Skateboard Shoes

The difference between Vulcanised (vulc) soles and cupsoles is in their construction and how the shoe’s upper and sole are connected.

Vulcanised soles are made by fusing the outsole and intermediate elements to the upper material using a lateral rubber strip called a foxing tape (a process called vulcanisation), while cupsole shoes have an outsole and sidewall made of one piece.

Vulc skate shoes offer excellent board feel and flexibility, with a short break-in period due to its lighter construction. However, they provide less cushioning compared to cupsole shoes.

For cupsoles, the upper, cushioning midsoles, and cup outsole are glued and usually stitched together. Cup sole shoes offer good cushioning properties and durability, with added stability. However, they are less flexible than vulc shoes and require a longer break-in period.

When it comes to buying skateboard shoes, durability is a crucial factor to consider but for many how a skate shoe performs, the shoe’s flick and its impact absorption are just as important. Skate shoes can be made from various materials, including suede, leather, nubuck, and canvas and all of these compositions can impact their performance.

Suede Skate Shoes - Suede is arguably the gold standard for slick and durability and if you were to peruse the whole NOTE stock of skate shoes the majority are of suede construction.

Leather and Nubuck Skateboard Shoes - Leather and nubuck uppers are treated with dye and additional layers to ensure durability, giving skate shoes a clean look but a trade off of this is it can make a flick feel slightly slick until the initial layers have worn and become rough.

Canvas Skate Shoes - Canvas is another material used in skate shoes for its breathability and lightweight properties, making it a suitable choice for less stressed areas of the shoe. But while these can have great breathability, boardfeel and flick they tend to blow out quicker than other materials. Additionally, canvas skate shoes without leather are a great option for vegan skaters who are looking for vegan skate footwear.

If you’re looking for the best of all worlds, lightweight yet durable and with a good flick, keep an eye out for shoes that mix materials but keep some key features - double/triple stitching, reinforced toe caps, and hidden rubber/underlays in the ollie/flick zones.

Skate shoes should fit pretty snug, after all you don’t want any loose material flapping around while you’re trying to perfect your treflip. We would recommend trying different sizes when picking up some new skate shoes – just to make sure you get the best fit. Most people like skate shoes to fit well but not cramped – you want your heel locked in and you want less than 10mm between your toes and the end of the shoe.

Like with many things in skating – your skate shoes’ fit comes down to personal preference and the advice above is only some rough guidance. Some like a bit of room in their shoes while others like them very snug so when they break-in they really mould to your feet.

A true skate shoe is built from the ground up for grip, flick and impact. The upper is usually suede, nubuck or leather and boasts features like double stitching, reinforced panels, turn-in sticked materials or hidden elements to help durability. Generally speaking, skate shoes also sit lower to the ground compared to running shoes and generally have a shorter heel-to-toe drop. Basically skate shoes tend to keep your foot close to the deck and have minimal distance between your toes or heel and your board.

Other defining elements of skate shoes are padding and protection. A padded (but not bulky) tongue and padding around the shoe collar are frequently used, while most modern skate shoes also use EVA or PU insoles with a denser heel crash pad.
Finally the soles. Underneath, you’ll get a flat, tacky rubber outsole (think waffle, herringbone or similar tread) for board grip, with either a vulcanised or cupsole build depending on whether you prioritise feel or cushioning.

While skate shoes can take many forms, from the absolute tank to a low profile vulc, they feature elements that you would not find in normal shoes. For this reason, we recommend buying skate shoes if you want to skateboard rather than destroying a pair of regular shoes you may already have. On top of this you should try a few pairs before deciding which skate shoes are right for you – try some chunky DCs and some simple Last Resorts and see what takes your fancy.

There’s no hard and fast rule for this as they’re about a million different variables (how much you skate, how fresh is your grip tape, what tricks you will be doing most frequently) but generally speaking skate shoes can last between 2-6 months.