Gear Review - Adidas Outdoor Terrex Fast R Trail Shoe

Adidas isn't exactly an outdoor company.  I mean they make top notch soccer and team sports apparel and footwear, but you wouldn't be caught dead at the climbing crag in Adidas product, right?  That has all changed in the last year and a half.  Adidas has jumped head first into the outdoor market with Adidas Outdoor.  Adidas Outdoor offers everything from superlight trail running and approach shoes to soft and hardshell jackets and pants.  They have signed athletes like Sasha Digiulian and Thomas Huber and they recently bought the iconic climbing shoe brand Five Ten.  Adidas Outdoor definitely has the dollars to be significant and impact the outdoor industry, but are they doing it the right way?  Do their products perform at the same level as the competition or better, or are they just limping into an extremely tight knit industry with ruthless innovation cycles?  In the end, what I am asking is, is the product right?  I recently got a pair of Terrex Fast R trail shoes from Adidas Outdoor and have given them a month of heavy use.  I must say for their first foray into the outdoor industry they are definitely doing things correct.  The Terrex Fast R is comfortable and has every feature you would want from a lightweight trail runner, like durability, an easy lacing system and comfort.

The first real test I had for them was a day of bouldering at Lincoln Lake up at Mt. Evans in Colorado.  The trail down to the boulders is fairly technical and there is plenty of rock hopping once in the boulder field.  The Terrex Fast R from Adidas Outdoor performed extremely well.  The fit and comfort was great and the ankle support was fair for a trail runner.  Jumping and landing, even with extra weight from my crashpad, was no problem and traction on firm and loose terrain was top notch.  While we were bouldering it started to down pour and we had to hike out in miserable conditions. The traction for the Terrex Fast R was still great on wet rocks and on the trail in mud and wet grass.  I did notice a little bit of pinky toe rub after a full day of hiking straight down and then up 3 miles of trail, but I think on rolling terrain while running this shoe would perform great.  I highly recommend this shoe for lightweight approach and low to mid distance trail running.  

These shoes breathe incredibly well too and the speed lacing is a pretty great feature.  The onyl draw back to the speed lacing is that it is not quite as good as what Salomon offers on pretty much every one of their models.  The lacing twists and make loosening and tightening the shoe difficult and there is no tuck area for the laces on the tongue like Salomon does.  Instead you have to send them down to the end of the show and wrap around a bungee tab.  Not the best thing to do because they are exposed and still bounce around a little, but overall it works good enough.  The removable Ortholite insole and overall durability of the shoe make up for its shortfalls and overall these shoes are great.  The fit, features and traction are all stellar and I really didn't have any complaints that would keep me from buying this shoe.

Final Say:
Fit, form, function.  Yep, this shoe takes care of it all.