I wanted to preface this post with a few words to say that this is not a shoe review in its traditional sense. If you would like to see my review on the shoe, I invite you to read this review, which I wrote shortly after the mass launch last year. I have since then ran two pairs of Evo SL into the ground and covered nearly 2000 kilometers in the process between the 3 pairs I own. Looking at the stats just now, I covered over 50% of my running in the last 14 months in the Evo SL. In this post I will go into why, in my opinion, this shoe exists in the first place, why it has taken the market by storm, why it won me over and why I think adidas are about to ruin it with the Evo SL 2.

What is Evo SL and why does it exist?

To understand what adidas did here, firstly we need to go back in time 4-5 years. Back to the time when supershoes were becoming a real and accessible thing for us hobby joggers. Back when Nike was experimenting with using its ZoomX superfoam in trainers like the insanely popular Pegasus Turbo and then the incredibly chaotic Invincible 1. Those shoes paved the way for use of superfoams in daily trainers. There was however one problem - the instability. With the market growing at a rapid rate, flooded with customers who were beginner runners (myself included at the time), those wobbly, incredibly bouncy shoes did not necessarily sit right with the wider audience. They required strong legs and excellent form and if you had neither, you were really just waving your ankles goodbye.

For a year or two after that, the idea was still in the back of everyone’s mind, but the market went in a slightly different direction. The idea of supertrainer was born. Some of you more seasoned RSG’ers will remember the time when by far the most popular and praised shoe on this sub was none other than the Saucony Endorphin Speed. This was the golden standard back then. Superfoam with a plastic plate wedged in the middle to stabilise the platform. The idea was to allow runners to use superfoams, but with a stabilising element in form of a plate/rod inside so they don’t break their ankles. It certainly worked. People could not get enough of the Endorphin Speed and the Endorphin Speed 2.

In the background adidas and ASICS were cooking. These two were about to revolutionise the market of supertrainers. Adidas had the Lightstrike Pro foam, which I believe is the most loved running foam of all time. ASICS had the FF Turbo, which was a less obvious candidate for a trainer at the time. I can still remember the comments from a couple years ago. People did not understand why adidas doesn’t make a full Lightstrike Pro shoe without rods/plates in it. Just to give you an idea, here are some reddit comments from a few years ago:

>Why doesn’t Adidas make a full likestrike pro trainer like the invincible runs? Without rods

>They should release pro version of SL with all lighstrike pro

>I also don't know why Adidas is not releasing it. Just a Novablast 3 with Lightstrike Pro, or a similar shoe to Superblast (achievable with a little bit higher density Lightstrike Pro).

Some others from people who were a bit apprehensive about the idea:

>Just speculation but it might have something to do with the stability of the foam. Maybe it needs to rods to make it more durable

>My guess is that it has to do with the stability of the foam.

>I think that I wouldn't want a running shoe with Lightstrike pro without some kind of more rigid structure, I suppose that it wouldn't be very efficient and stable.

>It might be too much soft , them rods provide rigidity

And crème de la crèm (more on that later):

>Given the pricing of the Superblast, an equivalent with all Lightstrike Pro would certainly be ridiculously overpriced.

You can see a clear pattern there - people who wanted a full Lighstrike Pro trainer, and those who were afraid (and perhaps rightly so) that this shoe would be too unstable or too expensive.

Superblast Revolution

ASICS were the first to deliver what everyone kept asking for - a supertrainer with a race foam and no plate. They used their, at the time, top tier FF Turbo foam and glued a slim layer of a denser FF Blast+ foam to the bottom. People went crazy. Every shoetuber out there said that this is THE ultimate running shoe that everyone’s been asking for and that it could replace your entire rotation. The OG Superblast was selling out within minutes of retailers dropping stock. At full price - an unthinkable back then $200 in the US or £200 in the UK. Yes, £200 for what everyone kept calling a daily trainer. The mods here had to create megathreads for people to share where the Superblast were available to avoid the entire sub being flooded with “I found the Superblasts in stock you guys!” posts coming from all over the world. I managed to get my hands on a pair but honestly I did not get along with them. They were firmer than I expected, upper was too baggy for my feet, and the platform was MASSIVE. It felt like strapping a boat to my feet and as much as I tried, I could not get used to it. I was disappointed. This is not what everyone promised me it would be. The Superblast 2 rectified some of these things and I actually used it extensively, but two problems still remained - why is this thing so bloody wide in the heel and more importantly on earth does it cost £200?! Imagine explaining to your wife why these weird looking trainers are worth paying £200 for.

Evo SL makes an entrance

In the summer 2025 we started getting the first glimpses of what appeared to be EXACTLY what everyone has been asking for. And it was rumoured to retail at £130/$150? Have adidas lost their plot? The running world has gone mad. Full length Lightstrike Pro - the same beloved formula from the insanely popular Adios Pro 3. Stripped down lightweight upper. Reference weight of just 224g. All this for £130 when ASICS are charging £200 for their alternative? I kept thinking to myself - where is the catch? Turns out there was none.

Now let’s acknowledge one thing - the limited release in Autumn 2024 made adidas very unpopular. You had to enter a raffle to be given the opportunity to buy a pair. Supply issues were discussed. Many people thought adidas were just hyping the thing. Whatever caused this, it was not received well at all. Just release the damn thing already - I am pretty sure that is what was going on in everyone’s mind at the time. The Evo SL officially launched to wider public in March 2025. A whopping 5 months after the initial October 2024 launch.

I grabbed a pair as soon as I could and honestly I just started living in this thing. For a number of weeks I used them exclusively for everything. It was the first shoe that felt similar to my all time favourite which I mentioned earlier - the Endorphin Speed 2. A stripped down yet comfortable uptempo trainer that I could use for everything. But instead of that aggressive roll from Speed 2, we had a decent slab of bouncy and resilient foam under the forefoot, which is exactly what I look for in my running shoes. And guess what - the heel is not the size of an aircraft carrier! Finally I was not coming back from every run with mud on my calves like I was with the Superblast - ding, ding ding - jackpot!

From speaking to my friends at the running club and other people here, I am convinced that all the above reasons are why this shoe is the GOAT. People got exactly what they asked for and at a very good price.

The Criticism

Apart from the PR fiasco that was the limited launch, there is one more elephant in the room. Stability. While the shoe has grown incredibly popular, called almost unanimously the shoe of 2025 by every YouTuber and running journalist out there, it was not popular with some people.

All that is because of lack of stability. Do you remember the comments I quoted earlier? There was a reason why supertrainers of the past either had a plate in them or were made stupidly wide to make the platform stable. That was to appeal to the wider audience, including people who needed some mild stability in their shoes. Then in 2024/2025 when everyone is making their shoes wider and stable, comes adidas with their no-nonsense uptempo trainer, bouncy foam, no heel bevels, no plates.

There were some complaints about the tongue, laces and grip, but some of that is down to personal fit and preference so I am going to skip that. I already talked about all this in my original review.

Evo SL of the House Adizero, the First of Its Name, King of Calves, Breaker of Weak Ankles

In adidas’ defence, they always marketed the Evo SL as part of their Adizero line, which was the performance line. It was meant to be a performance model. Unlike the SL2, which ended up in the Adizero line but in my opinion does not belong there. Where it has all gone wrong is shoetubers and influencers pushing the Evo SL as a do-it-all shoe for everyone. It might be the case for a lot of people, but certainly not for everyone. Those runners, especially beginners, who genuinely need stability in their running shoes tried to do exactly what they heard on YouTube - using these every day for every type of run. But guess what happens when a runner with weaker and less conditioned legs tries to run 20, 30, 40 or 60 miles a week in an unstable shoe. Well, they get ankle pains and injuries. I never considered myself as needing stability and even I ended up getting a different shoe for long runs, but I still did everything else in the Evo SL.

For those who lacked the strength - there are probably better choices in adidas’ line up such as the Supernova Rise or the SL 2. For those who are better conditioned to use this type of footwear - we absolutely loved it.

Prior to getting the Evo SL, in my rotation I had a daily trainer, a tempo trainer, a workout trainer, a long run trainer and a race shoe. After getting the Evo SL, they were good enough to do the daily, tempo and workout miles. That’s 5 shoes down to 3. That is why it has been a gamechanger for myself and many other people.

Do you know the saying “Jack of all trades and master of none"? Well to me Evo SL was the jack of all trades and master of them all. That’s why I believe it’s a phenomenal offering from adidas.

Evo SL Evolution

In 2025 we received three more variants.

Firstly I will briefly touch on the Evo SL EXO. Adidas says “EXOSKELETON fit system provides support and precision with each stride”. Ok adidas, whatever that is supposed to mean. There is certainly more structure in the upper but I really do not understand why this version even exists. Perhaps an attempt to add stability via an upper upgrade? Who knows. I don’t know anyone who bought or ran in this thing.

Second update was the Evo SL ATR. A winterised version with some shallow lugs on the outsole to help with grip in winter/wet conditions, rubberised water resistant upper elements, a pull tab and gusseted tongue. Great idea if you ask me, but rather niche. Which is probably why it’s being discounted by 40% not long after launch.

And last but not least the Evo SL Woven. Now this in my opinion is the one that deserves the most attention from this trio. This is an Evo SL 1.5. It could have easily been marketed as the Evo SL 2 and no one would think adidas are being lazy. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it, right? Fit has been improved, tongue is now gusseted and slightly beefed up in terms of padding and upper has a slightly nicer, less plasticky material. You can clearly see adidas are looking at customer feedback, including this subreddit. I currently run in this version and consider it superior to the OG Evo SL. Although there is one downside - they are less breathable. Acceptable trade off for a better fit if you ask me.

So you know by this point that I absolutely adore this shoe so let’s move on to the part where I say why I think adidas will likely ruin this.

Evo SL 2 - quo vadis adidas?

It is safe to say that we have all seen the leaks of Evo SL 2. It is clear that they changed it to align the design with their latest language used on Pro 5, Pro Evo 3 etc. It looks beefier, wider, there’s more rubber on the outsole.There are some rumours of a slightly different formulation of Lightstrike Pro being used.

I might have a slight PTSD from shoes like Speed 2, Rebel v3 etc. going exactly in that direction so please excuse my scepticism when I say - to me that reads: stability, stability, stability, heavy, tame, less exciting, cumbersome etc. etc.

I strongly believe that adidas have something special here and it makes me really nervous when rather than an evolution, like we got with the Evo SL Woven, it looks like we are about to get a revolution type of update. All in an attempt to appeal to customers, who I think were not in the target group for this model in the first place. Is it because they realised the Supernova Rise is not getting enough traction as this daily workhorse, despite them really pushing it a couple months ago?

I really hope I am wrong in all this. I guess we will find out at the Berlin launch in September.

u/highdon

Returning to driving - L-plate while driver holds a license?

The phenomenon of Evo SL and why I think adidas are about to ruin it