Puma Lite Riders vintage sneaker ad from 1978

Here's a great old school 1970s sneaker ad for Puma Lite Riders vintage running shoes. This original vintage ad is from 1978 and is available over at our Rewind Running web shop.

Puma’s new Lite Riders. 

It's a long, uphill pull beginning at the six-mile mark. You want to flow up the grade, flatten it out, drive hard at the finish. You've trained hard. You're fit. You've done everything you can do. Now give yourself the best of it. Go for a PR in PUMA's Lite Riders, a revolutionary new racing shoe.

Built to minimize stress and the shock of impact over all distances, Lite Rider is a product of the superior technology which produced the famous Easy Rider training shoe series. Light as a feather but steel-tough to with-stand the pressure of racing, Lite Rider stresses durability, comfort and a remarkable new sole featuring shock-absorbing rows of angled cones. Footstrike brings Lite Rider's angled cones against the pavement edge first and their angles allow them to move more efficiently than thick, straight cones. A one-piece upper holds the foot comfortably and securely. A thick, tough wedge supplies extra support.

Lite Rider is a moccasin-type shoe with no hard insole. The heel is built on a track last. And a heavily reinforced toe area consists of a tough rubber lip bonded to suede leather.

Those who have worn it say it's the finest, most comfortable racing shoe they have ever tried. We're not surprised. That's the way we built it.

You'll see what we mean when you run in it. 

The Sole Secret. 
PUMA designers, searching for a more efficient method of absorbing the shock of footstrike, have created a sole featuring angled rows of small rubber cones. Angling allows impact to be softened by the sharp edges of the cones. In addition, the angle creates extra shock-absorbing movement by the cones. The cushioning effect of more than 150 of the 1/4 inch cones under the power stress of racing provides a floating effect and unsurpassed traction. Because of more efficient shock-resisting qualities PUMA can make the Lite Rider with harder, longer-wearing rubber. The secret is in the sole. 

Lite Rider from PUMA The Great Cat Family. Meowww. 

PUMA
🐆
The Great Cat Family

Puma Fast Rider running shoes 1980 vintage sneaker ad

Here’s an old vintage ad for the Puma Fast Rider from 1980.

Ad info is below:

PUMA. OUR STORY IS ON THE BOX.

Its a strong statement - Puma is quality. And because we mean it, because we believe in it, because we can back it up. we put that claim on every box. Lift the lid and you step out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary world of action shoes for action athletes marathon, cross-country, training, sprinting and jogging, we make them all. Go to your favorite running store today and look for our claim on the box. Puma is quality. We stand on it.

PUMA'

Puma 1980 Elite Rider vintage sneaker ad

Here’s a 1980 vintage sneaker ad for the Puma Elite Rider. This original vintage Puma Elite Rider print ad is available at our web store RewindRunning.com.

Ad info is below:

PUMA. OUR STORY IS ON THE BOX.

Puma is quality. We print that fact on every box because we design our running shoes by rigid standards, even when it means going against the trend. Case in point: our new Elite Rider training shoe. Elite Rider will never score high marks for lightness because we added weight to make it more stable. We built in an extended orthotic footbed* that we believe will make this shoe the finest trainer in the world for runners of all weights. That's why Puma is quality . We stand on it. *A semi-rigid insert cups the heel and sides of the foot, running almost to the ball of the foot to reduce G forces and provide added rearfoot stability.

PUMA

Hoop Stars: Puma 'Cats' Fit to be untied 1988 Basketball Shoes Vintage High Top Sneakers

Here’s a 1988 ad for Puma’s ‘Cats’ basketball high tops.

Ad info is below:

Fit to be untied.

Cats from Puma. All leather high-top basketball shoes in five wild colors. I hey/re on the loose now at your favorite store.

A message from Parents Again Loose Laces: For goodness sake, tie your shoes before you fall flat on your face.

PUMA

Hoop Stars: Puma Hoop Hoop Hooray 1987 Sensation Basketball Shoes Vintage High Top Sneakers

Here’s a vintage ad for Puma’s 1987 ‘Sensation’ old school basketball high top sneakers.

Ad info is below:

Hoop hoop hooray.

Puma’s new Sensation. On court, it’s causing one.

PUMA
Our word for quality.

Hoop Stars: Vintage Puma SKY LX 1980s High Top Shoes Basketball Sneakers

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.

Footsies Friday - vintage sneaker ads for Converse Jack Purcell and Puma Fast Rider

This double feature blog post goes out to all of the ladies playing under the table games. The ads below were made 7 years apart and more than anything this probably speaks to the cyclical nature of advertising.

We’ll kick it off in 1973 with a vintage sneaker ad featuring the Converse Coach and Jack Purcell model sneakers.

7 years later she was back playing foot games in this ad featuring Puma’s Power Cat and Fast Rider runners…

In 2020 she is likely now at a retirement home playing footsies with someones Hush Puppies sporting granddad .🤣

Converse ad info is below:

Converse Coach and Jack Purcell: For guys who want to keep playing after the game is over.

Converse has built a reputation for making great athletic shoes for the greatest athletes in the world. And that's the idea behind our Converse Coach and Jack Purcell. Great performers. But they look great, too. A terrific all-around athletic shoe like Coach (right), that looks good enough to play the field off the field, too. And a great tennis shoe like Jack Purcell, that feels just as at home partying as playing tennis. Two tough-playing, sharp-looking leisure time shoes from Converse. Because some guys are out to build a reputation for themselves. Converse Coach and Jack Purcell.

*converse

Puma ad info is below:

PUMA-SOFTEST TOUCH IN RUNNING!
It's easier to experience Puma than you think. In fact, we're the softest touch in running. Puma people know Puma shoes give something beyond 5-Star performance, finest quality and innovative design—something wild and free. You can capture it today at your favorite running store.

PUMA

Puma SAAS1 and LA Rider 1982 vintage sneaker ad

Here’s a 1982 vintage sneaker ad for Puma featuring the SAAS1 and LA Rider model sneakers.

Ad info is below:

You can carry your warm-up suit, accessories, anything in this versatile runner's duffel from Puma. At $3, it's a great deal that goes along with your next purchase of Puma running shoes. Run down to your nearest Puma dealer soon, because the offer ends September 30, 1982.

Bag-a-Puma. Put yourself in Bill Rodgers' shoes and save $7 on this runner's duffel.

Puma. In a class by itself. World Class.

Puma Super Long Distance vintage sneaker ad

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

Puma Easy Rider 1977 vintage sneaker ad

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: