Adidas Pure Boost

Color: Solar Red/Black/Clear Grey

Intended use: Lifestyle/Casual use. Not meant for running.

Surfaces tested on: Road, 21° C/73° F

Upper: Two tone stretch mesh, Tirrenina Suede, Rubber.

Midsole: Steam molded Polyurethane globules (Boost, BASF Infinergy foam)

Outsole: Soft rubber     

Weight: 269 gms/ 9.5 Oz for a half pair of UK10.5/US11, standard Width

Widths available: Standard (reviewed)

US Retail: $ 120

In an effort to best explain PureBoost’s multiple follies as a running shoe, we first need to do a quick rundown of the shoe’s construction and design. The upper is minimal, using a stretch mesh which extends from the forefoot to rear, a point after which other materials take over. Overlays are built by means of a thick, no-sew rubber layer which forms the toe bumper, the adidas three stripes logo on both sides and finally the four eyelet row eye-stay. The eye-stay continues downwards towards the rear-foot, and overlaps the seam joining the stretch mesh and synthetic suede section together.

The heel has a deconstructed look, and is made of synthetic Tirrenina suede, which is also used in the Adios Boost 2. The heel lacks a full size internal stiffener, instead relying on a smaller piece – which gives some rigidity around the base over which a adidas logo is welded on. Inside, there’s no fabric lining but a second layer of smooth synthetic bonded with suede. The collar edges aren’t padded with foam, and grip is delegated to two embossed (and foam sandwiched) pockets on both sides of inner heel. The portion near the tongue has a pair of rectangular-shaped embossed pads flanking the foot on inner and outer sides. Here, in addition to two layers of fused synthetic, the rubber eye-stay also overlays on top of them, making the collar edge a three layer deal. Tongue is an ungussetted piece constructed using two layers of synthetic suede, similar to the going-ons in rear-foot section. Doesn’t have allover padding, but provides two pairs of sandwiched foam pads which sit over the foot. Inside of the PureBoost midfoot is lined with another thin mesh with circular perforations in them. Also worth mentioning is that the PureBoost lacks an insole; only a thin sheet of synthetic separates the foot from Boost foam. The strobel has scores of angular cut-outs, and you can see the midsole right through it. Midsole, as the shoe name suggests, is unadulterated Boost foam. There’s nothing except the single bed of Boost between the upper and outsole. Speaking of the latter, there are three pieces of rubber attached to its underside. What the picture won’t tell you about the outsole is how soft these pieces are. The red heel bit is a bit firmer, but the white rubber is extremely soft. It is not very grippy though; the surface texture feels like that of a fresh out of the wrapper Wrigley’s gum. Strange analogy, but the closest we could think of. We are of the opinion that the PureBoost fundamentally lacks support of any kind; transition quality has a component of strangeness seldom seen in modern running shoes. Midfoot of the Pureboost tends to roll-in excessively; so much so that the midsole walls of the Boost foam makes contact with the ground.  the outsole is soft yet far from sticky. Absence of any lugs or traction increasing texture makes it worse. Throw in some dampness on roads, and you’re looking at a potential slip trap with slimy debris filling up the space(s) in outsole cutouts. On the bright side, the outsole durability fared much better than expected, with lesser wear and tear seen initially. The likely explanation is that the soft outsole sinks into the midsole with weight loading, reducing frictional forces.

There’s been some talk online about how the PureBoost is comfortable even when worn without socks. Allow us to quickly burst that assumptive bubble. We actually ran just over five miles without socks, and we did not risk doing any more barefoot runs lest injuries happen. There are three things which we found in the PureBoost which makes it unsuitable for use without socks. First is the area on medial side of the upper, where the last eyelet and tongue overlap each other. Now recall that the eyelet curve is a three layer component – two of synthetic and one of rubber overlay. Add to that another two layers of the tongue, and you have something very stiff and pointy. Without socks, the two opposing ends of the eyelet come closer, bringing all the materials together too.

The PureBoost midsole is very well cushioned at walking speeds, and the shoe is relatively lightweight. Talking of weight, we observed that the left shoe was 14 grams (5% heavier) than the right, for no obvious reason. All things being the same, it has to be the molding variance of the Boost foam.