Believe in the hype. Not going to lie, I plan to pick up a pair when it's released and add it to my Adidas rotation. Alternatively, I have a pair of Pro 3 that has 150 miles. If I delaminate the midsole, remove the energy rods, relaminate the midsole, I have an EVO SL. The only difference is where the rocker points start, as you noted. So, the ESL is more aggressive. Great review, as always.
@@MyFatAdaptedLife From my perspective, the different ticket points aren’t that noticeable unless I’m running fast, but even then, the 60% rocker doesn’t necessarily feel faster. 🤷🏻♂️ Your delamination-rod removal-relamination of your Pro 3s sounds like an interesting idea. I would happily watch a video on the process. It does also sound like monumental waste of your time though. 🤣
Finally an Adizero daily trainer that doesn't antagonize my feet. I'm kind of glad that I passed on the SL2. I'm really glad Adidas made this shoe as I really really love the Lightstrike Pro foam in the Pro 3. Great review as always. 😊
The biggest problem with the EVO SL is the general release date. If they had moved up the general release to late Nov or early Dec, they could maximize on some of the hype post Berlin. But now, since it's only going to be available at the end of 1st or beginning of 2nd quarter 2025, they run the risk of people not waiting for the shoe and grabbing something else. Myself included. I'm very interested to try the EVO SL, if only because of the heel collar design, since all the rest of the Adizero line have that terrible split heel collar padding design which promotes heel lift.
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve seen it several times over the last couple years where a shoe will get a super early promo and then people forget about it by the time it drops.
I wasn't a big fan of the Boston 12 this year, so for me the Evo SL is a better shoe. Still, most people seem to really like the Boston 12, and it os a good option for faster runsn but I think the Evo SL excels at a wider range of paces.
Great review man! So just to confirm these for you are an upgrade compared to the SL2? Also I think these will go head to head against the ASICS Novablast 5 shoes which also look awesome! Would be keen to see a head to head comparison video between the 2 if you get a hold of those!
Yes, it's an upgrade but these also cost $20 USD more, so it should be an upgrade. The SL2 still represent amazing value and are a great shoe. My shoe(t) out between the SL2/EVO SL will drop on November 15th.
At $150 this is going to give pretty good competition and will force the competitors to up their game if and only if Adidas gets its game plan right and sells them. Currently, Adidas creating an artificial scarcity (lottery for the privilege to buy) is ridiculous for a training shoe. Are you going to test Nike Zoom Fly 6? That looks like a very versatile shoe as well.
I'm not quite sure what the thinking behind the lotto before being able to buy, but I assume Adidas has some pretty intelligent marketing people and based their decision on sound data. As far as the ZoomFly 6, I hope to get a pair in for testing but so far, no luck.
Wouldn't the Peg Plus be a competitor as well, more daily shoe with (at least in the name) race day foam? Just a detail, but a forefoot rocker is not the same as the toespring. You can have a rocker on the underside but a flat platform for the toes (no toespring) or also the toes bend upwards (toespring) without a rocker.
Thanks for the clarification! Yes, the Peg Plus would be a competitor, or at least would be used for similar runs, but the price of the Peg Plus dropped it out of contention in this vid.
It might have a nice ride cos almost all shoes aren't made for how my feet are shaped..I don't want to land on the forefoot "pad"..I want to land on the downhill side of the "pad" and then roll forward and push off the download side..it should be a no brainer but very few shoes are designed to be easy to run..probably the best example of proper design is the Hoka Cielo x1..unfortunately the shoe is too hot,too heavy and too tall to be a serious racing shoe,but the roll thru is as perfect as any I have used..it absolutely begs you to lean forward and kick..I rarely can most shoes until the temperature get below freezing for any long runs..we are finally get down to those temperatures where running feels good..😊😊
Yeah, I really hate shoes where the tongue folds or bunches up. It hurts and takes forever to straighten out. I like the clever editing to transition between the shoes......or was it magic? 🤔
The issue i have found with the rebel is as i got towards 150 miles the fuel cell blend really lost its bounce which i find with new balance. Their foam really die out fast which makes me regret buying them again.
Thank you very much for the review. I use Ap3 44 2/3. It is a bit tight and a bit narrow in the front. What size of evo sl would be appropriate for me to use? Also, can you compare it with Ap3 in terms of stability?
@@ardaarda3197 The Evo SL is slightly wider in the toe box than the Adios Pro 3. As far as stability goes, the Evo SL doesn’t have the Energy Rods, so it’s a little softer and because of this has the potential to be a little less stable than the AP3. Still, I didn’t find the Evo SL to be unstable.
Hey Matt, Thanks for the review. Never considered Adidas as my racing shoe but looks like the Adios Pro is 50 bucks cheaper here to the Asics Sky/Edge. Might rethink my April Marathon Shoe
How would you compare the ride of evo sl to sl2? Can you go faster or longer runs? I do most sessions in the sl2. Makes me work for it at higher paces, though, but it is pretty solid. I'm curious if evo sl can do it better at higher paces, especially for the slight extra $$?
I have a full "shoe(t) out" video coming soon, but I found the Evo SL works a little better at faster paces. They do feel very similar at slower paces though.
This year I've been looking at the NeoVista and the Balos to be my new bouncy shoe, but then this comes in much cheaper, and also better than both? I have tried on some Adidas shoes that made me think they were designed for alien feet, but the Takumi Sen 8 works for me, so presumably the Evo SL would be good.
@@Feanaro5503 I don’t know if the Evo SL is better than the Neo Vista, but it is different. I haven’t run in the Balos. I think you’ll find there is slightly more room in the toe box of the Evo SL than the Takumi Sen 8.
@@devanteross2838 This is a tough one, but for me the Evo SL is more fun running experience, however the Mach 6 is still a great shoe and if you could get it on sale, it’d be tough to say no to.
This is not plated and the Speedworks is plated. Because of this, for a daily trainer I would recommend the SL2, but the Speedworks is excellent and definitely worth considering!
@@surajtripathi3624 I don’t have the ZoomFly 6 on hand yet, but I’m not sure how comparable a played shoe is with a non-plated shoe. What are your thoughts? Are they comparable?
Something weird going on with the pronation of the shoe, like it looks very jarring the way it transitions from outward to inward during the gait cycle (I saw this in other reviewers footage too e.g. Kofuzi).
@@its_Matt_B_ Ah correction, i rewatched Kofuzi and he is more a midfoot striker and he looks fine in this shoe. I think it was the review from Alex Filitti where you can see the heel instability and he talks about it. Nothing negative it just means this shoe is not great if you overpronate.
It’s bs that they do these limited releases of a mass market shoe. It is not even available until march? Why push all the hype now? So dumb and “sneaker” culture is washed now. It’s not 2016. Cool shoe lame of Adidas. Oh and great review!
Believe in the hype. Not going to lie, I plan to pick up a pair when it's released and add it to my Adidas rotation. Alternatively, I have a pair of Pro 3 that has 150 miles. If I delaminate the midsole, remove the energy rods, relaminate the midsole, I have an EVO SL. The only difference is where the rocker points start, as you noted. So, the ESL is more aggressive. Great review, as always.
@@MyFatAdaptedLife From my perspective, the different ticket points aren’t that noticeable unless I’m running fast, but even then, the 60% rocker doesn’t necessarily feel faster. 🤷🏻♂️
Your delamination-rod removal-relamination of your Pro 3s sounds like an interesting idea. I would happily watch a video on the process. It does also sound like monumental waste of your time though. 🤣
@@its_Matt_B_ Yeah, I'm known for monumental wastes of time. But it would be a fun experiment in the lab on my off-time.
Finally an Adizero daily trainer that doesn't antagonize my feet. I'm kind of glad that I passed on the SL2. I'm really glad Adidas made this shoe as I really really love the Lightstrike Pro foam in the Pro 3. Great review as always. 😊
The Lightstike Pro is really nice in this shoe! I've been surprised that this shoe doesn't invalidate the SL2.
The sl2 is a great shoe that shouldn’t be passed up either.
@@karls8989 the SL2 unfortunately just doesn't fit my feet well but I know it's a great shoe. 😊
@@karls8989 100%. This doesn't take anything away from the SL2.
The biggest problem with the EVO SL is the general release date. If they had moved up the general release to late Nov or early Dec, they could maximize on some of the hype post Berlin. But now, since it's only going to be available at the end of 1st or beginning of 2nd quarter 2025, they run the risk of people not waiting for the shoe and grabbing something else. Myself included.
I'm very interested to try the EVO SL, if only because of the heel collar design, since all the rest of the Adizero line have that terrible split heel collar padding design which promotes heel lift.
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve seen it several times over the last couple years where a shoe will get a super early promo and then people forget about it by the time it drops.
Great review and analysis as usual.
Much appreciated! Thanks, George!
Come on! They look fantastic🤗
@@OsloVM60-64 They do, right! Adidas did well with the design! 💯
This shoe is exactly what I was looking for. Can't wait to try it on
It's going to be worth the wait!
Finally! Let's go! 🔥🔥🔥
🫡
Great review and can’t wait to try this as a daily shoe. I’m intrigued to know how you feel this compares with the Boston 12??
I wasn't a big fan of the Boston 12 this year, so for me the Evo SL is a better shoe. Still, most people seem to really like the Boston 12, and it os a good option for faster runsn but I think the Evo SL excels at a wider range of paces.
Couldn’t wait to get mine 😍
Nice! Did you get them through the lottery?
@@its_Matt_B_ not for now, need to wait till december release 😭
@@KimiCars December is just around the corner! 🥳
Great review man! So just to confirm these for you are an upgrade compared to the SL2?
Also I think these will go head to head against the ASICS Novablast 5 shoes which also look awesome! Would be keen to see a head to head comparison video between the 2 if you get a hold of those!
Yes, it's an upgrade but these also cost $20 USD more, so it should be an upgrade. The SL2 still represent amazing value and are a great shoe. My shoe(t) out between the SL2/EVO SL will drop on November 15th.
@ thanks for the info. Awesome sounds great!!
Is this easily the greatest looking trainer of all time !?!?
EASILY!!!
This is a rather beautiful shoe!
@@xanderalcaide2826 100%!!! 😍
Great review! Which shoe do you prefer? This or the Rebel V4?
I would choose this (the Evo SL) every time.
Adidas Evo SL or NB FuelCell Rebel v4 for some daily training some track workouts.
@@silvermandavid I think it depends on if you prefer the fit on NB or Adidas. Both are similar, however my choice would be the Evo SL.
@@its_Matt_B_which one has more bounce, Evo SL or Rebel v4?
@ The Evo SL.
At $150 this is going to give pretty good competition and will force the competitors to up their game if and only if Adidas gets its game plan right and sells them. Currently, Adidas creating an artificial scarcity (lottery for the privilege to buy) is ridiculous for a training shoe.
Are you going to test Nike Zoom Fly 6? That looks like a very versatile shoe as well.
I'm not quite sure what the thinking behind the lotto before being able to buy, but I assume Adidas has some pretty intelligent marketing people and based their decision on sound data.
As far as the ZoomFly 6, I hope to get a pair in for testing but so far, no luck.
Wouldn't the Peg Plus be a competitor as well, more daily shoe with (at least in the name) race day foam?
Just a detail, but a forefoot rocker is not the same as the toespring. You can have a rocker on the underside but a flat platform for the toes (no toespring) or also the toes bend upwards (toespring) without a rocker.
Thanks for the clarification! Yes, the Peg Plus would be a competitor, or at least would be used for similar runs, but the price of the Peg Plus dropped it out of contention in this vid.
It might have a nice ride cos almost all shoes aren't made for how my feet are shaped..I don't want to land on the forefoot "pad"..I want to land on the downhill side of the "pad" and then roll forward and push off the download side..it should be a no brainer but very few shoes are designed to be easy to run..probably the best example of proper design is the Hoka Cielo x1..unfortunately the shoe is too hot,too heavy and too tall to be a serious racing shoe,but the roll thru is as perfect as any I have used..it absolutely begs you to lean forward and kick..I rarely can most shoes until the temperature get below freezing for any long runs..we are finally get down to those temperatures where running feels good..😊😊
@@brokenfreddy1262 I know what you mean about the Cielo X1. I hope they change the upper next year, and also fix the instability!
It looks very good.
@@kunalkunde7744 I agree! The style is 👌!
Matt, is this not just a white version of the Takumi Sen?
Not at all. The Evo SL is far more well-rounded than the Takumi Sen. I would still choose the Takumi Sen for short fast runs.
I see you are pronating in the vid, is it manageable? Is the evo SL same narrowness to SL2? I only overpronate on my SL2
The Evo SL is slightly wider than the SL2 and I think the pronation is extremely manageable.
@its_Matt_B_ hope when i get a pair for myself, i don't go overpronating same as in my SL2 🤞
Yeah, I really hate shoes where the tongue folds or bunches up. It hurts and takes forever to straighten out.
I like the clever editing to transition between the shoes......or was it magic? 🤔
@@blackbelt2000 I’m with you! A floppy folded tongue is a nightmare!
Oh, it was definitely magic. 🪄 ✨ 👟
The issue i have found with the rebel is as i got towards 150 miles the fuel cell blend really lost its bounce which i find with new balance. Their foam really die out fast which makes me regret buying them again.
Yeah, I've heard this from a few people! At least we know the Lightstrike Pro can last!
Thank you very much for the review. I use Ap3 44 2/3. It is a bit tight and a bit narrow in the front. What size of evo sl would be appropriate for me to use? Also, can you compare it with Ap3 in terms of stability?
@@ardaarda3197 The Evo SL is slightly wider in the toe box than the Adios Pro 3. As far as stability goes, the Evo SL doesn’t have the Energy Rods, so it’s a little softer and because of this has the potential to be a little less stable than the AP3. Still, I didn’t find the Evo SL to be unstable.
@ 👍
Hey Matt, Thanks for the review. Never considered Adidas as my racing shoe but looks like the Adios Pro is 50 bucks cheaper here to the Asics Sky/Edge. Might rethink my April Marathon Shoe
Are you taking about the Asics Metaspeed Sky/Edge Paris vs the Adios Pro 3?
@its_Matt_B_ yep. And Puma Elite is another 20 bucks cheaper again.
@@alanshrimpton6787 The MetaSpeed Edge/Sky Paris are way better than the Adios Pro 3. They’re more in line with the Adios Pro 4.
@@its_Matt_B_ they are on sale now and 280 bucks NZ for the 3 but I won 150buck asics voucher on the weekend so might be an asics shoe in the end
How would you compare the ride of evo sl to sl2? Can you go faster or longer runs? I do most sessions in the sl2. Makes me work for it at higher paces, though, but it is pretty solid. I'm curious if evo sl can do it better at higher paces, especially for the slight extra $$?
I have a full "shoe(t) out" video coming soon, but I found the Evo SL works a little better at faster paces. They do feel very similar at slower paces though.
This year I've been looking at the NeoVista and the Balos to be my new bouncy shoe, but then this comes in much cheaper, and also better than both? I have tried on some Adidas shoes that made me think they were designed for alien feet, but the Takumi Sen 8 works for me, so presumably the Evo SL would be good.
@@Feanaro5503 I don’t know if the Evo SL is better than the Neo Vista, but it is different. I haven’t run in the Balos. I think you’ll find there is slightly more room in the toe box of the Evo SL than the Takumi Sen 8.
What would be better for uptempo work / mile repeats Evo SL or Hyperion 2?
@@dwb5043 I would choose the Hyperion 2.
Hey Matt! In terms of ride, Evo SL vs Mach 6 as a daily trainer/first time marathon runner?
@@devanteross2838 This is a tough one, but for me the Evo SL is more fun running experience, however the Mach 6 is still a great shoe and if you could get it on sale, it’d be tough to say no to.
Thank you for the reply!!
Hey Matt… the magic you do switching shoes on the video - terrific! Seamless !
The adidas? Too ugly for me, sorry 😂
@@avifrunner wait, what? Ugly?? Noooooo! I suppose we all like different flavors! 🤣
Cheers for liking the transitions! 🪄👟
Hi Matt, how does it compare to the SL2?
I'm gl;ad you asked. There will be a shoe(t) out between the two, coming soon.
@ excellent 😀👍
How does this compare to the tyr speed works as a daily trainer
This is not plated and the Speedworks is plated. Because of this, for a daily trainer I would recommend the SL2, but the Speedworks is excellent and definitely worth considering!
Easier decision in the UK: evo SL: £130, rebel: 140, Hyp max 2: 160, Topo Spec: 160(?). All at RRP obviously.
Oh yeah! That’s does make the choice a bit easier! They’re a no-brainer at £130!
Can compare with zoomfly6 and Boston12
@@surajtripathi3624 I don’t have the ZoomFly 6 on hand yet, but I’m not sure how comparable a played shoe is with a non-plated shoe. What are your thoughts? Are they comparable?
@@its_Matt_B_ what is your opinion vs the Boston?
@@xrorox679 The Boston has the rods and feels a little more aggressive, but I prefer the ride of the Evo SL.
Off topic: your next shoe review is Nike Zoom fly 6. 😊
It won't be my next, but I hope it's coming soon (I don't even have a pair yet).
Why do people call it an engineered mesh? Is the mesh more engineered than the rest of the shoe?
@@Nyelands No idea. but I think a bigger question is if there is such a thing as a non-engineered mesh. 🤔
Something weird going on with the pronation of the shoe, like it looks very jarring the way it transitions from outward to inward during the gait cycle (I saw this in other reviewers footage too e.g. Kofuzi).
I'm going to go watch Kofuzi's vid. I didn't notice anything strange when running in it.
@@its_Matt_B_ Ah correction, i rewatched Kofuzi and he is more a midfoot striker and he looks fine in this shoe. I think it was the review from Alex Filitti where you can see the heel instability and he talks about it. Nothing negative it just means this shoe is not great if you overpronate.
Adidas has been a real dick for not releasing it fully.
🤣 They're sure being a tease!
It’s bs that they do these limited releases of a mass market shoe. It is not even available until march? Why push all the hype now? So dumb and “sneaker” culture is washed now. It’s not 2016. Cool shoe lame of Adidas. Oh and great review!
Yeah, from my perspective the early promo and late release hasn't been popular. I wonder if Adidas knows this and will do it again next time?
Now if we could only get the shoes. I'm not liking this "far in advance" marketing launches going on rn. Show me the shoe, let me buy the shoe.
I'm with you! Promote it the two weeks before it launches and then sell sell sell!
Sound quality is terrible, need to invest in a mic 🎤
@@hahaheslop Message reveived.