8,113
edits
Changes
Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Adidas Adizero Adios Boost 2 Review}} The Adidas Adios has a new material in the midsole (see 'Adidas Boost Foam' below) which has more spring and lasts l..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Adidas Adizero Adios Boost 2 Review}}
The Adidas Adios has a new material in the midsole (see 'Adidas Boost Foam' below) which has more spring and lasts longer than conventional foam. However, unlike the [[Adidas Energy Boost]], the Adios is thinner and lacks the immediate comfort of the Energy. The Adios is a traditional design, with the heel raised 11mm above the forefoot, more than the [[Asics GT 2000]], a shoe I consider the epitome of traditional shoe design. The Adios confirms the potential of the Boost foam, if only Adidas could design a descent shoe around it. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Adios-Boost-2-top.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Adios Boost 2 top]]
|[[File:Adios-Boost-2-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Adios Boost 2 bottom]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Adios-Boost-2-inside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Adios Boost 2 inside]]
|[[File:Adios-Boost-2-outside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Adios Boost 2 outside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:WhyBuy}}. If you can tolerate the 11mm drop, you're a heel striker and you're after a shoe that will last a long time, consider the Adios.
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Adios has limited cushioning, especially in the forefoot where it's similar to a shoe that I'd consider minimalist. The large drop means that the heel is better cushioned, though still very poor for its weight. The outsole wraps around the inside of the heel, creating a pseudo-medial post. This reduces the cushioning on the inside of the heel and I found it a little uncomfortable. However, the Boost material gives more spring than the equivalent conventional EVA foam.
* {{H:drop}}. The Adios has an appalling 11mm of drop, which made it hard for me to run in them. Running in high heels tends to move my initial contact point back, so I become a heel striker in these shoes.
* {{H:structure}}. This shoe uses single density of foam, but there are features that create biomechanical interference. There is the outsole that wraps around the inside edge of the heel and a plastic plate that pushes up under the arch area.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The thin forefoot gives the Adios good flexibility.
* {{H:outsole}}. There is a hard rubber covering most of the contact area of the shoe, which improves longevity. There are also hard plastic nodules in the middle of the forefoot that improves grip on asphalt.
* {{H:shape}}. The Adios doesn't come close to matching the shape of the human foot, so [[Shoe Modifications| cutting open the toe box]] is important.
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible and rather thick, with worse breathability than many other shoes. There's no padding in the upper except a little around the ankle opening, but at least the upper is largely seamless.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Adios has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces, with a little padding.
* {{H:lacing}}. The flat laces work well and remained tied.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The heel counter is external, but remarkably hard. The Adios is one of the few shoes I've tried where I've found the heel counter slightly uncomfortable.
{{BuyShoes|RW=T|RRS=T|AZ=T}}
{{ShoeGraphs}}
=Adidas Boost Foam=
The Adios uses a new type of foam in the sole that has more bounce and is more resilient. Adidas demonstrates this extra bounce by dropping a steel ball on their new foam and EVA, the industry standard foam. Because of the extra energy return in their new foam the ball will bounce much higher than on EVA. However, when we run our feet do not bounce off the ground, but have a short period of sustained contact, often called the 'stance phase'. So when your foot lands, it seems that the boost foam would return the landing shock back up your leg rather than absorbing it, which is less than ideal. It would be good to see a study that looks at how the boost foam changes the stresses on knees and hips compared with a standard running shoe. Regardless of how the bounce impacts your running, the increased lifespan of the new foam is appealing. Having a shoe that lasts longer is obviously good, but Adidas also claim that the new foam is more consistent through most of its lifespan, rather than gradually decaying in the way EVA does. Adidas also claims that their new foam does not change characteristics in extreme temperatures like EVA does.
[[File:EnergyBoostSlice.JPG|none|thumb|x300px|Adidas Adios Boost. The foam used in this shoe looks a little like Styrofoam/polystyrene, but it's actually remarkably tough to cut. You can also see a small indent in the top of the midsole where the foot pod would go.]]
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
The Adidas Adios has a new material in the midsole (see 'Adidas Boost Foam' below) which has more spring and lasts longer than conventional foam. However, unlike the [[Adidas Energy Boost]], the Adios is thinner and lacks the immediate comfort of the Energy. The Adios is a traditional design, with the heel raised 11mm above the forefoot, more than the [[Asics GT 2000]], a shoe I consider the epitome of traditional shoe design. The Adios confirms the potential of the Boost foam, if only Adidas could design a descent shoe around it. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Adios-Boost-2-top.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Adios Boost 2 top]]
|[[File:Adios-Boost-2-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Adios Boost 2 bottom]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Adios-Boost-2-inside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Adios Boost 2 inside]]
|[[File:Adios-Boost-2-outside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Adios Boost 2 outside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:WhyBuy}}. If you can tolerate the 11mm drop, you're a heel striker and you're after a shoe that will last a long time, consider the Adios.
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Adios has limited cushioning, especially in the forefoot where it's similar to a shoe that I'd consider minimalist. The large drop means that the heel is better cushioned, though still very poor for its weight. The outsole wraps around the inside of the heel, creating a pseudo-medial post. This reduces the cushioning on the inside of the heel and I found it a little uncomfortable. However, the Boost material gives more spring than the equivalent conventional EVA foam.
* {{H:drop}}. The Adios has an appalling 11mm of drop, which made it hard for me to run in them. Running in high heels tends to move my initial contact point back, so I become a heel striker in these shoes.
* {{H:structure}}. This shoe uses single density of foam, but there are features that create biomechanical interference. There is the outsole that wraps around the inside edge of the heel and a plastic plate that pushes up under the arch area.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The thin forefoot gives the Adios good flexibility.
* {{H:outsole}}. There is a hard rubber covering most of the contact area of the shoe, which improves longevity. There are also hard plastic nodules in the middle of the forefoot that improves grip on asphalt.
* {{H:shape}}. The Adios doesn't come close to matching the shape of the human foot, so [[Shoe Modifications| cutting open the toe box]] is important.
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible and rather thick, with worse breathability than many other shoes. There's no padding in the upper except a little around the ankle opening, but at least the upper is largely seamless.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Adios has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces, with a little padding.
* {{H:lacing}}. The flat laces work well and remained tied.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The heel counter is external, but remarkably hard. The Adios is one of the few shoes I've tried where I've found the heel counter slightly uncomfortable.
{{BuyShoes|RW=T|RRS=T|AZ=T}}
{{ShoeGraphs}}
=Adidas Boost Foam=
The Adios uses a new type of foam in the sole that has more bounce and is more resilient. Adidas demonstrates this extra bounce by dropping a steel ball on their new foam and EVA, the industry standard foam. Because of the extra energy return in their new foam the ball will bounce much higher than on EVA. However, when we run our feet do not bounce off the ground, but have a short period of sustained contact, often called the 'stance phase'. So when your foot lands, it seems that the boost foam would return the landing shock back up your leg rather than absorbing it, which is less than ideal. It would be good to see a study that looks at how the boost foam changes the stresses on knees and hips compared with a standard running shoe. Regardless of how the bounce impacts your running, the increased lifespan of the new foam is appealing. Having a shoe that lasts longer is obviously good, but Adidas also claim that the new foam is more consistent through most of its lifespan, rather than gradually decaying in the way EVA does. Adidas also claims that their new foam does not change characteristics in extreme temperatures like EVA does.
[[File:EnergyBoostSlice.JPG|none|thumb|x300px|Adidas Adios Boost. The foam used in this shoe looks a little like Styrofoam/polystyrene, but it's actually remarkably tough to cut. You can also see a small indent in the top of the midsole where the foot pod would go.]]
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}