Performance review: adidas adiZero Rose 1.5.
Fast Don’t Lie, It Only Multiplies
Take one adidas adiZero Rose, add a little cushioning, multiply comfort, and the sum of your parts equals the adiZero Rose 1.5. But is it an improvement, or just different?
For me, and many I know, next to the new Kobe’s this shoe was the MOST anticipated release of the year. Expectations have been high since last November, based on the performance of the first adidas adiZero Rose and the succeeding pictures leaked to pique our curiosity. The adiZero Rose 1.0 was a revelation in low-to-the court feel, transition, speed, and agility. I for one loved the 1.0 and was more than a little skeptical that such a drastic change not only to appearance but to the overall technology of the shoe would take away the level of performance. adidas has been known to do this in the past (Feet You Wear, the original Formotion) but I am happy to report, this is not the case. Just like the name says, it is an improvement on what was already a great performing shoe.
o start off with, adidas went back to a much more traditional collar. This would seem to add weight to the shoe, but the material used is a micromesh/foam collar design which feels lighter just by touch. Memory foam has a habit of denseness to the point of being weighty (not heavy, just heavier). The standard ankle foam here is just like most other shoes, thick but not restrictive. The lace holes are cut a bit higher than the Rose 1.0, by about a centimeter. But the Achilles cut is actually lower than the Rose 1.0, which when laced very tightly still allows for great range of motion while feeling no less secure than the GeoFit collar. There is absolutely none of the break-in time or initial discomfort as found in the original adiZero Rose’s ankle system. I don’t feel it laced as tightly and I did have to stop and re-tighten as the shoe wore in, but nothing a little tug and pull couldn’t fix (yeah, I know).
The second thing that surprised me when I opened the box was the use of very rich suedes all over the shoe. Except for the Sprint Frame, suede is swathed on almost the entire medial side. Suede has somewhat of a reputation for providing sub-par fit especially after a few wears when the material tends to stretch, so I have to second guess the switch from SprintSkin in the Rose 1.0 to suede here. One thing I can’t second guess is the luxurious feeling it lends to the shoe, however. There is something about the way a suede shoe forms to the foot that just makes a shoe feel good and the contrast from second generation SprintSkin on the lateral side to the suede smoothness on the medial side is a beautiful compliment.
