Article by Matt Kolat
adidas Supernova Rise 3 (£130/$140)
Introduction
For reasons beyond my control, I don’t get to review Adidas shoes as often as other brands. However, when opportunity arises to do, so I am quite excited because adidas is one of the top brands in the world, not only when it comes to running but sport in general. Their aesthetics differ significantly from most brands, as they typically avoid flashy designs and are firmly on the conservative side of the way their products look.
Things are dramatically different when it comes to tech, Adidas is always out there trying new things more often for better than for worse. Today what we are going to be looking at is adidas’ neutral daily trainer - The Supernova Rise 3. I have not had the pleasure of running in either of the two previous versions so I am approaching this review with hope rather than expectations. Let’s see what Rise 3 is all about.
Pros:
Looks great (Matt)
Extremely plush upper (Matt)
Fun to run in (Matt)
Fantastic grip (Matt)
Forces midfoot strike despite (relatively) high drop (Matt)
Feels lighter than the weight would suggest (Matt)
Cons:
Relatively heavy for this level of cushioning (Matt)
Completely neutral despite broad platform, not for runners with any stability needs (Matt)
Stats
Spec. Weight: 9.52 oz / 270g US men's 9
Sample Weight: 11UK/12US men’s 10.7oz / 304g US
Stack Height: 37 mm heel / 29 mm forefoot (v2: 34mm heel / 24mm forefoot)
Platform Width(size 12US/11UK M): 90mm heel / 79mm midfoot / 115mm forefoot
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
When I got the shoes first out of the box, I thought that they looked really bold - I got the promo lucid orange colourway. Not sure about the context of lucid here but to me it looks like danger/hi-viz orange. Not a bad thing on those dark and gloomy winter runs. With regards to sizing I got my usual 11UK/12US and it fits me perfectly. Please see the photo below, where I am elevating my big toe to give an idea of the fit.
Other pointers to consider about the fit is that despite the low heel counter the foot hold is exceptional. Another fact that is important about the fit is that his shoe is more suited for runners with narrow or average wide feet (midfoot especially). In the photo below, please pay attention to the most wrinkled part of the midsole. This is where the midsole is actually raised above the foot and wraps your foot. What that does is creates a much more narrow fit than the rather generously wide platform would suggest. If you are reading this and are a runner who often runs in 2E/4E shoes I would wait until Adidas releases a ‘wide’ version of the Rise 3 as the regular fit might not work for you.
Apart from the above, the upper is actually very plush. The heel counter is very much structured, not possible to bend inwards when pressing on it, contributing to the excellent foothold. The fabrics around it are very plush and comfortable.
The tongue is very thin towards the bottom and has two little pillows at the top, adding to the comfort. It is fully gusseted as well, stays put on the run and does a good job all around.
The laces are of average widths, not too long, but I was comfortably able to utilise the runners knot. The main material used in the upper is the PRIMEWEAVE which I would describe as a very soft, synthetic mesh. It’s very pliable and pleasant to touch. I’ve only done 30km in the Rise at the time of writing this review and it’s hard to judge it, but thin materials such as this one tend to have a slightly shorter lifespan. Which to me is an okay price to pay for the very high comfort levels provided by the Rise 3.
Midsole & Platform
The platform of the shoe is very wide. It does not narrow all that much in the midfoot as far as the midsole and outsole are concerned. However due to the midsole wrapping, which I described in the Upper section of the review, the shoe ends up fitting quite narrow in the midfoot. This has an effect on the stability of the ride but we will get to that in the Ride section of the review.
In terms of technical aspects, the midsole is called Dreamstrike+. This is a supercritical PEBA type foam which is said to be 20% softer and 20% bouncier than in the previous iteration of the Rise. Additionally the heel has 3mm more cushioning and forefoot has 5mm more cushioning than Rise 2. Unfortunately, I did not test Rise or Rise 2 so I cannot compare version by version but this midsole does feel very soft and bouncy. I will go into further details on how it feels on the ride and how it affects performance in the Ride section.
Outsole
As you can see in the above photo the outsole provides a near complete coverage of the midsole. This typically means that the shoe should be expected to last for a very long time. After 30km of testing I don’t have any wear and tear to report which only supports my assumption about the longevity of the outsole.
The grip on the shoe is exceptional. I had no problems on slippery, Scottish pavements. Very often the ride of the shoe can be affected by the outsole. When I first noticed the near complete coverage I thought to myself that the shoe might feel bottom heavy as the outsole is always made from the heaviest materials (as compared to the upper or midsole). That however is not the case, the shoe runs very pleasantly without any bottom heaviness.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Here’s the part you’ve all been waiting for. How does Rise 3 really feel? I’ve tested the shoe on treadmills and road but not trail. I am happy to report that it performs just as well on the tread mill as it does on the road. The character of the shoe I would describe as soft, bouncy and truly neutral. I would recommend that runners who have any stability needs look elsewhere (more details on that later on in this section). The transitions are relatively quick and I would attribute this to the elevated front of the shoe, almost like a semi-rocker.
The shoe feels significantly lighter than the weight of nearly 11 oz / 312g in my size 12US would suggest. What is also interesting is that while picking up pace I had the sensation that Rise wants me to land on my midfoot/forefoot, which is interesting because of the 8mm drop and the fact that I am a heel striker.
Now given the above, who is this shoe for? To me the ideal runner suited for the Rise 3 is a truly neutral runner, who does not require any stability, even when tired. The shoe lends itself best to mid to longer training runs and easy cruising due to its softness and weight category. I would also say that due to the softness and neutrality of the shoe, it is more suited for experienced runners rather than complete beginners.
With regards to recommendations for Rise 4 I really don’t have very much to add. This is a very good shoe for what it is. One thing perhaps which would be beneficial is a slight slimming down of the shoe as it is relatively heavy for the amount of cushioning it comes with. I personally prefer a touch more stability but I don’t have anything to complain about as Rise 3 was released hand in hand with its stability twin - the Adidas Supernova Solution 3, which I am hoping to test and review for you real soon.
Matt’s Score: 8.65 /10
Ride (50%): 8.5/10 Fit (30%): 9/10 Value (15%): 8/10 Style (5%): 10/10
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2 Comparisons
Diadora Frequenza 2 (RTR Review)
Frequenza 2 was one of the most fun shoes I’ve tested this year. If you feel that Rise 3 is not for you because you’d prefer something lighter and more suited for faster training sessions but something that would also lend itself to daily training, look no further. Plus that Italian styling - chef’s kiss.
Inov8 Road Fly Max (RTR Review)
If you don’t fancy plushness but rather are looking for a completely neutral shoe with a more aggressive character I can not recommend the Road Fly series of shoes enough. Exceptional grip and British stiff upper lip character at its finest. Albeit it comes at the prices of low plushness and softness of the midsole.
Once again thank you very much for reading my review, I hope it helped understanding this product a little better. Thank you very much to our friends at www.sportsshoes.com for providing a free sample.
Tester Profiles
1 comment:
it has PEBA foam not EVA
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