The Puma 1986 released Sky LX gets respect from sneakerhead legend Bobbito Garcia and has been named as possibly Puma's best basketball shoe ever.
Ad info is below:
SURE, IT’S A GAME OF INCHES.
BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN NEGLECT THE FEET.
The Sky LX basketball shoe.
PUMA
Because if you’re not the predator, you’re the prey.
Here’s and old school ad for Puma’s Rider series featuring the Easy Rider II, S M Rider, Fast Rider, Track Rider and Lite Rider. It’s interesting that the "Federbein" cushions were designed based on the shock absorbing systems of huge cargo trucks. This original vintage Puma sneaker print ad is available at our web store RewindRunning.com.
Ad info is below:
NICE AND EASY RIDERS
Look what Puma has done to its Easy Rider running shoe series. Now there are 5 models for training and racing, built for lightness, flexibility and durability.
310 grams
EASY RIDER II—Our fine trainer features a direct-foamed PU midsole, super lightweight uppers, strong heel counter and a patented outsole of truncated cones for exceptional traction and comfort.
280 grams
S M RIDER—A revolutionary new outsole called the "Federbein" cushions and distributes footstrike shock evenly. Puma designers took the idea from the shock absorbing systems of huge cargo trucks. A midsole of soft cellular rubber make this shoe an ideal trainer for runners with foot problems.
250 grams
FAST RIDER—You can train or race in this comfortable new moccasin-type running shoe with Federbein outsole and cellular rubber midsole.
TRACK RIDER—Another trainer-racer, this exceptionally light variation with Federbein outsole and cellular rubber midsole is equally at home on roads or artificial surfaces.
230 grams
LITE RIDER—The featherweight upper of this racing shoe encloses the foot like a glove while inter-changeable and washable insoles form individually to the runner's feet. Angled cones on the outsole move freely to lessen the impact of
PUMA
PUT ON THE CAT!
Here’s an old 1985 vintage Athletic Attic sneaker ad for the Puma TX-3 runners.
Ad info is below:
STABILITY
The New Puma TX-3 Running Shoe
Puma announces the TX-3, the only running shoe for the serious athlete. Puma engineered the TX-3 to give you lightweight stability and superior traction. The TX-3 combines all the most wanted features to give you the safest running shoe available. The Puma TX-3 can be found at your Athletic Attic store where you'll find the most complete selection of top-of-the-line athletic wear. Athletic Attic —the footwear store and so much more. Stop by today.
Specifications
• External heel stabilizer provides motion control and protects against over pronation
• Extended medial heel counter for rear foot stability
• Metatarsal cushion absorbs shock from vertical pressure at the forefoot and adds to flexibility
• Dual Density heel cushion absorbs shock upon initial impact
Athletic Attic
Here’s a 1973 vintage sneaker and ski boot ad for Puma ‘Bananas’ by Beconta. This original vintage Puma ‘Bananas’ print ad is available at our web store RewindRunning.com. 🍌
Ad info is below:
One good banana
deserves another.
Puma Bananas from Beconta.
For free catalog write Dept. P-l, Beconta, Inc., 50 Executive Blvd., Elmsford, N.Y. 10523 or 340 Oyster Pt. Blvd., South San Francisco, Calif. 94080.
Here’s a vintage running shoe write up of surveys from 1975 featuring various old school sneakers. The running shoe models in the pages below are the adidas SL 72 / SL76, Puma 9190, Asics / Onitsuka Tiger Jayhawk, Nike Boston 73 and Nike Roadrunner as well as the New Balance Interval.
The Tiger Pinto model that is referred to a couple of times below is featured on the cover of the 1977 book The Complete Book of Running by James Fixx which you can see at the amazon affiliate link here.
Page info is below:
It’s hard to attack success, and the SLs arc nothing if not successful. The runners we surveyed chose them twice as often as the nearest competitor among training shoes. (While not designed as a racing flat, the SLs still are third there in popularity.) And they rank first in overall quality, as determined in the preceding section. The well-elevated, round., well-supported heel is a popular Adidas innovation. The front of the shoe still gives some runners problems, however. They complain of cramped toes in that area (a familiar complaint about all Adidas, incidentally) and of inadequate padding underneath. We've lumped the two models-72 and 76—together here because the differences are in appearance only.
Shoe: Model Nos. 3470 (SL-72) and 3473 (SL-76). Introduced in 1970 (SL-72) and 1974 (SL-76). Available in 3.-15 (one width). Single size-nine shoe weighs 10, our. Suggested October 1975 price $29.95.
Upper: Nylon. Blue with white trim (SL-72), Green/yellow (SL-76). Rigid heel counter. Padded upper rim with extra-high achilles pad. Removable arch cushion.
Use: Worn by 16.1% of surveyed runners for training, 14,5% for racing. Drop rate (users divided by quitters) 22%.
Sole: Two layers, outer 1/4th inch, inner 1/8th inch. Good sole flexibility. Flat shank. Heel lift 7/16ths inch. Rounded at heel.
2. Puma 9190
Puma, Adidas' sometimes bitter competitor in track and field shoes, hadn't made a serious bid in the road market until fairly recently. Then Puma released the 9190—an answer to the SL-72. Though the 9190 is only half as popular among the runners we surveyed, it matches its rival point for point in all other respects. We rate it a close second in overall quality. Shoe: Model No. 9190. Introduced in 1970. Available in men's sizes 3-14 (one width). Single size-nine shoe weighs II ounces. Suggested October 1975 price about $28.
Upper: Nylon. Blue with white trim, red/white, gold/black. Rigid heel counter. Padded upper rim with extra-high achilles pad. Removable arch cushion.
Sole: Two layers, outer 1/4th inch, inner 1/8th Good flexibility at ball of foot. Flat shank. Heel lift 1/2 inch. Rounded at heel.
Use: Worn by 7.8% of surveyed runners for training. Drop rate (users divided by quitters) 15%.
By our figuring, the Jayhawk is the leader in racing flats. It trails its older brother, the Tiger Pinto, by miles in popularity. But the Jayhawk measures up better in all other categories except price ($5 more) and weight (an ounce heavier per shoe). The extra dollars and ounces give a heel counter, a supported arch and three layers of rubber under the forefoot. A recurring complaint about Jayhawk is that the top rim “bites in” at the heel.
Shoe: Model No. G-5. Introduced in 1974. Available in men's sizes 4-13 (one width). Single size-nine shoe weighs eight ounces. Suggested October 1975 price $21.95.
Upper: Nylon. Gold with blue trim. Rigid heel counter. Removable arch cushion.
Sole: Three layers, outer 1/8th inch, middle 1/16th inch, inner I /8th inch. Good flexibility at ball of foot. Flat shank. Heel lift 3/8ths inch. Rounded at heel.
Use: Worn by 6.7%of surveyed runners for racing, 1.0% for training. Drop rate (users divided by quitters) 13%.
4. Nike Boston '73
The racers love it. Only one other shoe, the Tiger Pinto, has of them in it among the runners we surveyed. We rate Boston much higher than the Pinto, largely because it has better arch support inside (built-in pad) and outside (flat shank). But we place it slightly behind the similar Tiger Jayhawk because the Boston lacks a solid heel counter and its sole material is a bit less durable. The Boston, like all Nikes, comes with a Spenco insole as standard equipment.
Shoe: Model No. 2420. Available in men's sizes 3.13 (one width). Single size-nine shoe weighs eight ounces. Suggested October 1975 price $21.95.
Upper: Nylon. Blue with white and gray trim. Minimal heel counter. Built-in arch support.
Sole: Two layers, both 1/8th inch. Good flexibility at ball of foot. Flat shank. Heel lift 3/8ths inch. Rounded at heel.
Use: Worn by 16.2% of surveyed runners for racing, 1.7% for training. Drop rate (users divided by quitters) 14%.
5. N.B. Interval 3:05
After more than a decade of relying on its old standby, the ripple sole, New Balance has switched to a more standard one—the so-called "SL" with the thick heel wedge and rounded back. And the venerable New England company has joined the swing to nylon with this new all-purpose shoe (it previously had only a racing model). The Interval looks promising enough to rate fifth in our analysis. Variable width is a big plus, as is the "flared" heel (wider at the ground than ; tithe heel counter. A minus is the "lip" around the rim which tates some people's heels.
Shoe: Introduced in 1975. Available in men's sizes 31/2AA to 15EEEE. Single size-nine shoe weighs 9'/2 ounces. Suggested October 1975 price $23.95.
Upper: Nylon. Blue with white and blue trim. Rigid heel counter. Padded upper rim. Removable arch cushion.
Sole: Two layers, outer 1/4th inch, inner 1/8th inch. Good flexibility at ball of foot. Flat shank. Heel lift 3/8ths inch. Rounded at heel.
Use: All-purpose shoe. Issued too late to be surveyed.
This one has exciting possibilities. The newly-released Road Runner stands out in nearly every category of our analysis: price (less than $20), sole make up (comparable to the Cortezes), light weight (just 8 1/2 ounces), etc. It remains to be tested by large numbers of runners. Their verdict is the critical one. But our guess is that it will at least be maintaining the number six rating a year from now. One drawback, however, be a sole which feels relatively harder than most Nikes.
Shoe: Introduced in 1975. Available in men's sizes 3-13 (one width). Single size-nine shoe weighs 8 1/2 ounces. Suggested October 1975 price $19.95.
Upper: Nylon. Green with blue and yellow trim. Rigid heel counter. Extra-high achilles pad. Removable arch cushion.
Sole: Two layers, outer 1/4th inch, inner 3/8ths inch. Fair flexibility at ball of foot. Flat shank. Heel lift 7/16th inch. Rounded at heel.
Use: All-purpose shoe. Issued too late to be surveyed.
1975 retro running shoe models featuring adidas, Puma, Tiger, Nike and New Balance
New Balance Interval and Nike Roadrunner vintage running shoe models.
This old scan is from 1981 and has some well worn distress. It looks like it survived The Great Flood. Below we have retro sneaker models from:
PONY - Targa Flex?
Etonic - Eclipse
Reebok
Vans - Serio
Osaga - KT26
New Balance - 730(?)
Saucony - Jazz?
Brookfield
Pro Wings
Pro-Specs - Marathons
Brooks
Nike
Converse
Asics Tiger
Autry - Concorde
Puma - Fast Rider
adidas
Here’s an old school 1979 vintage sneaker ad for Puma featuring their Easy Rider, Whirlwind, Sky Rider, Rocket trainer, Joy Rider and Rockette model runners.
Ad info is below:
THE GREAT CAT FAMILY
PUMA's Easy Rider has spawned a generation of great cats for training and racing. All of the Easy Rider features — sturdy heel counter, improved foot support system, shock absorbing cones and thick, tough wedge — are found in its bold new family.
Easy Rider and its offspring are built to cushion the foot, minimizing stress on the ankle, heel and surrounding tendons. all cones on the soles of some models cushion the shock of impact while shorter cones cut down wear by checking compression of the taller ones. Reinforced uppers provide comfort and foot-gripping support.
The Great Cat Family is designed for mile after mile of injury-free, pleasurable running using the same superior technology that outfitted nine of eleven starters on Argentina's World Cup soccer champions. PUMA — The Great Cat Family. Grrrr.
PUMA
A pride of PUMAS: Top. Rocket trainer. Middle row, from left, Joy Rider women's trainer; Rockette women's trainer:
Today we've got a 1979 vintage sneaker ad for the Puma Super Sonic which at the time was lightest racing shoe Puma ever made.
Ad info is below:
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC
Super Sonic by Puma
If you've ever run barefoot along a cool, grassy stretch you know how free and natural it can feel. Now there's a shoe that provides the next best feeling. It's the Super Sonic by Puma, at 190 grams the lightest racing shoe the company has ever built. It's a shoe for serious long distance racing— where every ounce counts. Look for it soon where you buy your equipment and take a trip on the light fantastic— Super Sonic by Puma.
PUMA
PUT ON THE CAT!
Today we've got another old school ad from 1975, this time for the Puma "Super Long Distance Shoe."
Ad info is below:
PUMA 🐅
...made to go the distance.
When you run 100 miles or more a week in all kinds of tough terrain you need a top quality shoe that can really take it. The Super Long Distance Shoe by Puma. Thick foam wedge tapering from heel to toe cushions your foot, soaks up shocks. Ankle and achilles tendon pads. Uppers made of nylon, leather reinforced. Soles are tough rubber with special long wearing treads. Comes in blue, red and yellow with Puma stripe. Next time you run for distance, treat your feet to a pair of Puma Super Long Distance Shoes. At your nearest sporting goods dealer or write: Beconta, Inc., Sports Division, 50 Executive Blvd., Elmsford, N.Y. 10523 or 340 Oyster Point Blvd., So. San Francisco, California 94080.
PUMA from BECONTA
This week I'll post some of the 'Track Coach endorsement' ads. After Nike and Bill Bowerman became a model of success other footwear brands began finding track coaches to use as part of their marketing and advertising materials. This ad for the Puma Easy Rider running shoe is from 1977 and features Don Riggs who was the distance running coach at San Jose State University. Don is all about the 'toe-off' advantage in this ad.
Ad info is below:
Who makes the best jogging shoe?
by Don Riggs The distance-running coach at San Jose State University examines the new Puma® 'Easy Rider:
Distance-running coach Don Riggs.
A startling find.
I've tested every major brand of jogging shoe and I've come to a pretty startling discovery: Puma is the only one that toes-off properly— that bends the right way under the ball of your foot. Only one other brand comes even close. Is this important? You'd better know it! Improper toe-off can lead to all kinds of foot and leg problems. But don't take my word for the way Puma toes-off. You can test it for yourself. Grab hold of the new 'Easy Rider' and bend the sole (see photo-graph). The bend is exactly where the foot bends, at the head of the metatarsal, and it's rounded the way your foot is rounded. Now try the same thing with other shoes. Some bend too sharply. Some bend in the wrong place altogether. I've even found shoes that bend right in the middle, which can tear the heck out of your metatarsal.
Puma is the only big-name shoe that toes-off properly, says Riggs.
A 1,000-mile sole?
The sole on the new 'Easy Rider' is going to make a few people sit up and take notice. Look closely and you'll see it's covered with rows of truncated cones— in two different heights. The tall cones give you traction and help to cushion impact and insulate your foot from surface heat. The comfort is fantastic, but that's only half the story. When you run, the tall cones are squashed down. This is when the short cones come into play. They're placed where the greatest wear occurs in a shoe — at the heel. They act like firm little bumpers to keep the tall cones from mashing down and wearing out too fast. Going by the three years of testing I've done — and this depends, of course, on weight, running surface, and how hard you run — don't be surprised if you rack up a thousand miles on this sole.
The 'Easy Rider' sole. Note the two different heights of the cones.
Beware of mushy counters.
Another way to spot a first-class jogging shoe is by checking the counter— which is what they call the part that surrounds your heel. You take a poor shoe and push against the side or back of the counter with your thumb. You'll find it's soft and mushy. When it breaks down, your heel is going to start wobbling around in there, which can cause anything from shinsplints to knee problems. Avoid this kind of shoe like the plague. Now try the same test with the 'Easy Rider: The counter is strong, firm (like the photograph shows ). It holds and protects the cal-caneus (or heel bone) and its muscle group all the way down. I like the way Puma pays careful attention to details like this.
The 'Easy Rider' stays firm when you push here. A poor shoe is soft and mushy.
Should you wear Puma?
Run your hand around the inside of an 'Easy Rider' and you won't find a rough edge anywhere. Look at the nylon outside and you'll see why the rate of breakdown is so phenomenally low on Puma: all the stretch points are reinforced with leather. That kind of careful thinking goes into all the other new Puma jogging-running shoes: the soft-leather `Stud' with its ventilating holes... the less-expensive `Rocket:.. the 9191 'Pavement Jogger' with its tradi-tional herringbone sole ...and the 'Whirlwind: built on the Puma spike last for cross-country competition and interval training. I'll tell you the same thing I tell my athletes: A good shoe can make a difference in how you run. If you take pride in what you're doing, you've earned the right to wear Puma. You've earned your stripe.
The new Puma Easy Rider:
PUMA
You've earned your stripe
UPDATE:
We recently covered the style changes to the Puma Easy Rider model in our Le Coq Sportif blog post because their Quartz model sneaker is along the same lines as the Easy Riders in this ad. You can see the differences here:
