With high stacks of soft foams and carbon plates becoming the norm for fast running shoes, the Adidas Adizero Adios 8’s more traditional approach feels somewhat refreshing. It still uses Adidas’s best foam and a torsion shank, but in a relatively low stack shoe that feels like a racing flat underfoot. Can a shoe like the Adios 8 still compete in today’s market? Nick delivers his verdict here.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:12 – Design & Key Stats
02:41 – How’s The Fit
04:05 – The Run Test
09:30 – Verdict & Alternatives
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Hello and welcome to run testers my name Is Nick and this is our full review of The Adidas Adizero adios 8. Adios 8 is the latest version of the Storied adios line from Adidas the early Versions were among the very best racing Shoes in the world that's all changed a Little bit with the carbon plate Revolution and this is now more of a Fast trainer slash racer as opposed to Something like the adios Pro 3 which is Adidas's top of the range carbon racing Shoot it's a much cheaper shoot as a Result of not being a uh you know maxed Out carbon racing queue it's 120 pounds In the UK 130 in the US it's a nice Lightweight shoe weighing in at 217 Grams or 7.65 ounces in my UK size 9 That's a fairly big drop in weight from The last couple of versions of the shoe I last tested the adios 6 and that was 246 grams or 8.6 ounces in my size so Nice drop of weight to make it a lighter Nimbler shoe biggest changes to the Adios 8 compared to its predecessors are The revamped midsole it's still got Light Strike EVA foam at the back and Live strike pro at the forefoot but this Is now Light Strike 2.0 at the back Which is a softer lighter foam than the Foam used on things like the audio 6 and Adios 7. you've also got more light Stroke Pro in the forefoot it's a big Deep wedge of it now that covers the
Whole forefoot of the shoe to give you More of that springy bouncy feeling you Get from this which is Adidas's best Foam it's the stuff used on things like The takumi sand and the adios Pro now You don't have a carbon plate or any Kind of carbon rods in the adios but you Do have this shank plastic shank runs From midfoot to the forefoot it's now a Three prong shank on the shoe and it is Designed to deliver some repulsive Benefits in the same way that you get From things like plates and rods one Other change that has made to shoot in Cameras to make it a fair bit wider than Um previous versions and to increase the Stability and it's not really got the Same kind of cutouts you get on Adidas's Uh Racing shoes which combined with the Fact it's a lower stacked shoe will help With stability I'm not mentioned the Stack have I it's a 28 millimeters at The heel 20 millimeters at the forefoot For an eight millimeter drop normally Say that up top I've slipped it in Halfway through this time a little bit Different keep you guessing the upper is A nice lightweight mesh material very Strict back up more strip back than the Last couple of versions of the adios Barely no cushioning at all in the back There very flexible minimal heel counter A little bit of toe reinforcement but Not a lot upper in general is just
Designed to keep the shoe nice and Lightweight give you that racing feel on The foot and then you've got a Continental rubber outsole pretty good Coverage there I'd say though like four Foot coverage extends all the way back To the midfoot here two big strips of Rubber at the back has gripped very well For me would expect no problems with Durability it's a really good outsole And actually quite a good thick one Given how lightweight the shoe is Foreign So the fit of the adios8 has been good For me in my normal running shoe size I'm a UK 9 and this is a uk-9 now Normally I'm a us10 and an eu44 the way The brand to convert uk9 but this is Actually a US 9.5 and EU 43.5 so it's a Little bit shorter than some of my other Shoes but that suits me well I'm Sony is A little bit small for my UK size so uh The sizing this hasn't been a problem Like I said it's a bit wider than the Previous adios models in the forefoot But it's not that wide I have quite Narrow for the fit of this shoe has Always worked really well for me across The generations and it still works well With the slightly wider design you've Got here fit of the heel doesn't work Quite so well for me you know Adidas's Heel design in general has been a bit of A problem for me it's got you've got
These two strips of padding basically on The inside of the shoe and a gap at the Back and with the prime X I had Horrendous rubbing even on a heel locked The shoe haven't really had it so bad With the adios Pro 3 but I did get a Little bit of rubbing with the adios 8 And I've heel locked it and it's it's Okay it's fine I'm not that worried About using it but maybe if I was taking Out quite long runs which I don't think My shoe is actually brilliantly suited For but if I was going out for longer Than 20K runs in the shoe I'd start to Worry about rubbing again a little bit With it don't really like this design That ALS has on a few of his shoes now I Wish they'd change it but heel locking Has mostly made the problem go away so Overall fit is pretty much fine for me In my normal energy size the little Things to look out for around the heel Uh and I take over your normal Adidas Running shoe size and be a bit wary of The way it converts from UK to EU and US Sizing Foreign first impression of the adios 8 If you watched our first run video and Since then I've used it for a couple More sessions so in total now I think I've done a 10.5 Miler a half track Workout doing 800 and 300s that was hard Not expected a nice Hill session doing Three minute Hill reps and also a couple
Of easy runs just to see uh how it would Handle easy running in terms of its Versatility I still really do like this Shoe a lot I think it's a really nice Option on the market as an alternative To what's becoming very much the default Model for Speed shoes which is high Stacks uh rockers plates all that kind Of thing this is a much more traditional Shoe in the way it feels underfoot but It's still a really fast one it's an Enjoyable one to run in it's a little Bit more cushion than racing Flats of Old while still not being very cushioned At all and it just delivers in lots of Different ways like on that first run I Did I was running like a steady tempo Tire model and it felt really good in The shoe slightly derailed by a headwind Second half I did think you are getting A nice amount of Bounce particularly From the Light Strike Pro under the Forefoot and in general the the Experience of running the shoe was much Softer and smoother than the previous Which had the harder Light Strike pro at The heel which did give a nice snap Through but just didn't feel that great Under firm this new version the way They've updated the Foams does make you Feel more comfortable but also faster And smoother and it is a lot lighter as Well which just helps Turn your feet over when you are trying
To run first especially I'm high Cadence Trying to quite a shuffly runner and I Always really appreciate a light shoe For that I definitely felt that was the Case I went out and did a hill session As well it's doing long three minute Reps I feel not the steepest hill in the World she's got long reps and again Light shoes brilliant for Hill sessions Turn the feet over a little bit more Forefoot because you're on the on the Hill and that deeper wedge of Light Strike Pro really comes into play there It's just doesn't feel like it's giving You booming bounce or a very you know Smooth rockered ride with the kind of Punch you get off your toes from a Really rocket shoe like the Endorphin Speed or something like that you do get A nice Snappy transition forward and a Nice amount of Bounce from the large Strike Pro and the torsion system Underfoot really good for turning the Feet over did enjoy it so much for easy Runs also this is not really a versatile Shoe I don't think in the way that those Other plated trainers kind of are Because they are so high in terms of About cushioning they have there they've Got very smooth rides they do feel Really comfortable Under Foot so things Like endorphin speed and the Asics magic Speed too very happy just to poop around On easy runs did that a couple times in
The adios yeah it does or like Noticeably lower from a less protective Of the legs it's a shoe that I would Personally definitely say four fast Sessions and I'm not sure if I'd be Looking to go very long in it that's the Other thing you lose a little bit Compared to the plated shoes out there Even the training ones is it's just that Maintaining good Paces in those shoes They've got rockers full like super foam Midsoles and plates it just makes it Easier just to keep ticking over and you Can almost Ease off a little bit mentally and still Run nice and quickly it's very easy to Get into cruise control with those shoes On those longer hard runs found it Harder to do that in the audio because You don't get so much underfoot that Really promotes that kind of Efficiencies a bit more on you really Which is a good thing in many ways You've got to keep focused and so I Re-noticed at the track running rep so They weren't all out reps although the Kind of were on yeah I did 85 800 meter Reps alternating 235 and 225 Um times for those 800s with just 200 Meters job recovery and and then some Fairly slow 300s that actually had to Stay quite engaged throughout to make Sure I wasn't dropping off the pace keep Doing the work as it were whereas having
Done a recent other having used Super Shoes for my session last week it felt Like it just comes a lot easier when you Are in those kind of shoes with those Big stacks of foam and that is obviously A bit of a negative and a plus to the ad Yourself do you want the feeling of Working a bit harder and pushing Yourself or still getting you know some Of the benefits of the tech available on Shoes here with this great foam and the Torsion system underfoot in which case This is a really good option for that or Do you want those sessions to feel Really cruisy and controlled and maybe Push yourself to go a little bit faster Because you are using these very Impressive new shoes out there and also You then bounce back a little bit Quicker so with things like the Endorphin speed the magic speed and Obviously the actual Super Shoes out There one of the big benefits is that They protect the legs while also being Lightning Fast and the next day you're Bouncing around ready to go on another Run doing workouts in the idea also did The track workout yesterday in this I Feel you know I feel it in my legs like It's harder work it's hard to work Through the car from the Achilles and Things like that you're not getting so Much uh assistance from things like Rockers and uh you know it's an
Interesting thing I did see something Recently it was a very small pilot study Showing that The adaptation benefits you get from Using flats or even semi-flats like the Adios are greater than when you're using Shoes that obviously are helping you a Little bit biomechanically these modern Shoes and that's interesting because Maybe you know you want the adaptations In training to be greater you want to Work hard you want your legs to come Back stronger same time if you are using Those shoes you can bounce back quicker And do more hard sessions it's an Interesting balance but probably the way I'd come down and say I like it when it Feels a bit easier in training sometimes I know it's probably nice to have a mix Of both those shoes to be able to go Into those extra sessions in those big Cushy shoes I've got like another 10K Steady tempos run to do today or Tomorrow and I will do that in a super Shoot on testing and it's nice to have That option where I feel like I'm quite Tired but you know it's easy to step Into those shoes because I'm going to Get very well cushioned and protected on These hard runs same time it's great to Find the step industry like the adios Which is that lighter that bit nimbler So I don't have a really long digression There isn't it but overall I enjoy doing
The track workout in the shoe but it Certainly felt a little bit harder doing In it than when I was picking up things Like magic seed or the Endorphin speed But that might come down to reference Whether you like that feeling let's go To the verdictions Foreign Really good shoe a really nice Alternative to what's already on the Market in the fast training category I Do think it's got to be viewed more as a Fast trainer than a racer just because The performance games you get from using A shoe like the adios Pro 3 are really Noticeable or even the takumi center 8. If you like a slightly lower profile Shoe same time you really will not use Any of those kind of shoes those 40 Millimeter soft squishy shoes that are Unstable or you don't like using plates This is a really good option I mean Semi-plate to underfoot this shank but I Think we've all allowed this technology We all accepted the old out of your Shoes with Shanks it's completely fine Compared to card complex shoes this is a Really nice more traditional alternative Enough cushioning there that you know if I wasn't going to use a carbon shoes Would be right up there as an option to Go and race the mouth and then really Nice light to Snappy transition feels Really good for a range of speed
Sessions just isn't that versatile in a Way that some of the you know player Training shoes are because they are so Much cushier and even though they are a Lot more expensive you probably get a Little bit more bang your buck on that Front in that if you do spend more and Get something like the Endorphin speed You can use it for lots of different Runs and it's certainly better going Long whereas with the by the adios it's Cheaper for sure but I think you're Probably going to end up needing another Shoe in your rotation as a cushion shoot Same time when it comes to speed Workouts it does the job it does it in a Slightly different way it's a firmer Feeling it's a more natural feeling it's Quite an exciting feeling but it's also A bit harder on the legs both during the Session and then when bouncing back from It afterwards so it really depends on What you really want from your speed day Shoot you're going to feel a bit more Off the ground and you have that Snappy Feeling or do you want the smooth Cushioned rolling feeling you get from a Plated shoe that do deliver those little Efficiency benefits that have become a Big part of running these days so I have No real problem recommending this shoe But you want to know what you're getting Going into it you're not getting that Necessarily that super shoot feeling
It's got some of the tech there and the Foam there but really you're getting a More traditional Feeling Just souped up And that's lovely it's brilliant Under Foot it's great for Hill reps in Particular and it's got a really good Outsole as well so it's a nice shoe to Take for things like slightly mixed Terrain races that kind of thing you're Not getting that propulsive cushion Efficient feeling that you do get from The best plated training shoes and Racing issues great update from Adidas I Think exactly what the shoe was needed To make it relevant on today's Marketplace and provide a really Compelling alternative to the high stack Uh plated style shoe that is more common These days probably also use those shoes Myself more often in my rotation I Probably would go for something like the Magic speed over this just because it is That slightly different feeling at the Same time it's a lovely option to have Available if you have a very big Rotation and don't mind splashing out on Another shoe it's kind of shoes that Also probably will drop below 100 pounds Quite quickly I reckon in sales Please That's our review of the Adidas Adizero Adios 8 let us know what you think in The comments below please do like Subscribe ring a little bell so you get
Notified when we release a new video Still haven't got hold of the Boston 12. I'm very excited to test that shoe as Another good looking update from Adidas But it's not landed yet but we'll get First runs and full reviews of that Shoot up as soon as we can
