With the impending arrival of various Nike Air Pegasus at Oi Polloi in the near future, it got us thinking about the hugely popular 80s and 90s trainers. Here in the shop we generally agree that the Nike Air Pegasus is an underrated shoe and perhaps unfairly overlooked. We can’t speak for its running credentials, but we think it’s one of the best looking running lines Nike have ever produced.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the original Nike Air Pegasus, so it’s safe to say we got quite giddy when we heard Nike were rolling out some new re-issues from the Pegasus stable.
It’s not like we haven’t seen various reincarnations of the Pegasus in recent times. The ’92 got a brief reissue about two years back and yes, the ’89 had an OG release in 2008, but there hasn’t been much to get excited about since, until now…
The original Pegasus introduced itself to the running world in 1983. It may look like a stripped back trainer now, but at the time this was considered a pretty advanced tech runner. It featured the ‘Nike Air Wedge’, the ‘Waffle Centre-Of-Pressure’ and even a lighter EVA formula for the midsole (of course, we all know how very important wedges and Ethylene-vinyl acetate is). All that jargon basically means it’s really, really comfy. This helped the ’83 to become an instant success making it Nike’s blueprint for all future running shoes. Like with most things, Oi Polloi is a sucker for the original and expect no less than seven (yes seven) different colours arriving between July and August, and here is a preview of just a few…
As much as we like the ‘83, Nike Air Pegasus ’89 is probably the most popular and commercially successful Pegasus line, and we can see why. Take a look a look at this beauty.
With a similar simple mesh and suede upper, the most obvious change was a sturdier sole unit that was still lightweight. Well Nike have given the ’89 the Lunar treatment, which updates some of the features with more modern technology. The sole unit is even lighter and the upper is made from a ripstop nylon and mesh with some suede details. The results remind us a little of the of the outdoorsy Nike ACG range.
The Oi Polloi and Pegasus love affair continues with the ’92. Now, we think we can all agree that Nike have always made great running shoes, and the early 90s was an especially great time for Nike trainers. This decade saw the release of the classic Air Max 90 and Air Huarache, as well as forgotten gems like the Air Icarus and Air Pantheon. However, Nike had so much faith in Air Pegasus ’92 that this became the poster boy for their big running shoe push of the 90s.
Although the Pegasus ’92 was re-issued just two years ago, we’re ready for its return. We’ll be getting two different colours some time in July. They aren’t the original colours, but we think they definitely have that early 90’s feel.
Why did Nike call this trainer Pegasus? To be honest we’re not completely sure, but to round off, check out this badass picture of Ray Harryhausen’s Pegasus from 1981 epic Clash of the Titans.
