Air Max 90 circa 2002 still wearable?

[jagshemash]

Was looking at getting a new pair of 90's off of eBay that were manufactured in 2002.  Thoughts on if these would still be wearable in terms of sole not coming apart, crumbling, etc.?  

 

[jbv1]

It's a toss up; I'd say if they were kept in decent condition (temperature and environment wise) you should be OK; with that being said only real way to be sure is to do the midsole flex test... AM90s used to be made well so good luck.

Which CW are you looking at?

 

[jagshemash]

They are the Air Max 90 Escape.  I had them when the originally came out and the quality was excellent but it seems like foam Air Max midsoles will all deteriorate with age regardless of how well the rest of the shoe is constructed. 

Can you explain the midsole flex test? 

 

[snkrhead19]

the midsoles will most likely crack very easily, but I dont think they will fall apart on you... best of luck

 

[trydan]

depends on how they have been stored and if they have been worn. Your usually better off with a lightly worn pair than a DS pair when your talking 10+ years old tho. id say its 50/50 based on what you described, so your taking your chances. but if you wait a few more years it will definately be too late so take a chance, but dont pay too much.

im pretty sure the "midsole flex test" is just bending the shoe with your hands and checking for cracks lol.

 

[enjoytheridedc2]

For what its worth, I still wear my Air Max 90 Escapes every once in a while. They're still intact, nothing falling apart or deteriorating.

 

[jbv1]

Originally Posted by Trydan


im pretty sure the "midsole flex test" is just bending the shoe with your hands and checking for cracks lol.

^ Bingo. Grab them and give them a squeeze, inspect closely since they are closer to your eyes (in your hands rather than on your feet) you can see if there might be some midsole deterioration starting/showing....
  

 

[knife]

Damn, it just hit me that 2002 is 10 years old now, I was gonna say they were fine originally thinking they were only like 7 years old haha

but yeah, AM90 for 10 years is basically 50/50

 

[jagshemash]

Originally Posted by knife

Damn, it just hit me that 2002 is 10 years old now, I was gonna say they were fine originally thinking they were only like 7 years old haha

but yeah, AM90 for 10 years is basically 50/50

I know, right?  As I previously mentioned I had these when they first came out and can't believe it's already been 10 years.

Anyway, thank you everyone for your thoughts.