Hipster vs. analog hobby photographer

[css9450]

I've owned several pairs of Reebok high-tops; the "classic" 80s style with the giant, thickly padded areas by the ankles and the giant thick tongue. I thought they were the most comfortable shoes ever. Lately I've been wearing some other styles of Reeboks and were quite pleased with them. I tried on an old pair of like-new 80s high-tops I'd saved all these years, and unfortunately the rubber had sort of petrified and they were no longer comfortable. Probably wouldn't last long of I wore them much, either.

 

[Calzone]

I've owned several pairs of Reebok high-tops; the "classic" 80s style with the giant, thickly padded areas by the ankles and the giant thick tongue. I thought they were the most comfortable shoes ever. Lately I've been wearing some other styles of Reeboks and were quite pleased with them. I tried on an old pair of like-new 80s high-tops I'd saved all these years, and unfortunately the rubber had sort of petrified and they were no longer comfortable. Probably wouldn't last long of I wore them much, either.

No doubt that new basketball shoes are more like orthodics with more engineered padding and support, but those old converse All Stars really stuck to the ground anytime you planted your foot. The soft rubber never lasted long, but I can see some advantage even over modern basketball shoes. The converse were very light and perhaps for someone like me with a quick step would give me a jump, but injury wise they are probably a liability. Also the converse are very light in weight over modern shoes.

Cal

 

[Roger Hicks]

All-Stars are pretty comfortable. Back in the seventies I owned many a pair. I was fond of the high tops. They were made primarily for basket ball. Some of my friends could wear out a pair in about a week. This is of course before basketball shoes like the Air Jordon came out.

Puma's are another retro basketball sneaker. I also liked these, especially the red suede versions.

The longevity of being produced and manufactured over several decades and their continued popularity are a wonderful statement of market endurance that has spanned generations. No evolution was needed or required.

Cal

Shoes that can be worn out in a week in anything less than extreme conditions (e.g. a professional ballerina using toe shoes on the professional stage) are clearly rubbish appealing only to the financially overprivileged.

Cheers,

R.

 

[furcafe]

They might not have to be labeled "Taiwan" or "Product of Taiwan", but they can't be marked "Made In The USA".

Frames can be made in Taiwan, but if they are assembled here, they can be labeled, "Made In The USA", I believe.

 

[Jamie123]

Shoes that can be worn out in a week in anything less than extreme conditions (e.g. a professional ballerina using toe shoes on the professional stage) are clearly rubbish appealing only to the financially overprivileged.

Cheers,

R.

I'm pretty sure he was talking about extreme conditions, i.e. basketball players using them for their sport in the 70s which I think is pretty comparable to your example of ballerinas on the professional stage.

 

[Jamie123]

I've long wondered - what is the fascination with those things? They look like they're most uncomfortable sneakers ever made, which is probably no small accomplishment in a category of shoes which is meant to be, above all else, comfortable.

I don't have any Converse because they don't seem to fit my feet well but I think it's just a case of them having become a classic sneaker. The same goes for the Nike AF1, Reebok high-tops or some Adidas shoes.

All these shoes have become somewhat of the equivalent of T-shirts. You can choose between various colors depending on your style but the basic design is always the same. I also think it's somewhat practical to stick to the same sneaker design once you found one that's comfortable.

Right now I'm quite fond of the Adidas High-tops as they are really comfortable. Not all of them, though, as they vary in how the upper is sewn. I used to only wear Nike AF 1s but got tired of them because the sole is too thick for my taste.

 

[Jonnyfez]

Q: How many hipsters does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: It's a really obscure number. You've probably never heard of it.

 

[KoNickon]

I'd say that's spot on.

 

[hepcat]

Man, this thread took a weird turn... 😉

Ok, NOW it's gotten weird. 😀

Say, are there any bikes made in America anymore? I need a new one and in a perfect world I could still get a nice Schwinn made right here in Chicago but that is no longer the case.

There are many excellent custom frame builders that you can go to. In specialty bikes, Green Gear Cycling in Eugene Oregon builds Bike Friday folding bikes. I've had several Bike Fridays over the years and have a (new to me but slightly used) New World Tourist arriving tomorrow by UPS. If you want to spend $5k and up, the high end carbon fiber framed bikes are still made in Waterloo, WI. Co-Motion bikes are completely built in Oregon also. There are a few other U.S. based niche companies, but most of the large manufacturers have their frames built by Giant or one of the other large frame manufacturers in Taiwan or mainland China now.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Uh oh, I answer 'yes' to 6 of those questions. Not a hipster, but getting dangerously close.

You did, however, forget to ask if you wear a woolen ski hat (toque!) in warm weather.

 

[paulfish4570]

i wore chucks (converse chuck taylor high tops) in the 1960s to play actual basketball in junior high and high school. they were blister machines, and easily wore out in a season. i can't even look at 'em any more without my feet hurting, and i see 'em every day at the high school where i substitute teach. kids are kind of amazed when i tell 'em i wore chucks 50 years ago ... 🙂

 

[hteasley]

Say, are there any bikes made in America anymore? I need a new one and in a perfect world I could still get a nice Schwinn made right here in Chicago but that is no longer the case.

http://www.rivbike.com
http://www.bikefriday.com
http://www.rodcycle.com/index.html
http://intensecycles.com
http://www.republicbike.com

Just to name a few. I hope to get a Rivendell bike one day.

H

 

[Roger Hicks]

I'm pretty sure he was talking about extreme conditions, i.e. basketball players using them for their sport in the 70s which I think is pretty comparable to your example of ballerinas on the professional stage.

Fair enough. I must have misunderstood.

Cheers,

R.

 

[mugent]

The term hipster is vague at best, it's not like the mods and rockers who were very clearcut in terms of fashions.
When I lived in london, I basically considered a hipster as one who wore unnecessary or impractical garments. For example, I saw a chap wearing an Afghan style scarf in the middle of summer, OK, it's the UK, but it's still nearly 30 (celcius). Many hipsters wear thick rimmed glasses with plain glass, no lenses, that is a hipster.

I live in Oz now, hipsters (or übers) are very rare, I've not seen one yet I don't think.

 

[MIkhail]

 

[hepcat]

Geez Mikhail. I'm offended. I don't smoke, NOR do my glasses have dark rims. 😎

 

[Jockos]

For me, I like them and Vans for the fact that they are flat and you can feel what's beneath your feet. And I like the look of them. I rarely wear converse these days, but wear vans constantly. I have flat feet and they work for me. Arches kill my feet.

The new words for this year in SAOL (The Swedish academy dictionary) included the word "Conversesjukan" which translates to "Converse disease".

The word arose among doctors specialized in foot, knee and hip damage.

 

[dabick42]

So far, this thread has exhaustively examined the minutiae of motor vehicles, bicycles, footwear, modes of dress and the mental quirks of strange people colloquially known as hipsters.

It hasn't noticeably enhanced my knowledge of photography but it's been very entertaining and informative nevertheless.

What's the next off-topic topic going to be, I wonder.... ? (!)

 

[enero]

I'm a fat, baggy eyed, pot gut, grumpy old mam.....who still uses film.

Don't think anyone would mistake me for a 'hipster'.

You'd be surprised, I am in my 40s and also have all those things, and yet I still get called a hipster from time to time. I havent changed the way I dress, think, or do in over 25 years. Its not my fault that these lil turds are finally catching up! 😛

 

[Tijmendal]

I shoot film and am young. The difference between me and hipster shooters are plenty:

- Hipsters shoot lomo, I don't
- Hipsters are more concerned about what people think of them then they are concerned about their pictures
- Hipsters have 'nice' clothes and spend too much money on clothes. I don't. I ****ing hate buying clothes.
- Hipsters don't do it for the love of it. I do.