My Shoe Quest Begins
So I grabbed a few pairs of Nyjah’s Nikes to see what the hype’s about and which ones actually hold up under serious skating. Figured since he’s stomping crazy tricks, his shoes gotta be something special for pros. Started simple: just walking around my apartment in each pair.
First Impressions & Flatground Testing
Started with the Nyjah Free 2s. Man, these things felt stiff out the box. Like, seriously stiff. Walked around for a day, did some ollies on carpet – felt like bricks on my feet. Zero flex. Kinda worried they’d never break in. Put ’em aside for a minute.
Then tried the Nyjah Selects. Different story! Way softer feeling right away. Could feel the board through ’em easier. Did a flat session the next day – ollies, kickflips, shuvs. Felt quicker to flick than the Free 2s. They felt connected straight off the bat. Grip was wild. My deck suddenly felt sticky.
Hitting the Park & Seeing What Pros Use
Took both pairs to my local park for a proper thrashing over a few weeks. That’s when I actually paid attention to what other serious skaters were rocking. Here’s what I saw:
- The Nyjah Free 2s – Saw ’em on older guys focused on big gaps and rails. Like, the ones doing heavy impact stuff. That stiffness? Turns out it’s for board feel on big drops once broken in.
- The Nyjah Selects – Younger rippers destroying everything. Tech skaters flipping over everything. Saw loads of these. The softer flick? Makes sense. Saw one kid tear through kickflip backside tailslides like it was nothing.
- Surprisingly, spotted a couple of guys wearing older Nyjah Free 1s. Talked to one who swore by the cushioning after years.
Breaking Them Down Hard
Put both pairs through hell to see what lasts:
- Nyjah Free 2s: Took forever to break in. Hurt my feet for a solid week. But once they loosened up? Incredible board feel and insane durability. Kicked curbs, slid rough ledges – minimal damage. The sole is tough as nails. Stability on rails was top-notch.
- Nyjah Selects: Felt perfect almost instantly. Flick was amazing, grip felt glued. Lighter for sure. The trade-off? Started noticing wear quicker. That soft flick area? Mine got a hole after maybe 2-3 weeks of heavy tricks. Still durable overall, but not like the tanks.
Final Thoughts & The Pro Pick Reality
So, which ones do the pros lean on? From what I saw grinding it out:
- Want tech flips and lighter feel straight away? Go Selects. They’re the favorite for a reason – performance out the gate.
- Need something that survives nuclear war after the break-in? Free 2s are solid bricks. That board feel locked in after breaking them felt unreal, no joke.
Honestly? It’s kinda obvious why there are two models. Both get used, depends on what you’re wrecking that day and how much pain you wanna deal with upfront.
Me? I burned through two pairs of Selects and one pair of Free 2s just writing this. Worth it to know what actually holds up down at the park. Feet hurt? Maybe. But I know which shoes I’m grabbing next time I wanna huck myself down something big.
