Adidas adizero Adios 8 Introduction
Prior to the proliferation of carbon-plated shoes, the Adios was Adidas’s premier racing shoe. This shoe is a part of the Adizero lineup, which is Adidas’s lightweight shoe lineup made for runners who are looking for more speed in their training and racing.
Currently, this shoe sits in the Adizero lineup as the lightweight speed-work shoe and racer. The foam that this shoe uses is Lightstrike 2.0 in the heel and midfoot area, and Lightstrike Pro in the forefoot area.
It also uses three plastic rods throughout the midsole to help with propulsion.
This shoe is similarly built to the Adizero Boston 12 but with a lower stack height. Meanwhile, the Adios 8 is going to be softer than the Takumi Sen, which only uses the Lightstrike Pro throughout.
This year’s shoe drops nearly an ounce from the Adios 7, much of it coming from reducing the materials in the upper.
One complaint of the Adios 7 was that it fit slightly long and the issue remains for this version.
The price point has remained at $130, which is about half the price of the carbon-plated Adios Pro 3.
Adidas adizero Adios 8 First Impressions
When I first opened this box and picked up this shoe, I was immediately alerted to the lightweight feel of the shoe. As I tried them on, they’re not the easiest shoe to slip into.
The upper is very thin and thus trying to slide into them proved a bit difficult. After getting them on, I took these shoes out for an interval workout on a rubber track.
The shoes felt great as I could feel the propulsion from the rods in the midsole. The shoes held up comfortably well for the 8+ miles of this hot, mid-morning workout in sunny, humid conditions.
My biggest complaint is that the shoelaces did not stay tied unless they were double knotted.
Adidas adizero Adios 8 Upper
The upper is where the shoe really makes the shoe feel light and airy. The material is made of mesh that you can see through, providing lots of ventilation during your run.
The tongue is made of thin material and attached. The laces are flat and light and you will need to double knot these in order to keep them tied throughout your run.
The heel fit is generally fine. I can see how some people might need to work their laces to get a tighter fit but it wasn’t an issue for me.
The fit was fine for me as well. It was slightly longer than my normal size 9 shoe but it didn’t bother me at all. If you’re buying this online, I’d stay true to your typical size but know that might size down by a half size.
There was a complaint from last year’s version that it was a bit narrow. I didn’t feel that at all and, in fact, felt like the forefoot area might have been a bit on the wider side.
My thought here is that those with narrow feet might actually struggle with the width of this shoe.
One other note about the fit that might only apply to a small subset of those reading this review.
Some of you might be asking, can I wear this shoe without socks? I can answer that question for you: no. There is too much irritation spots inside the shoe – at the arch especially. So wear your lightest socks!
Adidas adizero Adios 8 Sole Unit
The Adios 8 uses a combination of Lightstrike Pro and Lightstrike 2.0 in the midsole to try to give you a combination of light cushioning and springiness on your toe-off.
The plastic Energytorsion Rod 2.0 embedded in the midsole also helps provide some extra spring with the toe-off. The heel is at 28mm and the forefoot is at 20mm, giving a 8mm drop height.
The combination of the cushion and the rods definitely gives you smooth ride that feels like you’re being propelled forward.
The cushioning is on the medium side as it’s not super soft but also not very firm either. As far as comfort goes, this shoe tends to feel good until about 90 minutes. Once you get there, your legs will want more support and something a little softer.
The outsole of the shoe has a thin slab on Continental rubber. The grip is good for going as quick as possible on tight turns and it fairs well on slick surfaces.
After 50 miles, though, the wear pattern on the outsole is notable thus I’m not sure how many miles it will last.
Adidas adizero Adios 8 Conclusions
The Adios 8 is a lightweight trainer and racer that is definitely a great addition for most runners as part of their rotation. It is very lightweight and the ride is smooth.
You feel the propulsion that the shoe is designed to give you.
My biggest concerns come from the potential durability issues and the laces coming untied.
This can be used for racing for pretty much anything 10k and under. If you’re a sub 1:30 half marathoner, you could potentially use this as well – although you’re likely wanting a carbon-plated shoe like the Adios Pro 3 if you’re going at that speed.
The value for price here is excellent and it can be the shoe you use in training to save the miles on your more expensive carbon-plated shoe.