Classics Revisited: Nike Air Tuned Max (1999)
August 3rd, 2012 by John K. | 7 comments
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Air Max is the embodiment of Nike’s leading standard of Innovation and Technology, so for the final Classics Revisited segment of the week, we’ll focus on one of Nike’s game-changing breakthroughs of Air Max history – Tuned Air. While Tuned Air first debuted a year prior in the Nike Air Max Plus (also referred to as the Nike Air Max TN), the Air Tuned Max (hope you’re following us) featured the first full-length system of Tuned Air. To quickly summarize what Tuned Air is: this breakthrough in Air technology combined Nike Air with Tuned mechanical elements for high performance impact protection. The Pebax-built Tuned hemispheres provided low pressure cushioning at the heel, providing a natural foot-landing while providing the stability of the Air Max. In other words, it made an already-perfect cushioning system even better, and the Air Tuned Max provided the system on a much larger scale than the Air Max Plus did. Although Tuned Air itself isn’t used anymore, the idea of creating an anatomically true cushioning unit still embodies itself in Nike’s latest concepts in Air engineering, making Tuned Air one of Nike’s greatest achievements in history. Revisit some of the first colorways of the short-lived Air Tuned Max below and stay tuned for more Classics Revisited next week!
Nike Air Tuned Max
1999
$155
White/Firefly-Storm Grey-Black
104189-171
Midnight Navy/Salsa Red-Metallic Silver
104189-461
Neutral Grey/Signal Blue-White
104189-081
Dark Charcoal/Celery-Saturn Red
104189-031
I still have my dark charcoal and celery. I haven't let them go because I'm waiting on the retros. I hope they come back out.
Still pissed I slept on these
Still got a pair of the midnight navy joints I got from a trade a couple years ago. Love this shoe. Nike needs to release it again.
I had the Dark Charcoal/Celery-Saturn Red my Sr. year in HS...lol.. Traded them for a pair of some White/Cherry 12's to the homie in 2001.
... missed out on these upon the initial release back in the day. But, I won't this time around.
@umdaman So far there isn't any "this time around". The article is just a walk down memory lane, that's why it's called "Classics Revisited". They have not announced that this model will be released again. I had them in the original colorway "Dark Charcoal/Celery-Saturn Red" and yes they were extremely comfortable. However the upper material on the netted cloth area was very flimsy and started to tear from the Saturn Red section. Also the outsole in the front of the shoe was very narrow, you can't tell from these pics. This lead to a very fast wear in the front portion of the outsole. But none the less a very comfortable shoe to run in and looked nice with a dark blue jeans.
@tarakabuadam: oooookaaayyyy. I won't work out in them so the wear and tear you described is not a problem.