am, you should totally take advantage of Adidas' 6-month outsole guarantee.

I happen to wear Adidas, so I am most familiar with their return policy, but other tennis shoes also offer a similar type of warranty.

My Adidas normally go from that great new shoe feel to holes in the soles in about four months. Because of my chronic foot problems, I have been more diligent about returning the shoes shortly after they began to break down rather than wait the full six months. By the time they get to the point that they have holes in them like the pictures above, I am able to feel the lack of support in my feet.

To take advantage of the Adidas guarantee, the wear on the shoe has to be on the outsole. You have to have the original receipt. And you have to pay the shipping costs for your replacement pair.

I have utilized this return policy for eight pairs of shoes so far and have received replacement pairs all eight times. There is some kind of evaluation process where Adidas could deny your claim, but I've never experienced a denial and my wear is very consistent with tennis movements.

Shoes have to be sent to:

Adidas 6-Month Outsole Guarantee

685 Cedar Crest Road

Spartansburg, SC 29304

This address is different from the address printed on the little card in some of the older Adidas tennis shoes. Evidently, the company changed warehouses and have yet to update some of their information.

Whenever I send my shoes back, I place them in the original box, with the original receipt and a check made out to "adidas" for $8.30. I usually receive my replacement pair in 2 to 3 weeks.

Stay tuned,

KS