Over the past 13 years, the Tech Challenge line has seen its fair share of ups and downs. A retro of the Tech IV was a flop in 2000. In 2006, the Tech III retro brought hope and promise to the line, that was, until we saw the finished product. That single shoe damaged the Tech Challenge name after they rotted on shelves. Mom and pop shops would cringe at anything with the words ‘Tech’ or ‘Challenge’ in it for fear that they too would rot on their store shelves (its what happens when you take a legendary shoe and water it down) and therefore most didn’t carry the Tech Challenge II. Two years later (in 2008) the Tech Challenge II 3/4 retro’d and while not a flop wasn’t the fast seller many had hoped. Still, pairs slowly disappeared and prices slowly climbed on ebay but remained around retail (they were usually on sale for about 50 bucks). It was shocking for a shoe that plays second fiddle to few, that was, until Kanye West turned to the Tech Challenge II for the midsole to what would become the Air Yeezy II. With this saw immediate speculation of another Tech Challenge II retro and a price increase on the secondary market to the tune of 200-400.00 for the 2008 Tech II retro. Fast forward to 2013 and Nike dropped an unannounced zinger on us in the form of the Tech Challenge II ‘Wimbledon edition’ followed by the ‘US Open’ edition both high quality relatively simple colorways with hits of 3M (or in house reflective coating). Both were limited runs that had just about no info attached to them initially showing up at random locations in Europe before hitting a few spots stateside. Which brings us to this Citrus sample. While not a Lava or clay/tart release this colorway is a solid sample and it appears Nike is slowly getting closer to the look of the original. Is anyone else hoping for a pair of Tech II’s with the vintage treatment? Check out these rare samples that just showed up on eBay below and head on over to eBay if you want to indulge yourself.
