Different than its siblings, yet still a member of the family
Written: Jan 19 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: ventilation, style, cushioning
Cons: tight fit, shoe strings, lower running life expectancy
The Bottom Line: recommended if you need ventilation and narrow shoe as second pair. If you want comfort, support, visibility and only one pair of shoes...look elsewhere (3 scores are 3.5)
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| rookshark's Full Review: Adidas Clima Revolution Cushion Running Shoe for W... |
I own many pairs of running shoes, which not only gives me many options (too many some might say) but a chance to see the differences in shoes from day to day. These shoes are definitely different, from not only my Asics, Nikes and New Balance, but also from another Adidas I have (the ultraride), but not so different for good, but more bad, reasons from the Climacool III. I wear a size 15, am rather large, and run about 20 or so miles per week, 6-10 miles or so at a time.
Let’s start with the positives and go from there. For a pair of shoes that focus on ventilation, you certainly get plenty of that. From the insoles, which are ventilated, to the shoe itself, which not only has holes in the bottom of the shoe (many more than the Climacool I or III, but each hole smaller, and more widely dispersed) but the upper of the shoe is a bit see through from one side to the other (sure, not that see through). All that to say…do not wear these in the rain, or in wet conditions. These shoes are definitely not going to be good if these are your only pair of shoes.
As with the other climacools, be it from the ventilation or some other special feature, but even using these shoes for “real” running, they do not stink, nor do you feet when just walking around in them. Seems kind of silly, but I can see this could be especially important to some people.
This ventilation is best felt with a breeze. Just sitting in your chair you will not feel a huge advantage in ventilation or air passing through, but sit in front of a fan, or in a breeze, even running, and your feet will notice the difference. So, mission accomplished.
In actual running, cushioning is not superb, but then again you are probably not buying these if looking for spectacular cushioning. That being said, they are not rocks either. Cushioning is good overall, and leaves me with no residual pain in my feet, ankles or knees. Support is average for a shoe of this design…if you roll your ankles, these are not big on support. Trail running not a strength of these shoes either of course. After several months of wear, I can see the midsole compressing quite a bit more than in my other shoes in the same time period, and more wear on the outsole (some tearing along the midfoot where the opening for ventilation is greatest).
Fortunately, these shoes look good, so although their time in running will probably not add up to the 500 mile standard, I will be happy to keep them for casual use. These particular shoes I have are in a black/silver/gold colorway, which looks great. If you want reflectivity or visibility at night or dusk, probably stay away from at least this colorway. I have not seen other colors to see if this is different in them. When you wear them, they have a funky look to them, while not being weird, which will undoubtedly get you some of those “what are those shoes?” type of questions.
The shoes are definitely tighter than normal throughout, especially in the midfoot area. If you like replacement insoles, forget about them for these shoes (which is probably common sense for most people…the ventilation quotient would be greatly reduced with replacement insoles in this condition). The tightness has not caused me any problems, not busting the side of the shoe out or anything like that, but I do notice it, especially when trying to put the shoe on, or take it off. Casual use yes, kicking them off, no. My feet are big, yes, but not usually what I would consider this wide, and even in my climacool I, I can use those without untying the shoes when I want (obviously not when running). That will not happen with these shoes, which is not to say I will not use them for casual use anyway, just something to keep in mind.
Shoe strings. Seems relatively unimportant right? They seem that way when they are done correctly. These are too short (of course especially in my size 15s). So, say I do happen to get almost enough string to get the shoes tied properly…they come untied constantly, no matter how tight I tie them. How annoying is that when you are trying to run? Very. So, then I have to tie them in knots, which, since these do not stay tied very well, are easy to get undone after the run. They look good, but really do not perform well at all.
Overall, the execution for me falls between the climacool I and climacool III (best and then not so best). The look is better than either of the other two while preserving that ventilation you were looking for in the first place if considering these shoes. I could almost see myself getting another pair of these had I seen another colorway I liked (bright blue or grey are not bad, but not enough to tempt me) The cushioning and overall support and feel of the shoes is not terribly inviting when running, but not punishing either, one of those shoes that does not call out to you, but neither makes you regret purchasing them.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rookshark
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Location: Honduras
Reviews written: 54
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
missionary living in Honduras
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