adidas FOOTWEAR: ask adidas anything! [closed]

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TW Staff

TW Staff

Administrator
Thanks for engaging!
Stay tuned for a fun podcast episode with some of the Global team from adidas! :)
_____________________________________________________________________________

We will have a chance to talk to some of the footwear experts at adidas in the near future on a podcast episode!

also, we'd love to know:
* What are your expectations for a lightweight, performance tennis shoes? How should it perform? What do you expect out of the durability? What sort of upper do you expect? Do you prefer a bootie-construction or traditional upper? What materials are you looking for? What's the traction like?

* What are your expectations for a more stable, supportive tennis shoe? How heavy/light do you expect it to be to perform best? How durable is the outsole? What are the traction levels like? etc.

Leave your questions below!

(PLEASE be respectful!)

Thanks,
Michelle, TW
 
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T

Tennis_Hands

Bionic Poster
Right now we have:

1) as a stable shoe for medium/wide feet SCB/Stycon, and for narrow feet the Barricade (the version from 2018).

Q1: Is the new Barricade similarly fitting as the old ones, and what is to happen to the Stycon?

2) as a fast shoe we have Übersonic 2 for narrow feet and Übersonic 3 for medium/wide feet

Q2: Which model will the Ü4 replace and will it keep the fit of the model it replaces?

Thanks!

:cool:
 
dkshifty

dkshifty

Rookie
Hello TW,

In your current inventory, which would be your current top 3 in terms of durability? I am personally using SoleCourt Boost and I am just wondering what other options are out there for Adidas. Thank you.
 
fundrazer

fundrazer

Legend
Gooner said:
Does adidas plan to bring back 6-month warranties on any of their shoes? Thanks!
Click to expand...
The real question that needs to be answered. I recall reading Spencer's comments in an article about how manufacturers were moving away from the warranties and moving towards lighter performance shoes (think Vapors), but it really feels like a slap in the face for Adidas to bring back the 2017/18 Barricade with no warranty.

Would be curious to see if MiAdidas ever comes back. Some custom shoes would be fun and would make up for the rather bland colorways we've been getting. Maybe I'd ask if any fun colors are slated to come out in any of the flagship shoes.

Any other plans to utilize Boa on any new shoes? There was the one version of the Stycon, but that seemed like such an odd shoe that I was never considering to try it. A better style shoe with the Boa system could be interesting. Pretty sure Yonex has had a few for sale, but they may have been Japan only.
 
SinneGOAT

SinneGOAT

Hall of Fame
1. Will the new Barricade have a boost option?

2. Will the new barricade be a one time release(i.e. Stycon) or will it be a yearly or bi-yearly update?

3. Will the stycon and solecourt line be discontinued when the barricade comes out?
 
Return_Ace

Return_Ace

Hall of Fame
Are shoes designed to fit certain foot types (narrow/wide, low arch/high arch), or are they design to fit a "majority" of foot types (i.e. can you explain how the fit of a shoe can change generation-to-generation)?

What was the thought process behind removing the Barricade name which had been such a staple in the Tennis Shoe market, and then bringing it back as an (imo, inferior) Legacy product?

I'm a fan of bright colours, and love the look of the Tokyo Pink collection, the launch "Aqua" Ubersonic 3's, Pink 2018 Barricade Boosts etc. how does the popularity stack up for these colourways vs. the more traditional Black/White? Do Adidas have plans to continue to release these bright colourways?

Nike have obviously used Rafa and Fed for marketing their shoes, and in the past Adidas have used Djokovic (who has now moved to Asics), who do Adidas now feel is the "face" of Adidas tennis shoes? (And if it's Tsitsipas, do they feel like the whole adopting and abandoning his Stycons was a good look for the company).

Thanks Michelle!
 
D

Dan007

Hall of Fame
1. What do you think about Thiem slipping in his shoes continously throughout the US Open and the shoes possibly receiving bad light on TV

2. Why did the flagship tennis shoe barricade line (a more narrow to medium) go away and replaced with solecourt which has a very wide fit?
 
haqq777

haqq777

Legend
Hello,

1. What was the story behind Tsitsipas's shoegate? He broke laces a few times as we saw on TV, then Stycons were launched and he switched to them, and then immediately switched back after playing maybe once or twice in them (which is understandable since he is a pro and used to a certain kind of fit and feedback). But what was basically done to rectify his issue seeing as he is back to his old shoe now?

2. Is there a reason why Barricade, a very popular line, has had different fits over every generation? You will find a ton of people who prefer certain year Barricades because of the fit. Why so much variance in fit between the same line? And will the new Barricade coming out next year be similar fit any particular generation from the past?

Thanks.
 
JGads

JGads

Legend
The Solecourt Boost: does it still have a future? Seems the clay version has been entirely parsed out in Europe, impossible to find anywhere, so I wonder if the shoe is being phased out or whether it will remain as a welcome, refreshing option for wide-footed players.
 
SinneGOAT

SinneGOAT

Hall of Fame
JGads said:
The Solecourt Boost: does it still have a future? Seems the clay version has been entirely parsed out in Europe, impossible to find anywhere, so I wonder if the shoe is being phased out or whether it will remain as a welcome, refreshing option for wide-footed players.
Click to expand...
I hope not, fit and the stitching was terrible for my foot
 
n80aoag

n80aoag

Rookie
What cushioning do the pros use? Thiem and Tsonga are not using the boost soles despite the rest of the shoe looking like retail models. Thanks!
 
DJTaurus

DJTaurus

Hall of Fame
Let’s get to the point:

1) Ubersonic 4 when ? Fix the ankle support on 3s. Literally no ankle support at all when 2s had minimal.

2) Solecourt boost 2 should gain true to size fit. Most of the people had to go a half size down. Even then fit was not perfect and a 2 pair of socks were needed. Also the tongue keeps getting in/down even when you lace it by it’s hole. Such a shame for the most comfortable wide shoe out there. Weight also should be reduced a little bit.
 
SinneGOAT

SinneGOAT

Hall of Fame
DJTaurus said:
Let’s get to the point:

1) Ubersonic 4 when ? Fix the ankle support on 3s. Literally no ankle support at all when 2s had minimal.

2) Solecourt boost 2 should gain true to size fit. Most of the people had to go a half size down. Even then fit was not perfect and a 2 pair of socks were needed. Also the tongue keeps getting in/down even when you lace it by it’s hole. Such a shame for the most comfortable wide shoe out there. Weight also should be reduced a little bit.
Click to expand...
I’d also get rid of the seam on the inside of the shoe, I get blisters and rubbing against it if I don’t wear double socks. Overall great looking shoe but not great design, plus shank is sometimes too high.
 
P

PaddyDutch

Rookie
My question would be: what is the process from one version of the shoe to the next? Is user feedback (by pro’s or regular players) a significant source of input?
 
Sardines

Sardines

Professional
1.As the most expensive shoe in the Adidas lineup, will the Stycon BOA survive? Only 1 iteration and then nothing. The regular Stycon has had model changes already!

2.Adidas has been advertising the Prime Blue recycled materials for it's line, and claims that by 2024, it will be all recycled materials. What about the recycling of used products? Or is this just another oil industry fake campaign masquerade to greenwash what is decidedly a serious issue...
 
Hansen

Hansen

Semi-Pro
why do they change the fit of consecutively models of the same line: for example from Ubersonic 2 (narrow) to Ubersonic 3 ("wide"), with the result that they have to rerelease the U2.
what is the reasoning behind such decisions.
why are there no carpet tennis shoes from adidas ?
 
C

corvax

New User
Looks like my comment was deleted for some reason. Maybe because I mentioned the release date of the U4...

I'll just repeat my question about the absence of any clay court SCBs this year. Very strange given it's one of their more popular shoes at the moment. I wanted to stock up, what happened? :cry:

Thank you!
 
E

etd

Rookie
Any plans to introduce a 3/4 High Top tennis shoe with a traditional lacing system.

I have a basketball background and have been using your 3/4 High Top basketball shoes for both basketball and tennis for many years.
 
Shaolin

Shaolin

G.O.A.T.
Are the new Barricades coming out going to be comfortable in any way or will they be the same old things that inflict pain in every way possible.
 
galain

galain

Hall of Fame
Why does Adidas seemingly ignore those of us with wide feet? There may be some models that fit a little 'bigger' but there is a distinct lack of dedicated wide shoes. There are a lot of us out there who would love to give the products a go if we could get them to fit. Does manufacturing cost so much that it negates this section of the market?
 
LOBALOT

LOBALOT

Professional
I see the comments about Adidas making a wide shoe but they truly are not a 2E. When will Adidas offer 2E sizes in all their popular lines (i.e. stylish vs. old personish)?

There is a market for wider widths all one needs to do is read about players needing to "break in" shoes over an extended period of time to see that they are actually trying to force a narrower fitting shoe into their wide foot.
 
Shaolin

Shaolin

G.O.A.T.
LOBALOT said:
I see the comments about Adidas making a wide shoe but they truly are not a 2E. When will Adidas offer 2E sizes in all their popular lines (i.e. stylish vs. old personish)?

There is a market for wider widths all one needs to do is read about players needing to "break in" shoes over an extended period of time to see that they are actually trying to force a narrower fitting shoe into their wide foot.
Click to expand...
Solecourts are extremely wide IMO. Try them if you haven't already.
 
TW Staff

TW Staff

Administrator
Keep 'em coming -- but curious to hear your feedback on the following:

* What are your expectations for a lightweight, performance tennis shoes? How should it perform? What do you expect out of the durability? What sort of upper do you expect? Do you prefer a bootie-construction or traditional upper? What materials are you looking for? What's the traction like?

* What are your expectations for a more stable, supportive tennis shoe? How heavy/light do you expect it to be to perform best? How durable is the outsole? What are the traction levels like? etc.

Thanks!
Michelle
 
Hansen

Hansen

Semi-Pro
TW Staff said:
What are your expectations for a lightweight, performance tennis shoes? How should it perform? What do you expect out of the durability? What sort of upper do you expect? Do you prefer a bootie-construction or traditional upper? What materials are you looking for? What's the traction like?
Click to expand...
i use the ubersonic 2 and like the performance. i mean, if the sales for a certain model are good, then the companies should know what the people want. changing the key features or the fit of the model in a new iteration is exactly not what people want. and if the sales of a model go down because people want something new, then change the look of the shoe but keep the personality the same. so in general i expect that manufacturers don´t change a winning formula in the name of "progress".
 
Shaolin

Shaolin

G.O.A.T.
TW Staff said:
Keep 'em coming -- but curious to hear your feedback on the following:

* What are your expectations for a lightweight, performance tennis shoes? How should it perform? What do you expect out of the durability? What sort of upper do you expect? Do you prefer a bootie-construction or traditional upper? What materials are you looking for? What's the traction like?

* What are your expectations for a more stable, supportive tennis shoe? How heavy/light do you expect it to be to perform best? How durable is the outsole? What are the traction levels like? etc.

Thanks!
Michelle
Click to expand...
Please tell Adidas that the Ubersonic 2 with a little more cushioning would be perfection.
 
T

Tennis_Hands

Bionic Poster
TW Staff said:
Keep 'em coming -- but curious to hear your feedback on the following:

* What are your expectations for a lightweight, performance tennis shoes? How should it perform? What do you expect out of the durability? What sort of upper do you expect? Do you prefer a bootie-construction or traditional upper? What materials are you looking for? What's the traction like?
Click to expand...
Ideally the performance of the Adidas Adizero Feathers 2: fast, agile, low to the ground with minimal drop off, stable, but not overbuilt.
The durability of the present lightweight options in Ü2 and Ü3s is plenty, so no need for more.
The upper of the Ü3s. No bootie (although I know that the Ü4s will have a bootie similar to Ü2 from what I saw).
The traction of the sole of the Feathers 2.

TW Staff said:
* What are your expectations for a more stable, supportive tennis shoe? How heavy/light do you expect it to be to perform best? How durable is the outsole? What are the traction levels like? etc.

Thanks!
Michelle
Click to expand...
14 oz or less for size 10.5 would be ideal.
The standard answer for the durability will always be "enough for a 6 months warranty", but I found the durability of the SCB to be more than enough for me (and I don't need the 6 month warranty myself).
The traction level of the ND Barricades and the SCB is more than adequate.

Additional:

Cushioned!!! as much as possible (i.e. full length high quality cushioning, or at least high quality cushioning placed strategically under the balls of the foot and under the heel, like with some indoor soccer shoes from Adidas).
Roomy toe box (both as width and as height).
Medium to low arch support (so that they can take custom/aftermarket orthotics and people can have a good platform to build upon).
Additional hole in the lacing to tie a Runner's loop (for both options).
Thick padding on the tongue of the shoe.
Rounded sides of the outer sole everywhere.
Relatively stiff shank, but not overly large, so that it causes unnecessary contact with the ground.

:cool:
 
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P

PaddyDutch

Rookie
TW Staff said:
Keep 'em coming -- but curious to hear your feedback on the following:

* What are your expectations for a lightweight, performance tennis shoes? How should it perform? What do you expect out of the durability? What sort of upper do you expect? Do you prefer a bootie-construction or traditional upper? What materials are you looking for? What's the traction like?

* What are your expectations for a more stable, supportive tennis shoe? How heavy/light do you expect it to be to perform best? How durable is the outsole? What are the traction levels like? etc.

Thanks!
Michelle
Click to expand...
In addition to what is mentioned before:
- Some front foot cushioning
- broad sole to add stability (similar to Ü4)
- booty is good
- prefer symmetrical lacing

my norm for durability (based on barricades and Ubers) is that I expect shoes to last 8 months before they start to degrade and I’ll replace around 9 to 10 months. I play twice to 3 times per week, say 2 times on average for 2 hours on average. So that is about 130 to 160 hours.

Now I did the math, that is pretty good compared to my running shoes. Those get replaced after 800 km, so well below 80 hours of use. The use is obviously different, but still...
 
Tennisist

Tennisist

Semi-Pro
Why does the CourtBounce have such awkward lacing? What was the purpose of it? Is there way to lace them differently -- in a conventional way?
 
socallefty

socallefty

Hall of Fame
Take the Adidas Barricade 7 (aka Barricade Novak), make some minor cosmetic changes and call it the 2021 Barricade. It was a perfect shoe for those who wanted a very supportive shoe for hard court play - its all been downhill for the Barricade line when you guys started making it narrower, made it lighter and started using Boost only in the back which makes it flex in the wrong place pleading to foot discomfort at the bottom.
 
G

GreenClay

Rookie
Shaolin said:
Please tell Adidas that the Ubersonic 2 with a little more cushioning would be perfection.
Click to expand...
Yes. This would be perfect as long as more cushion wouldn’t add to the thickness of the sole. Still need to be low to the ground.

And Michelle, any word on an Ubersonic 4???
 
G

GreenClay

Rookie
Hansen said:
i use the ubersonic 2 and like the performance. i mean, if the sales for a certain model are good, then the companies should know what the people want. changing the key features or the fit of the model in a new iteration is exactly not what people want. and if the sales of a model go down because people want something new, then change the look of the shoe but keep the personality the same. so in general i expect that manufacturers don´t change a winning formula in the name of "progress".
Click to expand...
Tennis_Hands said:
Ideally the performance of the Adidas Adizero Feathers 2: fast, agile, low to the ground with minimal drop off, stable, but not overbuilt.
The durability of the present lightweight options in Ü2 and Ü3s is plenty, so no need for more.
The upper of the Ü3s. No bootie (although I know that the Ü4s will have a bootie similar to Ü2 from what I saw).
The traction of the sole of the Feathers 2.



14 oz or less for size 10.5 would be ideal.
The standard answer for the durability will always be "enough for a 6 months warranty", but I found the durability of the SCB to be more than enough for me (and I don't need the 6 month warranty myself).
The traction level of the ND Barricades and the SCB is more than adequate.

Additional:

Cushioned!!! as much as possible (i.e. full length high quality cushioning, or at least high quality cushioning placed strategically under the balls of the foot and under the heel, like with some indoor soccer shoes from Adidas).
Roomy toe box (both as width and as height).
Medium to low arch support (so that they can take custom/aftermarket orthotics and people can have a good platform to build upon).
Additional hole in the lacing to tie a Runner's loop (for both options).
Thick padding on the tongue of the shoe.
Rounded sides of the outer sole everywhere.
Relatively stiff shank, but not overly large, so that it causes unnecessary contact with the ground.

:cool:
Click to expand...
Can you offer any more information on the Ubersonic 4s?
 
dr. godmode

dr. godmode

Professional
In Basketball, it is very common to see players with signature shoes. Will we see this happen in tennis? Why, why not?
 
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