Parkour Shoes - TATOU - What do you guys think?

[Barefoot TJ]

What do you guys think of these Parkour shoes?
Le Parkour is an extreme sport where the participant keeps moving from point A to B in a rapid fluid motion, overcoming obstacles like concrete walls, stairways, rooftops etc. Since a limited people practice this urban sport (not all of us can move our tub of lard with such agility), finding appropriate footwear is always a problem. The 980 TATOU is a specialized shoe designed for this sport that offers better customization than normal running shoes. It’s not for your lemon-spoon race!
Here are the details:

• 980 TATOU consists of several parts, which can be easily changed and its several detachable parts allow for easy exchange, washing, and customization.
• Its structure responds to the unique movements performed in the sport.
• One part is the outer sole – a combination of the sole with the upper parts of the shoe, which offers grip on the sides as well as the sole. This is needed for jumping onto or from walls.
• The parts of the shoe that suffer from the most impact and abrasion have been given a greater sole or wall thickness.
• The gaps in the outer sole preserve excellent flexibility.
• When the outer sole does wear out, it can be changed without the need to replace the whole shoe.
• Another important element of 980 TATOU is the separate inner shoe. It allows the user to practice with a barefoot feeling and a high sensitivity for what lies underfoot.
• It can also be removed and changed, so the wearer can have different inner shoes for different applications.
• It is washable, so smelly shoes can be avoided!
• Insoles are an optional extra for 980 TATOU, and they come with three different absorption levels. They can be used to customize the shoe for one’s own personal preferences, depending on the application.
• Instead of shoelaces, 980 TATOU uses a new method of fastening which also enables the wearer to customize the shoe. Elastic bands in three different lengths are applied to the bottom and upper part of the shoe. Altogether, a maximum of seven bands in twenty different color choices can be attached to ten possible locations on the upper shoe. Thus, there are a multitude of possible lacing combinations.

The 980 TATOU won the Gold Prize at IDEA Design 2010.


Designer: Annika Lüber

Jumping Jack’s Flashy Shoes

 

[hmduey]

that is a bitchin' lookin'

that is a bitchin' lookin' shoe (and I should know, I have a huge collection of ugly shoes ;-) ). really they are "different" and something I would wear to work.

The description mentions "The parts of the shoe that suffer from the most impact and abrasion have been given a greater sole or wall thickness." I wonder if this would be a similar thickness to something like a Bikila, or *really* thicker like a tennis shoe?

The toe box looks awfully pointy but it could just be the angle of the photo.

Le Parkour sounds like a sport I could get into, but I tend to be a glutton for punishment.

 

[snoxu]

Useless concept shoes

Useless concept shoes anyone?

The sole looks a bit inspired on the Nike Free. Toebox looks pointy and laces coming from the bottom of the sole is plain daft.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Welcome, Snoxu!

Welcome, Snoxu!

 

[stomper]

I think parkour is totally

I think parkour is totally inspiring to watch. Kind of urban MovNat. Check out the flow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFKTF-sYKn8&feature=related

Me and my 5-year old have been trying to learn some moves (which would make more of a comedy video).

However, there never really have been parkour shoes, maybe because there's no big need. A friend of mine was studying parkour from an academic context and she said that the shoe companies were DESPERATE to co-opt some parkour-ers and sell "parkour shoes" (because it looks so cool on film and is perfect for marketing) but they never made it work. People who did parkour were just too rare and independent.

edit to add: Those shoes look just right for clubbing.

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 parkour rocks!

parkour rocks! Shoes...don't....once again, you do not need shoes to do parkour

 

[Mike]

That looks like so much fun!

That looks like so much fun! :O

 

[jschwab]

I am supposed to ask how to

I am supposed to ask how to find out where people do Parkour in Philly (for my coworker). Nate? Anyone? (Shoes are cool looking)

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 Philly would be a great

Philly would be a great place for Parkour....not so much here in Carlisle....and I'm in the woods mostly anyway ....but here are a couple of sites....

this one has a "directory" and forums....I'm almost positive there is a Philly chapter....

http://www.americanparkour.com/



yep: Here's a philly club ;-)

http://phillyparkour.freeforums.org/

 

[saypay45]

Looks like the shoes the

Looks like the shoes the Keebler elves use to go clubbing.

 

[jschwab]

Thanks, Nate!

Thanks, Nate!

 

[Nyah]

Neither photo shows the

Neither photo shows the toebox width so, that is impossible to judge. The shoe does look sweatproof to me though - Yuck! The shoe also has an upwards bias in the toebox (aka "toe-spring") - Yuck too!

 

[Jimmy Hart]

it's all moot at this point

it's all moot at this point given that this shoe is just an idea. it's not in production or even set to be in production any time soon based on what i've dug up.

 

[Blind Boy]

Looks like a promising

Looks like a promising concept though with the usual caveats.

 

[unshoes]

 As a parkour practitioner I

As a parkour practitioner I can say that I doubt these will go anywhere. There will always be the few beginners who will buy anything to make them look better than they are but the serious tracuers won't touch them. If you're using a proper technique, then you shouldn't need rubber on the sides of the shoes.



I do like the idea of them being customizable though. That is a good idea for shoes in general.