- SHARE:
One would think that the popularity of Nike SB these days is at least in part due to comfort. Unfortunately, comfort and popularity do not always go hand in hand. In this article we answer what makes some SB Dunks uncomfortable.
Why SB Dunks Are Uncomfortable
SB Dunks are designed as a skate shoe even though many wear them casually. Modern releases have a stiff build with padding relevant to skateboarding and as such require a longer break-in time for casual wear.
By the way, if you are struggling to get a pair of SB Dunks yourself, check out this article.
Dunks Vs SB Dunk Comfortability
An older SB Dunk can be more comfortable than a regular (non-SB) Dunk. Modern Dunk and SB Dunk releases tend to be stiffer right out of the box. As such, modern regular Dunks are more accommodating than their SB counterparts.
This non-SB Dunk has a nice, roomy fit
Shop Dunks: eBay
Non-SB Dunks have an extremely basic fit. Thus, the comfort is not remarkable, but not bad either. While this has changed little through the years, SB Dunks have evolved quite a bit. They have gone from simply an “upgraded Dunk” to a full-fledged skate shoe.
This comes with a lot of changes to the padding and materials which affects casual comfort quite a bit. If immediate comfort is your goal and you are going for a modern release, a regular Dunk is probably going to feel better on feet right up front than an SB.
How Comfortable Nike SB Dunks Are
Older SB Dunks generally utilized soft materials with softer padding, leading to a high level of step-in comfort. Newer SB Dunks use stiffer materials and springier padding, resulting in lower initial comfort. This is mitigated over time with adequate break-in
This first-series SB Dunk is plush, soft
and comfortable:
Shop SB Dunks: eBay
Up until the early blue box era of Nike SB, SB Dunks were known for comfort! This is primarily due to shape, materials and padding. Check out this article if you need a refresher on SB Dunk box eras.
Nike SB has always stepped the SB Dunk’s underfoot technology up with the addition of Zoom Air in the insole. This results in a quick, snappy response without sacrificing boardfeel when skating. When just walking around however, most will not notice the additional tech.
As far as shape goes, SB’s of old had a shape more akin to a non-SB Dunk, only with added padding. Since regular Dunks have a somewhat roomy fit, the shape is condusive to a comfortable fit with the addition of some extra padding. As the SB Dunk evolved, Nike altered the shape quite a bit, gearing it more for its intended use. The changes result in a sneaker that should peform better while skating, but may not feel as comfortable to the casual wearer.
Speaking of padding, pre-blue box SB Dunks had a soft padding which I like to describe as “poofy”. There’s generally no hardness or stiffness to the padding. After the blue box era, Nike started gearing the SB more towards skateboarding by adding more “tech” to the upper. They’ve experimented with putting additional pods of padding in the ankle, but generally speaking the biggest change was the nature of the padding itself. Instead of soft and poofy, we now get stiff and springy. While this change gives skaters a more responsive shoe while actually skating, it creates a stiff and uncomfortable level of initial step-in comfort right out of the box.
Compounding this are changes to the materials. Back in the day, softer materials meant a more pliable upper. Post-blue box era, stiffer and more resilient skate-ready types of materials became increasingly utilized. Even if the texture on the exterior of a modern SB is soft, the material itself is often not pliable. This combined with stiffer padding overall results in a very stiff feeling sneaker that doesn’t mold to the wearer’s foot as quickly.
SB Dunks Break In
While modern SB Dunks may have a lack of step-in comfort, they do eventually break in. Older SBs tend to have a shorter break-in time than newer releases.
Despite a soft exterior, this modern release still
requires additional break-in time.
If you don’t skate, but love the look of modern SBs, you may have to suffer a bit initially to wear them. The sneaker is designed for responsive action while skating, and not necessarily for comfy casual wear
Older SB Dunks didn’t have this issue as much due to the reasons listed above. The shoe functioned as basically a regular Dunk with a few upgrades to make it a legitimate skate shoe. As SB’s evolved to the stiffer materials and padding, skaters benefitted, but casual wearers lost out.
That said, this issue is temporary, even for newer releases. The more a sneaker is worn, the more it softens and conforms to the wearer’s foot. This is generally the case for most sneakers. If you plan on wearing SB Dunks casually, without skating them, you may find the modern releases uncomfortable at first. However, if you stick with it for several wears, you can wind up with an adequately comfortable pair of kicks!
How To Break In Nike SB Dunks
The primary ways to break in a pair of SB Dunks are either to skate them or wear them repeatedly. A shoe stretcher can also be used, however caution should be exercised when doing this to avoid damaging the sneaker.
If you like modern colorways like this,
be prepared to break them in for a while
to increase the comfort.
If you are planning on skating your pair of SB’s, you can stop reading here. Go skate them! The rough treatment skating does to a sneaker will help you rapidly break in the shoe.
If instead, like many fans of the model, you plan on wearing them casually, you basically have 3 options:
- Go up a half size. This won’t stop the stiffness or help break the sneaker in at all. However it is the quickest way to mitigate the lack of initial comfort on the shoe. The drawback here is the fit might be a bit odd or loose depending on your foot shape.
- Wear the SB Dunk repeatedly. You basically want to break the sneaker in as much as you can as quickly as possible. If parts of the interior are hurting your feet, you can add bandaids or other padding where the shoes contact your feet to form a bit of a buffer until the shoe breaks in.
- Use a shoe stretcher. While this can give you a roomier and more broken in fit, it requires some time to work, and may hurt the sneaker. Use caution and don’t overdo it if you go this route. Keep in mind that overstretching the shoe can change the shape and possibly rip or otherwise damage the sneaker.
There you have it! The increased technology and approach to making SB Dunks has resulted in possibly a better skate shoe, but also a stiff and uncomfortable experience for casual wearers and collectors. Still, with determination and patience, the fit on the sneaker can be brought to heel (see what I did there?).
Shop SB Dunks Here:
- Browse SB Dunk eBay Listings