Our verdict
Pros
- Sock-like fit
- adidas supercourt shoes true pink womens
- Really durable
- adidas fyw s 97 legend ivy carbon shock red
- adidas iniki boost runner april 2017 colorways
- Good grip
- new adidas superstar shoe black zebra womens
- Fun daily trainer
Cons
- Loose on sharp turns & faster runs
- de mayor rigidez en la flexión con el sistema adidas LEP
- Heavy
Audience verdict
- adidas mccarten spzl adidas Pantalones Cortos OTR Split
- Adidas originals Superstar J Sneakers Shoes FY9828 zapatillas para correr adidas de entrenamiento supernova glide 6 boost
Comparison
The most similar running shoes compared
+ + yeezy boost 350 v2 marsh buy | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audience score | 89 Great! | 88 Great! | 85 Good! | 90 Superb! | |
Price | $180 | $200 | $160 | $180 | |
Pace | Daily running | Daily running | Daily running | Daily running | |
Arch support | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | |
Weight lab Weight brand | 12.5 Kanye Wests Nike Air Yeezy 1 "Zen Grey" sample 12 oz / 340g | 12.3 adidas Originals Kids Backpack 20 12.2 Calças adidas Must Haves Stadium Standard cinzento | 11.1 oz / 316g 11.1 oz / 316g | 10.3 buy adidas originals buy triggerpoint whiteeu 11.4 Can Adidas and Gap Turn S Into Champagne | |
Drop lab Drop brand | 12.1 mm 10.0 mm | 9.9 mm 10.0 mm | 9.8 mm 9.0 mm | 10.6 mm 10.0 mm | |
Strike pattern | Heel | HeelMid/forefoot | HeelMid/forefoot | Heel | |
Size | True to size | True to size | Half size small | True to size | |
Midsole softness | - | Firm | Soft | Soft | |
adidas aloxe tracksuit shoes 2016 | - | Small | Big | Small | |
Toebox durability | - | Good | Good | Decent | |
adidas Predator 20.1 Men's SG Football Boots | - | Good | Decent | Good | |
Outsole durability | - | Good | Good | Good | |
Breathability | - | Warm | Moderate | Breathable | |
Toebox width at the widest part | Medium | Narrow | Medium | Wide | |
Adidas originals Superstar J Sneakers Shoes FY9828 | - | Medium | Medium | Wide | |
Stiffness | - | Flexible | Flexible | Flexible | |
Олімпійка кофта adidas liverpool велика чорна xxl | - | Small | Big | Small | |
Torsional rigidity | Moderate | Flexible | Moderate | Stiff | |
Pharrell William Hu Nmd | - | Flexible | Flexible | Moderate | |
Heel lab Heel brand | 32.8 mm 30.5 mm | 32.6 mm 34.0 mm | 34.2 mm 39.0 mm | 35.2 mm 39.0 mm | |
Forefoot lab Forefoot brand | 20.7 mm 20.5 mm | 22.7 mm 24.0 mm | 24.4 mm 30.0 mm | 24.6 mm 29.0 mm | |
Widths available | Normal | Normal | NormalWideX-Wide | Normal | |
Orthotic friendly | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Season | - | All seasons | All seasons | SummerAll seasons | |
Removable insole | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Ranking | #145 Top 27% | #104 Top 33% | #196 Bottom 37% | #48 Top 16% | |
Popularity | #415 Bottom 23% | #289 Bottom 8% | #110 Top 35% | #161 Bottom 49% |
Size and fit
Size
adidas Adizero Rose 1 Bulls FW7591 true to size (73 votes).
oversize track jacket with logo adidas originals sweater actgol review and lab test
The Ultraboost 21 is a neutral sock-like trainer with roots in high-tech shoe design. To me though it felt heavy, outdated, and a bit sloppy.
I think Adidas needs to get back to the drawing table and focus on performance over looks to stay relevant in this category.
This shoe is recommended for runners who like that sock-like feel and usually train on flat, straight hoodie.
I don't suggest buying this shoe if you:
- want a fast shoe (in this case look at carbon-plated Новые кроссовки adidas fluidflash gy4938 оригинал)
- adidas Performance Terrex Liteflex Hiking Γυναικείο Παντελόνι Φόρμας (Adidas Adizero Favourites adidas Runfalcon 2.0 Trainers Inactive).
Too con, too loose
Adidas needs to stiffen this shoe up significantly. The flex that allows it to form around your foot so well, also lacks the proper lockdown runners need.
They need to add some welded overlay as I felt like I was going to Kurz out of this shoe around tight corners. You’ll see in the video of me wiggling my toes just how flexible this material is.
oversize track jacket with logo adidas originals sweater actgol: one of the heaviest road shoes!
Boy oh boy, do they feel heavy.
I wish the Ultraboost 21 were lighter because I did like the feel of them, the peppy ride, and the form-fitting upper, but I really can’t get past the weight.
At 12.7 ounces, these may be one of the heaviest road shoes currently available. Now if your goal is to do weighted training runs so come race day your light shoes feel like nothing but air, maybe these are what you need.
Proper sock-like fit
The upper is very accommodating for a wide variety of foot shapes and widths.
Here’s why:
- The upper on Ultraboost 21 is made from insanely con Primeknit material that’s only 1.9mm thick and is more like a sock than a traditional upper.
- It stretches to form around your foot. I would not say this is a high-volume shoe, but it easily molds to fit your foot in a very comfortable fashion.
- The lace is nice and con though with 0.156 stretch ratio, keeping the top of the shoe comfortable as your foot flexes through your stride.
There is one challenge, however: if your socks are not super tight or are too thick, it's very easy for them to bunch up as you don the shoe.
adidas supercourt shoes true pink womens
The ride is sweet under foot and the toe-off is fantastic thanks to the LEP Torsion System which the Ultraboost 21 gains as an update.
It adds rigidity throughout the midfoot and into the front of the shoe which feels nice and springy at the very end of the stride.
Breathability issues
While the Primeknit got a record-high result on our light test (28.2LUX), during my runs it did not perform well. It's not breathable. The materials and the color of the upper surely managed to show our light test needs improving. Coming soon.
adidas fyw s 97 legend ivy carbon shock red in Ultraboost 21
There’s also no real heel counter in this shoe, and what does exist is a dated design of a rigid, thick (4mm) external plastic cup that adds lateral stability only. I can proudly say that my heel did not budge, unlike the front of my foot.
The heel itself is very flexible measuring in at only 19.8N in the center, our softest shoe yet. However, thanks to the tight upper and the plastic heel cup, there’s no heel slip to report.
The heel is topped off with an elf-like tab to help pull the shoe on, I’d prefer a loop but at least there’s something built into the design.
External lacing system: outdated and too heavy
I will admit, although I had issues with the overly-flexible upper around the toebox, the lockdown over the mid-foot works. However, it’s accomplished with a sewn-on plastic lacing structure.
I hate this design feature, it adds weight, it’s ugly, and it's outdated.
I cut it off just to see how much unnecessary weight it adds to the shoe, and 22g (both sides combined) is just too much when a few welded overlays and eyelets would have sufficed.
Even the laces are heavy
Adidas finishes off the lacing structure with a quality lace, but it’s heavy too. At 38.5’’, it's a pretty short lace but weighs in at 4g which is how much the lace on the Brooks Ricochet 3 weighed but is almost 10’’ longer.
Ultraboost 21 is grippy and durable
The continental outsole rubber is soft enough (72.8hc on the durometer) to offer a nice grip across a variety of hard surfaces I tested this shoe on like cement and asphalt.
It gives the shoe some color and although it’s not technically full-coverage, there’s the very limited exposed midsole, adding some welcomed durability. I don’t see any problems with this shoe lasting 300-500 miles.
Adidas originals Superstar J Sneakers Shoes FY9828 | Heel: too steep AND too heavy
A lot of the weight comes from the “junk in the trunk”. These have a big heel, and a lot of heel stack.
I measured 32.8mm in the heel, giving these a 12mm drop, and although Adidas claims they are a 10mm drop shoe, they feel steep to me and like they have a considerable amount of heft in the rear of the shoe.
The heel drags, and other than making them easier to slip off, I’m not sure they need this much foam on the back end.
Conclusion
I find myself wondering if the Ultraboost 21 is really a running shoe. Has Adidas built a fashion shoe with running DNA that’s long since been outdone and one-upped by almost all the other brands out there? Is this just a slightly-more technical version of a Yeezy?
To me, the Ultraboost 21 is too heavy, and the upper is too flexible to really be ultra-useful as a real running shoe. Maybe it will work on slow, long runs, but ultimately I will keep my fingers crossed for the 22 and a return to triumph!
Discussion-worthy
Yes, it’s true, Ultraboost is a great midsole, and 7 years ago when it first arrived on the scene it was groundbreaking. But, it's heavy. And most other brands have caught up in the last ¾ of a decade and have a product that’s similar in comfort, shock absorption, and responsiveness without the heft.
adidas originals logo print Saucony’s Endorphin Speed 3 and T-shirt adidas Future Icons 3S azul marinho preto adidas Capuz Marimekko.