The Curious Case of the Adidas Barricade: What Happened?

PBODY99

PBODY99

Legend
Adidas cc Feather II were great, but banned at the Nationals 45 Grass Courts. Fortunately I had a 2nd pair of " legal " shoes.
Since I play 70 % on clay I actually started using the Barricade club as it did everything I needed.
 
T

Tennis_Hands

Banned
J011yroger said:
Adidas made two feather III s the ones you posted suck, they also made a III and a iv with the dots on the bottom which were amazing, but compared to the shoes of today don't hold your feet well.

J
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First time I hear someone say that these shoes "suck' (I have many players around me who have been consistent fans for the entire duration of their life as a line). I certainly don't think so either, quite the opposite. I still play in them, as already said, and considering that I also play in many "shoes of today" (including all the top offers of Adidas and until recently Asics) I don't see the claim of "not holding the foot as well" being true either. Yes, the "dotted" sole was excellent, but that is about it.

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J011yroger

J011yroger

Talk Tennis Guru
Tennis_Hands said:
First time I hear someone say that these shoes "suck' (I have many players around me who have been consistent fans for the entire duration of their life as a line). I certainly don't think so either, quite the opposite. I still play in them, as already said, and considering that I also play in many "shoes of today" (including all the top offers of Adidas and until recently Asics) I don't see the claim of "not holding the foot as well" being true either. Yes, the "dotted" sole was excellent, but that is about it.

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I thought the 2nd gen feathers with the herringbone sole was flimsy and I slid around in them, though that may have been a fit issue more than a shoe issue as the cc feather was much more narrow than the adizero. I remember getting blisters on the tops of my toes from them.

J
 
tennis4me

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
Found this article while looking up some old Barricade models mentioned in this thread:

The Complete History of the Adidas Barricade

Alexh22 said:
Adidas wanted to produce CHEAPER shoes. Barricades did not give them that margin despite being the best tennis shoe. It does not matter. They just need to make cheaper stuff that breaks easily so you buy multiple pairs. Similar thing happened to head racquets. They did reset for the same reason and look at them now.
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It might be true about the cheaper comment and the margin - they certainly didn't reduce the MSRP, but eliminated the 6-months warranty.
 
Dartagnan64

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
I have to say as a wide foot player, that the Barricades never fit my feet and I'm so glad they came out with the Solecourt Boost. I'm using it as my clay shoe and it's amazing. Super durable (I'm still on my first pair after a year of playing 3 days a week), comfortable, stable, great clay traction.

But I accept that someone with narrow feet will not appreciate them the same way as someone with wide feet will. Just like I could never appreciate the Barricades because they were always too tight.
 
Ronaldo

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Dartagnan64 said:
I have to say as a wide foot player, that the Barricades never fit my feet and I'm so glad they came out with the Solecourt Boost. I'm using it as my clay shoe and it's amazing. Super durable (I'm still on my first pair after a year of playing 3 days a week), comfortable, stable, great clay traction.

But I accept that someone with narrow feet will not appreciate them the same way as someone with wide feet will. Just like I could never appreciate the Barricades because they were always too tight.
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Always had that leather over an iron fist kinda edge.
 
T

tonylg

Legend
Shaolin said:
Funny thing is, people always say Nikes run narrow. I've worn Nikes for over 75 years and never had a pair to complain about. Adidas on the other hand, especially Barricades, pinched, smashed and gouged my feet in every way possible. The last straw was when they gave me Plantar fasciitis and I was out for months. Went back to Nike/asics and was fine. Now I'm wearing Solecourt boosts and life is good.
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You obviously didn't try the Cage 3s. Not only were they ridiculously narrow, but at least a size short too. Thank goodness for the Solecourt Boost. Aside from the weight and lack of lace-lock hole, I love them (have 4 pairs).
 
B

Binatang

Rookie
Barricades were incredibly popular in Asia among serious rec players due to their durability. Though more expensive then in the US, Adidas never offered the 6-month guarantee for the Barricades sold in these parts. However the shoes were so ubiquitous that you could get them resoled! Clone outsoles were available at shoe shops & they would not only glue but stich them to your old upper.
 
Shaolin

Shaolin

G.O.A.T.
tonylg said:
You obviously didn't try the Cage 3s. Not only were they ridiculously narrow, but at least a size short too. Thank goodness for the Solecourt Boost. Aside from the weight and lack of lace-lock hole, I love them (have 4 pairs).
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I certainly hope the SCBs aren't getting discontinued. Apparently they aren't on the adidas website now. Better in every way to the barricade.
 
T

tonylg

Legend
Shaolin said:
I certainly hope the SCBs aren't getting discontinued. Apparently they aren't on the adidas website now. Better in every way to the barricade.
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I get redirected to the Australian Adidas site and they are still there. Can you confirm they are not on the US site? If they are being pulled I will stock up (more than the 4 pairs I already have).
 
Ronaldo

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
tonylg said:
I get redirected to the Australian Adidas site and they are still there. Can you confirm they are not on the US site? If they are being pulled I will stock up (more than the 4 pairs I already have).
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Bought a pr 2/4/20 for $56. Suspect the shoe is sold out.
 
T

tonylg

Legend
Ronaldo said:
Bought a pr 2/4/20 for $56. Suspect the shoe is sold out.
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Still full price both on Tennis Only (AU equivalent of Tennis Warehouse) and AU Adidas site.

Stycon is listed as even heavier than SCB (which is it's biggest drawback) and reports are it's only good for narrow feet.

Looks like it may soon be bye bye Adidas. Such a shame.
 
Shaolin

Shaolin

G.O.A.T.
tonylg said:
I get redirected to the Australian Adidas site and they are still there. Can you confirm they are not on the US site? If they are being pulled I will stock up (more than the 4 pairs I already have).
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Just looked at the US site and there are some pairs left but not many. They're marked down in price quite a bit also.
 
tennisgurl

tennisgurl

Semi-Pro
Shaolin said:
No way. No one is wearing the Stycon, not even Tsitsipas who they designed it for. SCBs on the other hand are very popular.

Stycons will probably be on sale soon and not released again. SCBs are probably getting an update or at least other colorways.
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I agree. I think they will be out with new colorways soon. SCB have been very popular in all the tennis circles I've been to. A very small cross section of the very big picture, I know, but still.
 
Fedinkum

Fedinkum

Legend
Dartagnan64 said:
I have to say as a wide foot player, that the Barricades never fit my feet and I'm so glad they came out with the Solecourt Boost. I'm using it as my clay shoe and it's amazing. Super durable (I'm still on my first pair after a year of playing 3 days a week), comfortable, stable, great clay traction.

But I accept that someone with narrow feet will not appreciate them the same way as someone with wide feet will. Just like I could never appreciate the Barricades because they were always too tight.
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I have wide feet and Barricade 7 was absolutely perfect for me. Barricade 8 went narrower, and the heel fit was terrible.
 
T

Tennis_Hands

Banned
SCB are available in multiple colour ways (including the newest) on the official Adidas websites in Switzerland, France and Germany and in every significant web shop for tennis goods in Europe.

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dr325i

dr325i

G.O.A.T.
time_fly said:
I wore Barricades for quite a while. The newer models become overly stiff, heavy, and prone to toe-jams in my opinion. Adidas managed to wreck the brand.
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Id say the B4s were some of the stiffest but super stable and very durable. B5s improved in comfort (B5 re-issue took that away)
B6 and B8 in my opinion were a total flop.
B7s were iconic but still hard leather and some time to break in. Once in, they were like ski boots -- secure, stable...
Finally, my favorite were actually the last ones, the Barricade 2018. Some had issues with that plastic shell, for me, they fit like a glove. Quick break in, super stable and durable. Very little to no issues with toe jamming.
 
dr325i

dr325i

G.O.A.T.
tennisgurl said:
I like the Solecourt Boost myself actually so no disagreement there, its a good shoe.
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SCB has to be fitted properly I almost completely walked away from Adidas (to Asics) because SCB fit -- my usual Sz 11 was way too loose and the arch was hitting my foot wrong. Went down to 10.5 and fell in love with them. I think I could have gone down to 10 however, this gives me some flexibility. Had they offered the 6-month warranty, Id stick with them for a looooong time
 
tennisgurl

tennisgurl

Semi-Pro
dr325i said:
SCB has to be fitted properly I almost completely walked away from Adidas (to Asics) because SCB fit -- my usual Sz 11 was way too loose and the arch was hitting my foot wrong. Went down to 10.5 and fell in love with them. I think I could have gone down to 10 however, this gives me some flexibility. Had they offered the 6-month warranty, Id stick with them for a looooong time
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Yeah, I wonder why they stopped with the warranty. I don't think any tennis Adidas shoe has a 6 month outsole warranty right now (unless I'm mistaken).
 
haqq777

haqq777

Legend
dr325i said:
SCB has to be fitted properly I almost completely walked away from Adidas (to Asics) because SCB fit -- my usual Sz 11 was way too loose and the arch was hitting my foot wrong. Went down to 10.5 and fell in love with them. I think I could have gone down to 10 however, this gives me some flexibility. Had they offered the 6-month warranty, Id stick with them for a looooong time
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Sidenote: how is your knee feeling? You and I had the same procedure done last year, if I recall. Before I tore my meniscus, I was of the opinion that SCB was too cushy and plush and didn't put a lot of premium on cushioning (I have always been a big hustler and fast mover on court). But ever since I've gotten back on court, I have grown to love the softer feedback of the SCB. I wore some Vapors and Jets recently which obviously are lighter and faster shoes. Let me just say, SCB has spoiled me in the last few months.

What is your current shoe at the moment?
 
tennis4me

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
Surely this one below is NOT the replacement for Barricade? :D It's the new "Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Adult - Desert Sage" Releasing March 14 - available only via their App. Just bring back the Barricade already - just like Classic Coke - oh wait Adidas did bring back Barricade Classic then killed it again.

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Babolast

Babolast

Legend
From the SS21 shoes that I have seen, there is no Barricades unfortunately. Maybe a return in Fall 21? Who knows.
 
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