Adidas Intelligence Shoes - Page 2 - Gear

ed_m (a.k.a. ultra bunny)

07/12/2005 at 16:56

" i suppose people like ed_m"

and pray tell what am i like? !

if you beleive maximum cushioning on a running shoe is a good thing then gel & air were advances that improved the shoe.

i can't see how actively changing the cushioning of a shoe is of any benefit:
- my weight doesn't fluctuate THAT much!
- my gait even less so.
- terrain? well i run trail ok in road shoes, unless they change the tread automatically i can't see a benefit.

so back to the OP.... and the my unanswered question.. why?

"An intelligent shoe that calculates your height, weight and gait and supports your foot accordingly."

what is accordingly?

Boozeboy

07/12/2005 at 17:55

By people like YOU I meant sceptics.
This is a concept that "could" alter the way shoes are made in the future.

Actively changing the support of the shoe dependent on your own physical shape, running chrachteristics and the surface underfoot must surely be the most bespoke form of shoe one could have.
Yes your weight doesn't fluctuate that much, nor your gait but it certainly does compared to the next man who happens to fall within the traget audience of a particular kind of current shoe.
If the upshot of this development is a shoe more bespoke to you then that's good, right ?
The "accordingly" means "for YOU ed_m"!

nrg-b

07/12/2005 at 18:08

£175 buys me 8 pairs of Puma H Streets and I have 15 quid left over for a Beer & Curry.

;-))

Seriously, the intelligence is already in the runner.

ed_m (a.k.a. ultra bunny)

07/12/2005 at 21:22

so they make a realy expensive shoe that can adapt itself to tom dick or harry.

tom buys a pair, it adapts itself over the first 50miles and lies dormant for the rest of ts life.... dick buys a pair, it adapts itself over the first 50miles and lies dormant for the rest of its life... harry goes to the pub.

no benefit to tom dick or harry compared to buying the right shoe in the first place?!

sceptical yes.. for the reasons i've explained.

a bespoke shoe would need to be alot more than variable cushioning to be worth £175!

Recovery Runner

07/12/2005 at 21:59

I was in a local shoe emporium today (fashion, not sports) and picked up a 1970s pair of Asics. I don't think many running shops would sell them now as the vast majority of runners wouldn't wear them. The reason is that technology has changed and shoes have simply got better in every way.
Similarly we don't drive 1970s Ford Escorts or gather as a family around the radiogram.

Whether this new Adidas idea takes off or not, we'll just have to wait and see. I for one applaud them for trying - how do you know if it works unless you give it a bash ?

Not sure why there's the strength of feeling against it. If you don't want to try then don't - you may be right.

Boozeboy

08/12/2005 at 10:48

it's called change, and some people are frightened of it..

fat buddha

08/12/2005 at 11:07

it's also called marketing and branding

many products are released by big companies as a way of drawing interest to the company (branding), and not necessarily because the product offers any significant advantage over what has gone before........

that fact that Adidas have slapped a chip into the shoe is embracing modern consumer electronics........"oh look - it's got a chip in it - must be better" sort of approach.......it generates interest

it may work, it may not, it may have a future, but I guarantee that it will get people interested and loads will shell out £175 for them making Adidas a load of money and keeping their brand image up there against Nike, Reebok et al.....

Go Pre

12/12/2005 at 15:14

Personally I'm not a fan of adi shoes - but I know that every runner is different and some makes fit people / work for people better than others.

My biggest issue with the adidas_1 is that I don't see the point. Your body's natural running action accomodates differences in surfaces it is running on - the brain knows if it is running on a soft surface as opposed to a firm surface and reacts accordingly. It will do this in a split-second, whereas the adi shoe will change the cushioning only every 8 steps. I can only think that this will inhibit the body's natural understanding - the brain can know what surface you are running on, but it is not going to know how and when the shoe is going to react to this and firm or soften.

cougie

pirate

12/12/2005 at 15:31

As an exercise it may be interesting but the technology isn't good enough yet.

The only reason to buy this shoe is because you like gimmicks and you have more money than sense.

In the future though - who knows ?

M.ister W

12/12/2005 at 23:28

Our body is amazingly adaptable and can cope with running on all sorts of different surfaces. I can't help feeling that we should be designing shoes that work with the body's natural adaptability rather than against it.

Go Pre

13/12/2005 at 07:47

I do agree with some of the comments on here - you have to applaud companies for trying new things.

It does seem as though anytime something new comes out, many people are inherently against it.

My advice is to keep an open mind and give it a go. If it suits you, fantastic. If it doesn't, try something else. Fair enough, the variety of shoes on the market does indeed make it difficult to select the one that is perfect for you, but at least you know your perfect shoe is out there...somewhere!

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