.:SHOE REVIEWS:.

NIKE     [ Air Max Duncan II ] [ Air Futuristic ] [ Air Hyperflight ]
[ Air Jordan XVII ] [ Air Kidd ] [ Air Payton IV ] [ VC Shox ]

ADIDAS     [ ClimaCool ] [ KOBE TWO ] [ T-Mac ]

AND 1     [ Kg Select ] [ Silky Smooth ]

REEBOK     [ Answer V ] [ X-Beam Franchise ]

AIR MAX DUNCAN II

The Nike Air Max Duncan II is the second signature shoe for Mr. Double-Double himself, Tim Duncan. But the fact that it's a big man's signature shoe does not mean that it's for big men alone.

by Professor K, posted April 17, 2002

If this is the first time you're seeing the Nike Air Max Duncan II (aka the Nike Duncan Max Uptempo) it's probably because you don't frequent Footlocker stores. Just like last season's Nike Air Max Duncan, the Air Max Duncan II is a Footlocker-exclusive release. I guess Nike needed to show Footlocker some love, but this arrangement doesn�t seem to do much for either party. Big men's signature shoes generally don't sell very well in the first place and the fact that the Duncan line can only be found at Footlocker doesn't help matters (you can't even buy it from Nike's own Niketown stores or the Niketown.com Web site). As a result sales have been less than stellar, but sales performance does not reflect the Air Max Duncan II's on-court performance.

The first part of the Air Max Duncan II that caught my attention was the upper. It has the feel and look of Nike's high-tech Foamposite material as implemented in the recently released Nike Air Signature Player, but there was no mention of Foamposite in any of the descriptions of the shoe that I could find. Since Foamposite-based shoes have something of a following amongst basketball shoe fans, I guessed that Nike would have trumpeted any use of the material in this shoe. So this led me to the assumption that the upper was made of a double-lasted synthetic material along the lines of the Nike Air Podposite.

But just one wearing made it clear to me that this assumption was wrong. The Air Max Duncan II provided a level of fit and support far in excess of the Air Podposite, which I had tested just prior to testing the Air Max Duncan II. The upper also showed absolutely no visible signs of creasing -- a trait shared by all of Nike's Foamposite-based shoes. Even after my fifth and final test wearing the only visible signs of wear on the shoe were a few scuff marks. This had me convinced that the Air Max Duncan II employed something along the lines of Foamposite in its upper.

A check in with the folks at Nike provided the answer to this little mystery. The upper of the Air Max Duncan II does indeed incorporate polyurethane (PU), which is the basis of Foamposite. But the PU quarter panels of the Air Max Duncan II (i.e. the sides of the shoe) are created by pouring PU into flat molds and then stitching those panels together with the rest of the shoe. True Foamposite-based shoes, on the other hand, have the entire upper molded as a single PU element that is stitched at only one point, usually at the heel (for an example of a Foamposite-based shoe see our review of the Nike Air Flightposite III). This one-piece construction is what allows Foamposite-based shoes to provide their unique fit and support properties.

So the Air Max Duncan II is something of a hybrid, sitting in between full-on Foamposite-based shoes and more conventional fare. As one might expect, the net result is reflective of this. The Air Max Duncan II provides fit and support that is much better than average, but not quite on par with the shoes in Nike's Flightposite line. Still, the Air Max Duncan II also costs $40 less than the Air Flightposite III.

In addition to its partially polyurethane upper, a big part of what makes the Nike Air Max Duncan so well fitting, supportive, and comfortable is its half-length neoprene inner-sleeve. Though not completely stitch free, the neoprene inner-sleeve protected my foot from any stitching that might have caused chafing, while simultaneously coddling it in the equivalent of a particularly comfortable sock. The only thing that kept me from giving the Air Max Duncan II a perfect score for comfort and fit was its narrow toe-box. To be clear, the forefoot of the shoe is not narrow. Even though I have relatively wide feet the Air Max Duncan II felt great at the forefoot right out of the box. It's specifically the toe-box of the shoe that is narrow.

This didn't cause me any discomfort through the course of testing, but I could always feel my toes scrunched together and that was a bit of a distraction. If you need a shoe with a wide toe-box (the Air Jordan XVII is a good example of a shoe with a wide toe-box) the Air Max Duncan II is not for you, but, otherwise, it's a great choice for players in search of superior comfort, support, and fit.

And this comfort, support, and fit aren't limited to the forefoot of the shoe. Though the neoprene inner-sleeve does not extend to the heel or ankle, those areas of the shoe are lined with a fine mesh that feels smooth to the touch. Though I wouldn't recommend playing in the Air Max Duncan II without socks, I was able to walk around town in the shoe very comfortably sans socks.

Part of the credit for this goes to the smooth lining of the heel area, but much credit must also go to the Air Max Duncan II's excellent heel fit. Because the shoe kept my heel locked into place while walking and playing, there was no way that my heel could rub against the inner of the shoe -- thus no possibility that the shoe could chafe at the heel. Credit for the excellent heel fit goes to the externalized heel cup that extends up and around the heel (see figure 3) and the integrated ankle strap that really helps to keep the heel locked down. Though the ankle strap has more of an effect on heel fit than ankle support, the Air Max Duncan II does provide very good support at the ankle. The overall stability of the shoe is also very good.

Moving down to the midsole, the Air Max Duncan II provides cushioning via a Phylon midsole augmented with a Max Air-Sole unit at the heel. Contrary to Footlocker's listed description of the shoe, the Air Max Duncan II does not incorporate an encapsulated Air-Sole unit at the forefoot. In my recent review of the Nike Air Podposite I articulated my concern about the long-term durability of Phylon-only cushioning at the forefoot and the same concern apply to the Air Max Duncan II.

Cushioning at the forefoot feels good, but it will not hold up as long as a shoe with an Air-Sole unit at the forefoot. Frankly, I'm quite surprised that Nike did not include Air at the forefoot of the Air Max Duncan II. Before this year I can't recall Nike ever releasing a hoops shoe above the $90 mark that did not incorporate Air at both the forefoot and heel (and certainly not a signature shoe). But recently, with releases like the Air Max Duncan II, Air Pure Profile Max, and Air Futuristic, Nike has gone without forefoot Air in its mid and even upper-mid range. My guess is that this move is intended to increase the company's profit margins on these products without increasing their retail prices, but the cost to consumers will be in the form of a shorter usable life span for the shoes.

If you play only one or two times a week this won't have any practical effect, but if you play three or more times a week you will have to buy new shoes more often than you might have in the past. To be fair to Nike, all of the other major basketball shoe manufacturers employ similar, EVA-based materials at the forefoot in this price range, so it's not as though Nike's products will suddenly start to underperform the competition in terms of cushioning longevity. It's more that Nike's mid-range products will no longer necessarily outperform similarly priced competition in terms of forefoot cushioning longevity.

I have no concerns, however, about the Max Air-Sole unit at the heel of the Air Max Duncan II. It provided just the right level of cushioning throughout the course of my testing -- firm, but not too firm. It also did a good job of distributing impact forces across the surface of my heel instead of allowing them to become concentrated at one point. Even big landings, where I had my weight shifted a bit too far back, were not a problem.

To sum up, the Nike Air Max Duncan II is a very good all-around hoops shoe for players at any position. It provides the fit and traction that quick guards need along with the support and cushioning that big men demand. It also provides the high levels of comfort and stability that all players crave. My only concerns are the narrow toe-box and the Phylon-only cushioning at the forefoot. If those aren't issues for you the Air Max Duncan II is a great choice. Just remember that it's only available at Footlocker stores and online at Footlocker.com.


Who's Worn It
Tim Duncan (F- San Antonio Spurs)

.:2002 Glenn's Hoop Page. All Rights Reserved:.