Areas you want Adidas to most improve?

[b1lly hoyle]

I've been playing in the TS Litespeed and TS Pro Model and have been rather disappointed in the cushioning and feel of both. There's a lot left to bedesired.

What are you guys hoping to see improved in Hoops?

This isn't so much a thread about aesthetics as much as it is about the feel, fit and response of their shoes.

 

[duke4005]

Had to go with traction and transition. The problem with the traction has been well documented over the last 4 years and the solution is easy (barring anypatent infringements): Make the treads deeper, and make the tread edges wedged and not flat. I mean the actual tread surface that hits the floor. If you needhelp with thei, check a T-Mac 6 against a Zoom 95. The T-Mac has flat grooves. Also, the transition on most adidas seems to be a little clunky. It wasespecially apparent on the a3 heel and adiprene+ forefoot shoes, but lately it has been getting better (TS Lightspeed, Formotion shoes). This is reallystrange, because I bought a pair of retro 1992 Artillery's, and traction and transition were both great.

 

[gggggas]

Imho Adidas has to improve A LOT! I agree with duke4005 on the transition on most adidas but from my experience cushioning is what they really have to improvesince the only ok cushioning tech they've got is the Adiprene+ which feels good but just that nothing more!
I used to play in the T-Mac 5 which has Adiprene+ heel and forefoot and though the cushioning is still alive it does not provide the amount of cushioning Ineed and I don't enjoy the cushioning(These words do not exist here:mushy, springy, responsive)! And take into consideration that I'm a PG at 5'10and 145lbs.
I can't understand how heavy players really wear Adidas shoes(Cushioning wise). I also have the T-Mac 6 which has this formotion tech which may work yetawful cushioning! My feet hurt both on the heel and forefoot after 1 hour! Raw EVA? After my experiences with these shoes and though I have worn both TSLitespeed and TS Pro Model nothing have changed for me, there's no evolution at all! It may sound bad but since that I have not bought any Adidas shoe andwon't buy unless they convince me the opposite!

Nick, upfront I would choose: Heel Cushioning,Forefoot Cushioning,Heel-To-Toe Transition,Traction,Lining Comfort and would add Responsiveness

 

[mt3130]

my vote was for the cushioning. the traction is definitely not up to par, but the cushioning is a much bigger problem. i used to wear only adidas until theyall started to feel pretty hard to me and the ones that didnt had bad traction. i played in the tmac 6 one time and my legs were in shock after playing foronly an hour or so. i could barely walk because my feet and knees were ridiculously sore.

i tried the ts lightspeed which felt nice other than it felt like a pair of vandals cushioning wise. the lightswitch just wasnt very comfortable, and thepromodel i didnt care for much either. i agree with tmac on this one, the pilrahna is definitely more comfortable than any of the three TS shoes.

 

[fc1114]

How could they improve in fit?

I know they don't fit my feet, so I make other choices. That's it. I have flat feet that are slightly wide. They're too narrow in the arch-heelarea for *my* feet. We're lucky to have many choices in shoes.

 

[duke4005]

I agree with the sizing. To me, they fit my feet better than the new Nike lasts. I have a narrow heel and wide forefoot, and adidas seems to have a widerforefoot lately than Nike. The cushioning is good to me. The may not be the springy or mushy Zoom Air feeling, but sometimes I just want impact protection andlow to the ground. It just depends on my mood that day on Zoom or adiprene+. If they ever fix the traction issue, I may be an adidas buyer for life. And withthe traction everyone enjoys on the Answer XI, maybe Reebok can help them out.

 

[acbboyz84]

As far as recent releases. The Adidas Fulton were pretty good in term of bouncy cushion. The rest were mediocre . TS , pro models, bounce artillery, etc, wereall stiff and not responsive despite all the hype that was put up by Adidas Five.

They need to invest more money and find a way to improve the cushioning.

I'm glad we have another company named Nike.

 

[gh0stface05]

cushioning for me. i use the TS Lightswitch and when i compare them to nikes with zoom air. i can notice the big difference.

 

[airdong]

Yeah Ive seen a TS lightswitch sawed in half. And basically all the adiprene is on the insole. In the midsole, its just regular EVA with that Tpu plate on topof it. And the heel impact zone, has a circle out in the tpu plate. I just find that a little surprising. I thought adidas would try to incase a little oftheir tech inside their midsole.

 

[deezyvsop]

I'd say impact protection/cushioning is the main issue now.

After playing in the GilIIZero, I think traction on that shoe is great so it's not that big of a concern. Before playing in that shoe, it was my mainconcern with Adidas shoes.

Fit/comfort in the first Gil Zero could have been better, it feels like there are some areas that cause irritation and chafing. Other then that, it'spretty solid.


But now, I feel like their cushioning and impact protection systems are not as good as Nike's in the long term. I'm talking about playing multiple hoursessions, multiple times a week. Don't get me wrong, I like Adidas and some of their designs, and Nike releases sub-par shoes all the time. But cushioningis one area that I think Nike has the upper hand in.

I love Adidas pricing though, some stuff gets to be really cheap on sale when it's retail is already low, and I can't complain about sig. shoesretailing at under $100, and the amount of variety and colorways released (UCLA versions released to the public).

 

[grittyman20]

I have two pairs of the Pro Model S that I purchased for about $20-30 each.

The first one I got in my regular size of 12, and after playing in them for a while I realized that maybe they run a little big.

Now that I have an 11.5 I can say that the fit is better, but I don't think Adidas shoes provide that lockdown fit that I prefer.

Cushioning is rather stiff, and I use those insoles that they sell at Champs/FTL

 

[ldea]

i dont think theres anything wrong with adidas shoes. its just that nikes are a lot better. why ball in anything less than zoom air? i wouldn't even tryout a shoe if it doesn't have 1) forefoot, heel zoom + carbon fiber or 2) full-length zoom, which are pretty much the standards of a good bball shoe andare pretty affordable. I think adidas should probably lower their prices since the nike zoom bb2 is a better deal than any of the current adidas bball shoes.

 

[b1lly hoyle]

^ I think Nike BBall leaving the $125 echelon and offering the Hyperdunk/Huarache 08/Soldier 2/BB line all at $110 and under will REALLY hurt adidas.

The more attainable Zoom Air becomes from a price standpoint the more Adi will really have to innovate from a cushioning standpoint.

It's been well over a decade now and they haven't made any strides to compete with Zoom Air. Adiprene is total BS...and Nike uses Poron socklinerswhich are comparable already...A3 has all but been ditched also (as has Shox...)

I can't understand why they've continued to go down a singular path of designing shoes with a.) three stripes DIRECTLY down the midfoot of an alreadysafe design, b.) subpar cushioning, and c.) marginal fit/support/traction

They're getting beaten on numbers BADLY by the Nike/JB/Cons monster...so much so that FL gave the total FU and opened the House of Hoops...they need tocome through by 2010 with somethin serious if they're even trying to match up.

This thread has gotten some great replies too -- thanks fellas for the feedback as I was just personally curious what others thought.

 

[lebrongames]

DESIGN and INNOVATION, no doubt

 

[ziostilon]

somebody should start a thread on the same idea but about what RBK and Converse can improve

 

[king and duck]

Everytime I get excited about an adidas, the cushioning just completely turns me off. I got the GilZero (blk/gld) and loved the leather and design, but theshoe has a horrible insole and the midsole is the only source of "cushioning," if that's what you wanna call it. I really want a pair ofPro-models, because they lace up nice and tight like an ankle brace, but the heel and forefoot feel like a linoleum floor. It's so bad that I've evenpassed on $30 green/wht (Sonics shorts matching) Pro-models. We all know that foams and plastics for cushioning tech don't really work. Try something elseyou idiots! (besides machines)

 

[clutchshooter]

generally i find the cushioning to be dull and unresponsive.

also just flat out comfort.

i dont think i've ever had a pair of adidas that had great out of the box comfort.

 

[grittyman20]

I really want a pair of Pro-models, because they lace up nice and tight like an ankle brace, but the heel and forefoot feel like a linoleum floor.
Really? I've never been able to get a good lock down fit in those shoes...not to mention the ankle support is mediocre at best.
I always wear my ASO's with pro-models like I see so many other people doing

 

[king and duck]

^ Like I kinda said, I never got around to buying a pair. As far as trying them on. . . They seemed to lock up pretty good on my D-B width, high arch feet. Ilike the # of eyelets on the Pro-models, that's why I think it feels good for me. I've never played in 'em, so maybe in action it's different.
Nevertheless, NBA players must have orthodics in their Adidas, 'cause my heels and knees hurt just thinking about playing in a pair.

 

[ed2324]

adidas was always crap in my opinion
Traction: was brutal on the Pro-Model low I wore for outdoor ball... slipped frequently when I tried to cut into the lane for a layup
Cushioning: was decent, but it was not responsive enough.. felt kinda mushy and provided no bounce... just something comfortable to land on but doesnt provideany bounce on the jump
Also, the promodel (low) felt scratchy in the interior making me hate it even more

 

[deezyvsop]

Are you guys talking about one shoe or a lot of different models?

Because one shoe being bad doesn't explain anything.

The problems I experienced were with most of the Adidas shoes I've played in:

T-Mac II - Poor fit and cushioning, my feet would burn up quickly because of rubbing
T-Mac III - Poor fit and cushioning, see T-Mac II
Team Mac I - cushioning, average traction
Gil Zero - inner lining issues
Gil Zero II - Hard cushioning, very firm
GDL - bad traction, fit/lacing issues
Bromium III - solid all around, nothing to really complain about

 

[slefly]

cushioning is the first area to improve on because for a shoe that costs almost 100 dollars, i would expect something more than adiprene. even and1 and reebokhave better cushioning that feels better. the second area would be fit. although adidas has been good to me and my wide feet, the ankle fit is not good at all.my heel slides up and down frequently. and the last area would be traction. slides a little on dusty indoor courts and the threads wear out fast. all of thesefrom my 3 adidas shoes: tmac 6, crazy 8 and garnett a3.

 

[f3djam]

Adidas to me are kinda lacking in almost everything.
I got a narrow foot, adidas is a bit wider.
The cushioning cant compare with nikes, all of it feels the same, even rbk is killing em
the traction aint even that good, GDLs, Promodels
fit isnt the best too, i sprianed my ankle only once and it was in promodels
Fit aint even that good, always kinda loose and my toes hurt in no matter what adidas i play in, Promodels from the rubber toe, GDL's in the same spot too

Im done with them

 

[paulz323]

I am a big adidas fan, I used to wear them exclusively to ball in, but the fact of the matter is that nike just outdid them in terms of performance. I'm ahuge fan of zoom and adidas has nothing to compete with it. I don't mind the styling... Billyhoyle has problems with the three stripes going down themiddle of the shoe, but in all honesty, its probably the equivalent of having the swoosh on every nike shoe. Sometimes they change it around, but on 90% ofthe shoes the swoosh is right there on the side of the shoe. Unfortunately for adidas, for actual performance my last 5-6 ballin shoes were nike.

Out of curiosity, does anyone have any info on upcoming adidas cushioning tech? Theres gotta be something that can at least compete with zoom... A3 was thelatest tech to come out (i'm not counting formotion since I basically consider that horizontal cushioning) and i'm not a fan at all of it (not a fan ofshox either).