My first thought upon putting the Gazelles on my feet was the they were insanely comfortable. The
Nike Air Max 270 Mujer footbed is glued down (but removable with some effort) and lightly cushioned, and feels great under a bare
Nike Air Max 90 Femme foot. But, where this shoe really shines is the upper. It’s made of the same stretchy, spandexy (is that a word?) material that composes the entire upper of the Adapt, and is extremely comfortable against the foot (feels kinda like a stretchy sock). There are, however, a number of differences between the uppers of the Gazelle and the Adapt. Obviously, the big difference
www.matthieugranier.fr is that the Gazelle has laces and a more traditional ankle cuff. The laces attach to the adidas stripes on each side, and this combination alone makes this look much more like a running shoe than the Adapt – I really like the look of the Gazelles.adidas Adipure Adapt sideThe other big difference between the uppers of the Gazelle and Adapt is that the latter fits very tight. In photos of the Adapt (e.g., at left), you’ll note that it’s almost always curled up from
Adidas Ultra Boost Femme front to back. This is because the tight stretch of the upper pulls up on the front and back of the sole. I’m sure the reason for this is that it keeps the shoe securely attached to the foot since there are no laces, but I much prefer the fit of the lace-up Gazelle. The heel and midfoot fit snugly, and the forefoot of the Gazelle is spacious – there is much more
Nike Air VaporMax Dames give to the Gazelle upper in the forefoot compared to the Adapt(very easy to wiggle your toes around and up-down). The Gazelle also feels like it may run a bit longer than the Adapt, but I wear the same size 10 as I do in most other shoes.As I mentioned above, the sole of the Gazelle feels very similar to that of the Adapt. Sole dimensions listed on Running Warehouse are 17mm heel, 11mm forefoot, and overall shoe weight for my size 10 is about 6oz (measured on my scale).The
www.martijnvanbelzen.nl sole feels incredibly good on the run – perfect softness for my taste, and it feels much less than 6mm drop. I’ve come to realize that the same drop in two shoes can feel very different depending on stack height, firmness, and so forth (a post on this coming soon I hope), and this one hits my sweet spot. The other thing I really like about the Gazelle sole is
Nike Air Max 97 Femme that it’s flexible longitudinally, from side to side, and torsionally – it moves really well with the foot and provides a really smooth transition from lateral to medial in a midfoot-forefoot landing. I expect that sole durability will be quite good given the amount of rubber present for such a light shoe – the lateral forefoot is well protected, as is the heel (that white patch on the heel is actually rubber) which should help light heel strikers and those who plan to walk around in the shoes (you be hard pressed not to wear them all day – they are that ridiculously comfortable).If I have one complaint about the shoe, it’s that I can feel the stitching that attaches the stripes to the upper under my arch on one side. I was initially really concerned that this would dig into my skin and either rub it raw or cause a blister.
Nike Air Max Deluxe Hombre However, it has not been an issue on the run, and it would be fairly easy to remove the offending stitch row without compromising the structure of the shoe.If I had to compare the adidas Gazelle to another shoe, the closest I could come up with is the Saucony Hattori LC. Both are crazy comfortable shoes with a stretch upper, and both feel great on the run. If it weren’t for the hot spots I get in the Hattori’s under the balls behind my big toes I’d have a really tough time recommending one over the other, but given that issue for me the Gazelles are the more versatile shoe. Both are fantastic for walk around use and short runs, but I can do ten miles in the Gazelles (including speed work) with no problems and that tips the scales.