Review: Adidas Adistar Comp 4, Green means Go!!! I see value for money buy when I see one! I was recently at Velocity window shopping. When I wandered into the Adidas factory outlet in Novena Square, a nice shocking green Adidas Adistar Comp 4 caught my eye. That's a pair of shoes which I saw not too long ago at Adidas' main stores which I liked very much. The design is nice, the weight is incredibly light and the colour is well, shocking. Only problem is that it retails at S$182, hardly the kind of money I will shell out for a pair of racing flat. But not when the shoe is now selling at 70% less. Like I said, I see value for money when I see one. So I grabbed a pair without any hesitation. So much for window shopping! Here's my review of the Adidas Adistar Comp 4.
Weight 5/5
No complains in this particular department. As a racing flat, the Adistar Comp 4 is amazingly light. Out of the box, the shoes felt almost weightless in the hand. Once put on the feet, it just feel like part of you. As expected, the upper has minimum overlays and the midsole is thin (typical of all Adidas racing shoes including the adizeros). Infact, the midsole employed by Adidas here actually seems no different than its other Adizero products and (apart from the design of the upper with other Adidas Adizero models) I find it hard to differentiate any difference in terms of the midsole . The shocking green gives the shoe a really nice and fierce feel as though it is ready to be taken for a quick race and conquer the world.
Cushioning, Stability, Responsiveness 3/5
This department's rating is really a mixed bag for me. Understandably, I expected the cushioning of a racing flat to be lesser than standard running shoes. However, I was a little disappointed that the Adistar didn't have more to offer here. Putting the Comp 4 for a short 10km run, the cushioning felt inadequate to me. The midsole material (adiprene+ in the forefoot and the adiprene in the heel) did not seem sufficient. On the other hand, the shoes did give a low to the ground feel which is quite cool. That of course also translate to a pretty stable ride. Responsiveness is a let down. If nike can make responsive shoes with very thin zoom air, I don't see why Adidas can't do it with their racing flat.
Fit, flexibility, traction 4.5/5
The fit of the Adistar Comp 4 is excellent but runs a little smaller and I have to go 1/2 size up than my normal sizing. The material used are pretty top grade especially around the ankle and the heel collar. Once the laces are tied, it provides a very good "lock-down" feel. Coupled with excellent flexibility of the shoes, it actually increases your confidence of not incurring injury whilst racing or negotiating sharp turns. Traction of the shoes are also very good here. Adidas employed its signature Adiwear material which provided good grip.
Durability 4/5
So far I've only clocked 2 runs (one 10km and one 5km) in the Adistar Comp 4 hence it's still early days before I can say about its durability. What I can say is that judging from the outsole wear after the 2 runs, it is actually more durable than I expected given the wear is actually quite minimal than compared to other shoes when I pout them through the same distance. Also, the shoes don't require any break-in. The shoes felt immediately comfortable although as mentioned, I wished the cushioning could be better.
In a nutshell, the Adidas Adistar Comp 4 is a real nice looker and has all the elements of a good racing shoes. It's light, it's low to the ground, it's stable and it's fierce looking. However, I would have expected better cushioning to come from the shoe and I was a little disappointed by it. Having said that, at S$54 I could hardly complain.
Disclaimer: The opinion rendered is strictly my own, based on my personal experience whilst running in the shoes. It is not intended to act as any technical or professional advice. Please do not rely or infer on this when deciding which shoes to buy as every runner's profile is different.
