What material is best for sports shoe uppers? A comparison of sports shoe materials

Many people will carefully select the material of the upper of sports shoes when buying them, which is actually very important for protecting the feet during exercise. Below, the editor of No. 5.com will tell you what material is good for the upper of sports shoes?

What material is good for sports shoe uppers?

The fabrics of sports shoes can be divided into several categories, including microfiber, natural leather, PU leather, cowhide, mesh and so on.

(1) Microfiber

It has a soft texture and its performance is very close to that of natural leather, but its thickness is more uniform and its elasticity is more regular than that of natural leather. It is one of the best materials in the artificial leather category.

(2) Natural leather

Natural leather is a material that is generally recognized by people. It is breathable, soft, resistant to peeling, folding, cold-resistant, and durable. Its disadvantages are that it has flaws, many pores, irregular shapes, and is not easy to cut. Natural leather has always been loved by people; there are many kinds of leather for shoes, such as cowhide, pig skin, deerskin, ostrich skin, crocodile skin, snake skin, etc. Sports shoes generally use cowhide. Cowhide can be divided into first layer leather and second layer leather. The first layer is called pearl leather, and the second layer is called split leather or patent leather. Generally, the price of first layer leather is 3-5 times that of split leather.

(3)PU leather, cowhide

It is the most common material used in the market. PU leather is soft, elastic, feels good, and has a glossy surface. The surface of cowhide is mostly frosted, feels rough, has little gloss and is matte, and most of them are inelastic. Although cowhide and PU are different, they have their own characteristics in use.

(4) Mesh

There are three main categories: the main material mesh, which is used in the exposed part of the upper, is light and has good air permeability and bending resistance, such as sandwich mesh. The collar accessories, such as velvet and BK cloth, and the cloth accessories, such as Lixin cloth, are mainly characterized by wear resistance and good air permeability.

How to choose the material of sports shoes

Since each brand is different, the design style and materials used may also have different concepts, but the materials are still the same, but some have added advanced technological elements. The materials used in each part of sports shoes are not the same. To simply summarize the current sports shoe materials, the surface materials of most brands of sports shoes are mostly microfiber and mesh, and some use top layer leather. The soles of sports shoes are all made of rubber, and the midsole is made of MOD material.

What materials are sports shoes made of? A pair of sports shoes is made up of several parts, and the materials of each part of the sports shoes will be different. For example, the upper, insole, outsole, heel, insole, etc. In addition, since there are many styles of sports shoes, such as basketball shoes, running shoes, and football shoes, their existence value is different, and the functions required are also different, so the materials used are of course different. The scope of application of sports shoe materials is wider than that of leather shoes and cloth shoes. In the upper of sports shoes, textile materials, leather, artificial leather, and synthetic materials are widely used. In the outsole materials, in addition to rubber, PU, ​​and PVC, various thermoplastic elastomers, polymer composite materials, and functional materials such as EVA, TPR, and SBS are also widely used. In terms of auxiliary materials, the use of metal parts and plastic parts is also more than that of leather shoes and cloth shoes. At the same time, the functional requirements of sports shoes have greatly promoted the research and development process of new varieties of materials.

Points to note when buying sports shoes

1. The correct size is the first principle of shoe selection. In addition to improving sports performance, it can also prevent sports injuries. Incorrect size is the root cause of most sports injuries. If the size is too small, it is easy to cause foot pain, foot deformation, and skin friction damage; if the size is too large, it is easy to cause instability during exercise and easily cause blisters. If you use formal shoes as a reference, the size of suitable sports shoes will generally be half a size to one size larger than your formal shoes, or leave about 1 cm of space between your longest toe and the front end of the shoe. This is mainly to reserve space for movement and prevent the toes from colliding with the shoes.

2. When choosing sports shoes, it is best to wear them in the afternoon or after strenuous exercise. Chen Chao explained that this is because the foot size is the largest at this time. In addition, the size of our left and right feet is different, so we need to choose the right size according to the larger foot. If there are special functional insoles or socks that need to be worn during exercise, they also need to be worn.

3. After choosing shoes, be sure to try them on for both feet and wear them for at least 10 minutes. After trying them on for both feet, you should stand up and walk around to make sure they are comfortable and fit. You should never think that you will feel comfortable just by trying them on. Generally speaking, the design life of the shock-absorbing function of sports shoes is 900-1000 kilometers of running, but most of the time, it is recommended to replace the shoes after 400-500 kilometers, otherwise sports shoes without shock absorption are more likely to cause sports injuries.

How to maintain sports shoes

1. Don’t wear a certain pair of shoes all the time just because you think they look cool or comfortable. No matter how good the shoes are, they cannot withstand daily wear and tear and will become deformed. So you should rotate several pairs of shoes a week and put them in a ventilated place when they are resting.

2. If your shoes are dirty, just wipe them with a cleaning sponge or a damp cloth that has been wrung out of water. If your shoes get wet on a rainy day, wipe them with some toilet paper as soon as possible. If conditions permit, put the shoes in a ventilated place.

3. Don’t wash your shoes often, just change your socks frequently. I change my socks every day and only wash my shoes twice (completely cleaned) in 3 years, and there is no peculiar smell in my shoes.