Adidas – Christine's Reviews

Testing the Reebok Z Strike Elite AND the Reebok One Distance 2.0

By christine August 16, 2016 August 16, 2016 Shopping, Shops, Sport

This is a slightly unusual review since it deals with 2 different Reebok shoes, one of which I had to return due to a flaw.

On 28 June 2016 I bought a pair of Reebok Z Strike Elite shoes from the Reebok store in DLF Mall, New Delhi, India.

This was my first Reebok purchase & I was impressed by the knowledgable sales staff (despite it being sale time, so busier than usual) and I bought a lovely blue pair of shoes:

I now possessed 3 pairs of running shoes (#takingmyrunningseriously) and since I was part of a #100daysofrunning challenge, and therefore running every day, I rotated between my reeboks and 2 pairs of Adidas shoes.

I was running an average of 10k per day, but not wearing any pair of shoes on 2 consecutive days. From the very first run, these shoes felt comfortable, great and cushion-y (is that a technical term?) and very light. No teething problems, no blisters, nothing.

From Day One I loved the Z Strike Elite, and instagrammed to that effect.

Here you go, just a few images.

Took my shoes to Borneo:

And to Kuala Lumpur:

But…at 162 km (I log my usage on mapmyrun.com) holes suddenly appeared in the heel area of both shoes. Like so:

I contacted Reebok – and this part of my review now covers their customer service.

5 August: I email Reebok, sending the photos I have just shown you (above).

6 August: Reebok Customer Care replies, apologizing and asking for details, including a scan of the original invoice, which I didn’t have to hand, so on the

7 August: I sent a copy of my credit card statement.

9 August: Reebok replies asking me to get a duplicate invoice from the store.

OK.

10 August: I went back to the store in DLF mall, where they kindly printed out a duplicate invoice in no time at all, which I emailed to Customer Care.

11 August: Reebok email me to say I could go ahead and claim my replacement shoes.

Score card for Customer Service?

10/10.

They were quick, polite and efficient, as indeed were the staff in the shop.

BUT sadly the much-loved Z Strike Elite were no longer in stock, & so I had to get a different shoe, and pay around Rs3000 on top, since the sales are over.

So, with some regret – it’s out with the Z Strike & in with One Distance 2.0

I did my first run in these shoes this morning, and first impressions?

I like them. A lot.

I like the tag at the back when you put them on:

Love the lime green.

They felt as cushion-y and bouncy and comfortable from the word go as the Z Strike Elite.

Now, though, I shall watch the heels like a hawk, hoping there isn’t a repeat performance.

Has anyone else experienced this? The inner lining wearing out so quickly?

The store manager suggested it might be because I kept my shoes laced and pushed my feet in and out.

I absolutely don’t, and told him so. So I actually have no explanation as to why the Z Strike Elite wore out so soon.

Anyway, onwards & upwards as they say – and let’s see how the One Distance 2.0 perform.

I’ll post a follow up review in a few weeks.

Neither Reebok nor the store knew that I blogged and I paid for the shoes myself.

No comments

Follow up review of Adidas Climachill Cosmic Boost shoes

By christine August 29, 2015 August 29, 2015 Uncategorized

I received a fairly alarming message from the good folk at mapmyrun.com. It started “On your last leg…” which at my age is a tad disconcerting.

Here it is:

Almost as alarming as the one I received (& ignored) 2 weeks ago, mentioning a midlife crisis.

I know they are talking about my shoes, and not me, but at my age, these comments hit home 🙂

Anyway, there you are.

Hardly seems possible, but I have run 493km since July 14th in my lovely Adidas Climachill Cosmic Boost shoes. They still seem (and indeed look) so new that they don’t feel (or look) on their last legs at all. Unlike their owner.

Running every day in these shoes through the Delhi monsoons has been a breeze. They really do not hold the water, and they dry off so quickly.

On those days when the rain was more like mud, I have washed the shoes and they dry pretty quickly, too.

So instead of lumbering along in sodden shoes and thick sodden socks, I have been able to run through rain without worrying about it. And that factor has seriously helped my running. I just run on, regardless, rather than trying to dodge the puddles and mud.

Take last Sunday, for example, at a promo 10km run by the good folks who run the Bengalaru marathon*** & who are (oh happiness) bringing a full marathon here to Delhi next year.

The heavens opened just before we set off – while we were all warming up – and it drizzled much of the time, and then absolutely poured down again (around the halfway point of the race). At one point, it was raining cats and dogs, but I didn’t even think about my feet. My glasses, yes. But not my feet, and I didn’t feel that chilling dampness in my feet when I eventually splashed my way into the Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium & the finish line.

The shoes are still in great condition, with only one teensy lose thread (below) which I actually noticed right at the start, only a few days after I started wearing the shoes back in July. It seemed churlish to bring this up in my first review of the shoes, because everything else was perfect, so I didn’t. Even now, to be honest, the lose thread has stayed the same, not getting worse, so it’s no big deal.Will I buy these again, when, sadly, I can no longer ignore the warnings from mapmyrun.com?

Definitely.

*** And yes, indeed. Adidas is also a sponsor of the Bengalaru Marathon.

No comments

Putting the Adidas Climachill Cosmic Boost Shoes through their paces

By christine August 5, 2015 August 5, 2015 Clothing, Sport

Having seemingly only “just” bought a new pair of Adidas Energy Boost running shoes, it hardly seemed possible that I was running through them so quickly. (Pun intended).

But the facts were there for all to see.

I bought my “old” shoes at the end of April, and by dint of running every day, I was indeed using them up.

The demands of a #100daysofrunning challenge I signed up for on 1 May, made me realise something: you really do need a second pair of running shoes, especially when you are training through the Indian monsoon season.

And so, since I am rapidly becoming something of a one-woman Adidas fan club, I went for another Adidas shoe, the Climachill Cosmic Boost.

What attracted me to these shoes was the new climachill technology, which is supposed to keep you cool and is quick drying – both ideal features in our hot muggy summers. Between the heat and the monsoon downpours, this new technology seems to fit the bill.

Here, let Adidas tell you all the technical specs in their own words:

Climachill Cosmic Boost Shoes

Log more miles, log cooler miles with these men’s running shoes. Made with boost™ in the midsole, the shoes return energy to your step. Featuring a breathable mesh upper and climachill™ that cools your feet.

Weight: 7.6 ounces (size 9)
boost™’s energy-returning properties keep every step charged with an endless supply of light, fast energy
climachill™ helps keep you cool with active 360-degree ventilation and quick-drying, micro-perforated Aerocool fabric
Engineered mesh upper with various types of mesh in different areas of the foot
Bootee construction for comfortable fit
Grippy outsole
Imported

The first thing I loved about these gorgeous shoes (other than the colour…ooh, the colour) was the ease of putting them on.

Don’t laugh.

The only thing I don’t like about my lovely Energy Boost shoes (and I mentioned this in my review) was the fact that the tongue doesn’t open very wide, meaning it’s a bit of a struggle to get the shoes on without damaging the back. I have resorted to using a shoe horn to get them on.

No such problem with the Climachill Cosmic Boost.

They are oh-so-light and slip on easily, from the first wear.

The design of the tongue is different, the backs of the shoes are flexible, and they feel comfy from the start.

I was intrigued by the soles, which really do have holes going all the way through.

Foolishly, for their very first outing I wore thick double-layered running socks, and the inevitable happened.

The shoes felt too tight and not particularly light and airy as they should have done.

It was silly of me, agreed, because the whole USP of these lovely shoes is their airiness, their quick-drying and their ventilation – and so wearing thick socks was clearly counter-productive.

Entirely my own fault.

So, on the second day I wore thin socks and boy, did the shoes feel lovely and light.

I have wide feet, and so on the first day, when I was wearing those wretched thick socks, I panicked that the shoes were the wrong size. But as from day 2, no such issues. Thinner socks means they feel comfortable and (I realise this isn’t a technical term) I hardly notice I am wearing them.

Is it shallow of me to love their looks?

Nah, not a bit of it.

I love the colour, love the fabric, love the laces, love the eyelets…in a word, love the look of these shoes.

One of the main things that struck me about these shoes was their lightness. They cushion your feet, but don’t feel at all weighty.

The souls felt nice and flexible from the start, but I do have one unresolved question.

To wit: I am a new runner, and so possibly not as savvy as I should be, but with shoes like these – designed with vents in the soles – I clearly can’t wear my special orthotic insoles, as they would be as counter-productive as my thick socks.

So…where does that leave me? Should I alternate these shoes with my others (in which I have orthotic soles)?

I have run several times in the rain in these shoes, and they really did seem to dry quickly. There was no sensation of splashing along, weighed down by damp fabric or damp socks.

I wore these shoes for the first time on 15 July 2015 which means that today (5 August) I have had my Climachill Cosmic Boost shoes for precisely 22 days.

I have so far run a little over 200km in them, and so imagine my horror when I got a chatty message from the running app on my phone, telling me I am already over 1/4 of the way through the suggested life of these beauties.

Conclusion?

Delighted with my Climachill Cosmic Boost.

Would I choose them again when – sadly – they wear out?

Most definitely.

No comments

Putting Adidas Revenergy Boost running shoes through their paces

By christine January 8, 2015 January 12, 2015 Shopping, Sport, Uncategorized

At the end of September 2014 I bought a pair of Adidas Revenergy Boost running shoes, and 3 months later I think a reasonable enough amount of time has elapsed to review them.

I am a newbie runner, meaning I am not super knowledgeable about running shoes, but these Revenergy Boost shoes suit me down to a T.

The soles are lovely and bouncy (I’m sure that’s not an acceptable technical term, but you know what I mean) and still are after 3 months of almost daily use. I only wear them to run, so they are not being worn all day, in other words.

Just one thing. After exactly 2 weeks, the inside heel areas started to bobble (see below) & so I contacted Adidas to ask if this was normal.

Had to chase them and chase them for a reply, which when it finally came told me rather peremptorily that this was not at all a reason to exchange or replace the shoes.

OK then.

Just seemed soon for wear & tear.

2 weeks = 14 days = 22 hours of use, give or take an hour.

Otherwise, absolutely no complaints.

I bought my shoes in Delhi, and they cost me Rs9599. I paid for them and told neither the shop, nor Adidas when I complained, that I blog and write reviews.

Will I buy another pair when these are worn out?

Yes, I think so, despite a poor after-sales experience.