If the adidas F50 adiZero turns out to be anyway decent, then the speed boot market place is going to get a whole lot hotter.
As it stands, it could be argued that when it comes to technology and weight, the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly sits on top of the pile.
Having ironed out those initial teething problems, the Nike football boots have gone from strength to strength, certainly in the pro game at least. Mind you, the likes of Ronaldo and Walcott don’t have to fork out £225 a time for the honour of playing in them. Performance and Flywire technology notwithstanding, in these tough economic times, over £200 for a pair of football boots is a stiff amount to pay.
Of course, by the time the F50 adiZero makes an appearance, the Superfly II will have already been revealed. Don’t rule out a price drop from those marketing boys at Nike. They’re clever that way. And of course, there is always the more reasonably priced Vapor V and yet to be seen VaporVI.
PUMA made a bit of a howler with the initial colourway of the v1.10 but have hit back strongly with the Gold / Black / Red version which has received some very strong publicity during the African Cup of Nations. Angola is also being used as a great shop window for the original boot which, from a distance, isn’t really that bad. On pre-order now is the v1.10 in Black / Red / White and of course, the K-Leather version which has received some serious praise since it was featured on Footy Boots.
Pricewise too, they’ve got it about right at £120 and £130 for the K-Leather.
There are other speed football boots which shouldn’t be counted out but in truth, most of them could be afforded cult status as opposed to worldwide mass appeal, so it’s definitely PUMA and Nike that adidas will be looking to have a go at.
So what will adidas need to do to get a foot hold in this ‘blue riband’ sector.
Price will be important but with a release date not expected until the Spring (at least) it’s not particularly easy to get a handle on where these boots will be positioned though a figure of £120 is being bandied about.
Weight will be crucial and if the reports doing the rounds on the message boards and cyber space are to be believed, then each boot is coming in at 160g, that’s 25g less than the current Superfly.
It’s also thought that the SprintSkin tehnology will have a major role to play following its d'©but on the F50i.
As for the whole look, there are a few boot-leg pictures out there but more importantly, a few images now of professional players giving them a try in training. So keep your eyes peeled.
And then there is performance, or at least, as much performance that you can squeeze in to boot that weighs about the same as two-thirds of a tub of margarine!
Whatever adidas has in store, it’s going to cause an all-mighty shake-up with the German brand having previously come under fire for not doing enough for the out and out speedster. That looks like it’s going to change big-time and we can’t wait.
brilliant i spoke too soon, good stuff FB
Thanks Connor – saw your comment as we were halfway through preparing the piece. Great minds eh!
Good idea to compare the speed boots. think the new adizero looks great.
superfly is the best
the cost of the Superfly I feel is just ridiculous for anyone other than a professional. I think Mizuno’s Wave Ghost deserves a mention though thanks to their revolutionary upper and also the fact that it weighs less than the Vapor V while still remaining affordable
Seeing all the boot-leg and leaked photos, I can safely presume that anyone with a level head when purchasing a boot will definitely look at the Adizero with much much approval. Of course, Nike/Puma/other brand die-hards will remain die-hards, but other than them, this boot is going to shake up the market place.
This post reminds me one I think Kyle wrote about Football Boots that can make you run faster?
or something like that.
I don’t believe any football boots can make you run faster. I would never buy a boot just because it “says” it can make u run faster.
Hi Splinter, I think you may mean this post by Andy.
http://www.footy-boots.com/can-football-boots-make-you-faster-7689/
And the basic premise is pretty much as you have it…if you aren’t very quick to start with, wearing ‘speed’ boots isn’t going to magic you into Usain Bolt!
i pooped a little when i saw these, they look intruiging if i may say so myself
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/3469/f70.jpg
if its any of the other pics i’ve been seeing, then adidas have produced a frankenstein boot…disgusting
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ADIDAS-F50-Adizero-FG-Yellow-Black_W0QQitemZ160395052670QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Football_Rugby_Boots?hash=item25584a467e#ht_573wt_1165
HERE are the adizeros.
saw this well good video on
y o u t u b e of the adidas adizero i will post the link i rated 5 stars its a top vid! take a look- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYnQnO5TmVo
Just an FYI, I took a size 8.5 UK (size 9 US) F50 Adizero, on a digital scale with the tags still on it, it weighed in at 163 grams, and as a comparison we placed a blackberry on afterward and it weighed twice as much as the boot.
This boot looks fantastic. I can’t wait to wear it.
the new adidas boot look horrible, but lighter than the nike boot, and cheaper, must give a chance
yup.. this boot will be half as much as something like the current Tunits, or the lasers.
damn!
a speed boot can also give the wearer the mentality to ‘think’ that they are faster, because they are wearing such light boots, and that mentality can come in handy sometimes.
but other than that, my puma v1.06’s let me run at the speed i run for a longer duration of time than my laser II’s do.
having myself underestimated speed boots, i have a pair of superflys and f50i, i think that it doesn’t really make a difference it only gives you a little more confidence and it isn’t going to help you in a 40 meter sprint so kinda pointless
anyway i think the F50 adizeros look really really disgusting and if they are the same material as the F50i i’ll just stick with them
from all technologies and gimmicks alike that are applied to modern football boots this far; give more swerve, more protection, more kicking power, better touch, better pass.. i always thought “lighter” as the underdog (strange enough, it is the most expensive when applied -followed by k-leather’s touch).
i mean, u could learn how to give swerve to your shots. u could learn the right kicking form to generate more power. but u can’t learn to run 100m in 10 seconds; it’s a gift from God to people like Christiano, Theo, Pato, and Deejay (my club’s left forward).
i learn to put more swerve when i got myself a pair of the powerswerve. the rubber vamps gave nice visual reference about where i should be striking the ball to Bend it like Beckham. (i think it’s Matt who was saying something like this too in his boot review).
with laser II: when i volley the ball, i always aim to put it right in the center of my precision rings. everytime i got it right and accurate, it felt so sweet, i swear i could almost see the impact in my head.
but i am sorry to say that not mercurials nor adizero gave me any idea of how should i run any faster then the potato sack i am now. inspire me to run faster, maybe. make me actually run any faster, not.
so, this might be a great news for a minority of exceptional speedy gonzales out there. but sadly not for me.
PS: adizero’s three stripes looks kinda hideous. i understand they make it horizontal to give more “speed” effect. but let’s just see how people responses to this 🙂
i’ll be interested in these, although im very happy with my vapor iv and vapor v. both are light enough and not quite as flimsy as superfly
cost is a big issue for me. my sg boots are vapor v because they were in a sale. my fg boots are vapor iv but i got them worn off ebay. so we’ll see how price effects this new adidas boot.
as for running fast, compared to a pro, im probably a carthorse. last i ran 100m i did it in about 12 seconds, but that was before i started training again, so i honestly think i’d be faster now. I’m built like a sprinter, and against other amateurs i’ll happily feel like i can out pace anyone. its all to do with the level you’re at. Im not as fast as ronaldo, but relativly to the level i play, i do feel like it 🙂
It’s not only the speed that attracts people to speed boots. Boots like this are marketed as being easier to run with the ball and perform cut back and such. The Puma v. series is testament to this, with an exceptional stud configuration plus always using materials that aid in the running with a ball. The lightness of a boot has a psych effect when performing stepovers and such, but what the boots are mainly used for is the brilliant grippiness and touch of these boots to help running and tricking with the ball.
@editor
Yeah that is the post about the football boots making you faster! So it was Andy that wrote it, I got confused then!
Thanks for that EDITOR! 🙂
and you forgot the umbro stealth pro 😉 anyway great article
is is me or does every ‘speed’ boot seem to have some ridiculous colourway such as bright pink or yellow.
Professionals however only seem to pick these colours, therefore meaning any fans will buy the boot, no matter what colour it is!
Personally ive grown to like the speed themed boots not because i believe they cut down my sprint times but more because of how light my feet feel when im wearing them. they give me the free feeling you get playing in your mesh indoors or beach soccer with just some pre wrap and tape on my feet.
Speaking of Vapors, did anyone else notice Bendtner wearing the womens white and red Vapors? Not a suprise, as he did wear the berrys. Personally I still wear the Vapor III’s as I find them more comfortable than any of the newer Vapors, though I’m on my third pair and with them gettign rarer and more expensive I might have to get something new when these give out.