Adidas Makes A Winner
Written: Mar 13 '00 (Updated Mar 13 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: cushioning, last, fit, overall performance
Cons: poor shoe for lots of speedwork
|
|
|
| hobbiter's Full Review: Adidas Equipment Ride |
After years of searching unsuccessfully for the perfect shoe, I’ve struck gold with the Adidas Ride. I'd become disenchanted with Nike around the time all of their shoes began to look like moon boots, and had been wearing Adidas with satisfaction but little enthusiasm. I missed the nice, cushy feel of the old Air Max's.
When the Ride came out it was hailed as the best-cushioned shoe to hit the market in some time, and I was eager to test it out. The ride has extensive Adiprene in both the heel and forefoot, which is as shock absorbent as the Nike’s I've missed but is far more durable than air pods. It’s the first shoe I’ve had in years that has enough cushioning in the heel without slighting the forefoot. The shoe has a soft feel, which makes it great for long runs but a bit sluggish on speed days.
Although not a motion control shoe, the structure of the outsole does provide stability, and the grooves in the forefoot are in exactly the right place to provide the right balance of support and flexibility. Another bonus in the comfort department is that unlike any other Adidas shoe I’ve worn, the break-in period was extremely short.
The Ride has better traction than most Adidas shoes, but I found the sole too soft for trail runs--it felt like the rocks were going through my feet. However, if most of your running is on smooth trails or roads, the tread is a nice bonus on sloppy days. The upper is also nicely suited to deal with weather; it’s breathable when it’s hot, but on rainy days it doesn’t welcome the water in.
I have a medium width foot with a slightly low arch, and wear orthotics. While the fit was perfect with the provided insoles, with my orthotics in place the toe box felt pretty big, perhaps another reason why the shoe felt a bit slow for workouts. If you have a narrow foot the shoe will probably be uncomfortably wide.
My pair of Rides lasted through 2 weeks of pre-season and a full season of cross country, which equals out to over 500 miles of varied pace runs on varied surfaces, and is far longer than my shoes usually last. Furthermore, I have a tendency to get sore shins, and had barely a twinge the whole season. While these aren’t the best shoes for a high amount of pace work, if you’re focus is on injury protection and mileage they are ideal. The Ride fills what was a gaping hole in the running shoe market.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
hobbiter
|
|
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 1 member
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.