Adidas Solar Boost 3

The new Adidas Solar Boost 3 is halfway between its smaller sibling Solar Glide 3 and the premium Ultra Boost 21, which makes it difficult to choose when buying. Curious that the running-only oriented sneakers return to purely sequential numbering and the more fashion-related model continues with the year in its marketing name. Beyond details, the Solar Boost 3 is a highly cushioned shoe geared towards neutral runners on undemanding, long-distance runs.

Although the spirit behind the previous edition Solar Boost 19 is maintained, there are quite a few interesting changes that warrant a new version. The upper maintains the elevation in the rear ("S-Curve") for better Achilles protection and features better integration of the lateral rails (a solution successfully applied in Brooks shoes like the Glycerin 18) that bring great stability to the whole. The mesh is mainly composed of recycled materials ("Primegreen") and it surprises that it has dispensed by the reinforcements sewn on both sides by thermosealed strips, highlighting the peculiar shape at the height of the delicate flex area, we will have to wait to see how it behaves.

The rest of the Solar Boost 3 focuses on improving stability with a redesign of the lateral reinforcements ("Energy Rails") that give way to the already known Boost™ midsole integrated with the successor of the Torsion™ system. Torsion system now known as the Linear Energy Push (LEP) which not only adds rigidity to the assembly but also serves as a booster (in the absence of the coveted carbon fiber plate) in each stride. Interesting how the marketing of the German brand seeks to sneak the word "energy" in all commercial names. The outsole also undergoes its own small revolution by abandoning a configuration that was getting good reviews and reducing the amount of rubber used, which is still the result of its collaboration with the prestigious tire manufacturer Continental™.