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Adidas Superstars - 3000 miles, 18 months and still going

I purchased a pair of Adidas Superstars around June 2019 for a mere $20 and have been wearing them continuously for almost 18 months, almost daily since COVID hit hard.  The shoes have been beaten up and lost all of its cushioning in the soles, but otherwise are still functional and chugging along.

A tear formed on the outer side of the left shoe and was likely due to me being too harsh when trying to clean the shoes one day, otherwise it should have remained intact.

With the exception of the tear and the lack of cushioning (the soles likely collapsed over time) the shoes are still wearable and I use them daily at least 5-6 days a week with an average 6-10 miles of walking on surfaces with mostly dry conditions and only an occasional wet pavement or puddle.

Over 3000 miles!

By my estimates I've worn them for about 3,096 miles (18 months * 4.3 weeks * 5 days = 387 days * 8 miles = 3,096 miles) and its likely due to mostly flat and smooth surfaces like concrete, tile, wood and carpet are the reason the shoes have endured this long.  Most of those miles are purely walking at a casual pace and very little running.

I generally walk with a steady stride and don't drag or kick my shoes, however I've noticed greater wear on one side of both heels indicating I must hit the ground at an angle.  The wear is ever so slight and after 3,096 miles would likely take just as many more miles to show any serious wear.

Stitching and glue seem fairly intact, but the insides of the shoes have worn a bit.  Even with the ever increasing size of the tear, the shoes should last me another year and possibly more.  Quite an impressive feat for a pair of daily worn shoes.

Again, not bad for shoes I picked up new for $20.

Feb 2021 // Still going strong - but time to retire

The heels are worn and the hole on the left shoe is more noticeable, but otherwise the shoes are going strong.  They are reasonably clean, but nothing like my AF1's.  I don't put as much care into them anymore as I plan to replace them due to the ever increasing size of the hole.  Looking at the Stan Smith's.

I picked up a pair of Stan Smith's...so its time to plan retirement for my Superstars.  I do look forward to replacing them maybe next year with another pair of Superstars.

I may consider experimenting in customization and evaluating how and what to use for painting them.

Retired - August 2021

They were semi-retired for a few months, but I put them back in rotation in June and they were just awful in July so I retired them.  For casual lifestyle these are great, but for heavy duty lifting had to go with Nike React Miler’s.

The Adidas served me well as I had them as daily drivers for a good 18-22 months of service for $20.  But the soles eventually get crushed and risk injury to your feet.





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