Adidas Adios Boost vs. Adidas Boston Boost

For workouts and tempos I'd probably go with the Adios. I'll put it this way, if you get the Adios, you can certainly use it for easy mileage (I do 90% or more of all my marathon training in the Adios) if you choose. But if you go with the Boston you may not want to use them for workouts on the track.

I have both - they are fairly similar - the boston is softer is the main difference - with the adios I feel I bounce off the ground a little -with the boston I feel I squish into the shoe a little more.

My forefoot tends to hurt in the adios - maybe it is a little firmer up there? That could be just me.

So I train every day in teh boston and do workouts and race in the adios.

Been running with the Glide Boost 6 since August, got the Boston Boost 5 in October and then the Adios Boost 2 in December. The Boost 6 are nice and cushy for easy runs but feel a bit "clumsy" especially if you've recently run in the BB5 or the AB2.

The main difference I find between the BB5 and the AB2 (nearly the same weight) is the nice tongue that "locks" my foot on the BB5 but on the flipside they are a bit narrower and the dealbreaker is that the heel digs into my Achilles on the BB5. After a close inspection you can indeed see it curving back a bit towards the inside, unlike on the AB2 where it just goes straight up. Keep that in mind if you have sensitive Achilles...

adidas f^cked up by putting Boost in everything, even their high heeled Stella McCartney stilettos.

I've found the Boost material to work great PROVIDED there is some EVA above it like on the GB6 and the AB2. On the EB2 it's way too "mushy" (bad for tendons, mine at least) and I suspect the UB will have the same problem...

Both are awesome shoes.

Boston Boost is the best trainer I have ever had.

Adios Boost is an awesome Marathon Shoe.

Both shoes last a long time.

I run in both. I actually use the Adios for a trainer, and race in the Boston, even though the Boston is heavier.

I'm a mid-foot striker, and I find that in the Adios the Boost is mainly in the heel (the forefoot feels paper thin), while it's in the entire sole of the Boston. Because of that, I feel that I get a lot of bounce from the Boston that I don't from the Adios, and run faster.

At the same time, because the Boston is so soft, I can't wear it for a daily trainer - my ankles get tender. Similarly, the Boston doesn't work for me on a track - soft track+soft shoe is a problem.

(so yes, I use lighter shoes for my daily training, and then put on the heavier shoes for races - but it works for me).

Both are good shoes. Adios 2 was also pretty narrow in the forefoot (at least as compared to the Adios 1); the Boston is a bit better there.

FWIW, I've also found that any shoe with Boost in it seems to last forever, so don't let the high price tag scare you. The Adidas Boost line also seems to have very good traction on slick/icy surfaces.

darkwave wrote:FWIW, I've also found that any shoe with Boost in it seems to last forever, so don't let the high price tag scare you. The Adidas Boost line also seems to have very good traction on slick/icy surfaces.

Agreed for sure on that. The rubber is made by Continental, at least on my Adios Boost 2 that I picked up in Toronto. Noticeably better traction than average for ice and hard-packed snow.

The Boost material indeed appears to be unbreakable, not the Continental rubber though, look what my Glide Boost 6 after about 600 miles (next to my new pair) :

http://img1.imagilive.com/0115/GB6b.jpg

and

http://img1.imagilive.com/0115/GB6c.jpg

- I suppinate a bit and the Continental rubber is gone on the outside.

I run my easy miles with the GB6 and race with the AB2, 10ks so far but I'll use them on an HM in March and if that goes well on a Marathon in April. I'm a forefoot striker and do feel the boost in the AB2, there's a huge difference compared to the Adios 2 or the Sen 2 I'd tried briefly that were way too firm for me. The Boston Boost 5 is nice too but they're too tight in the front and the collar digs into my Achilles so I've given up on them.

After finding that the AB2 just didn't cut it for me on HMs I couldn't help myself and got another pair of BB5s after finding a good deal in the outlet and noticing that people had stopped complaining about the "tightness"...well my hunch seems to have been correct since the toebox feels a lot wider and deeper on the B44011 version I got than on the original M17414 black and blue ones.

Maybe someone can confirm that as I'd sold my (barely used) version.

PS - I do see in my notes that the the weight (US12 size) is still at 280 grams but that the sole is now 20 grams vs 14 grams before so the shoe in itself is lighter.

Oh and if that extra width/depth of the toebox is confirmed that could explain why the BB6 was announced (modified model) and then "cancelled", i.e. renamed to BB5 as it was still rather new.

massive bummer for me if adidas has widened their shoes for american fatties

Adidas widened the shoot a bit but not enough. So you if you are into chinese foot binding and still working on deforming your foot with narrow shoes you are in luck!

rock on a pencil wrote:

massive bummer for me if adidas has widened their shoes for american fatties

I've got both. I really love the boston boost, because it has more cushion up front. I know that conventional wisdom is that the adios is a great marathon shoe, but I've found it lacks forefoot cushioning and starts to fatigue my feet after 8-10 miles. I tried to run a marathon in them and had a terrible time. I've done one in the Bostons and felt great.

Also, consider a couple of often overlooked options in the Takumi Sen and Ren. I love the Sen for 5k-half distances and for track workouts. It actually has more forefoot cushioning than the adios but is much lighter and snappier. It does have a lower drop.

Adidas' best racing shoe IMO is the Takumi Ren, which sucks because you can't get them on the US market and have to import them. They have a little higher drop than the Sen but less than the adios and Boston, but have a little more cushion in the forefoot than the Sen and a lot more than the Adios. I think they are the perfect marathon shoe.

So, my advice is Bostons for training, Sen for track workouts and mile->Half-marathon, Ren for Half->marathon. I don't really see where the adios fits for me, though still have a couple pairs I use from time to time for shorter training runs. I've also found that the adios wear exponentially faster on the outsole than any of the others. Im through the outsole after 100 miles.