Ultraboost: Hype or Hitter?
Whether it is associated with fashion, health, sports, or the automotive industry, it seems that there is one extraordinarily influential entity that surrounds them. Hype. For some reason, hordes of individuals will come together to collectively worship items in a cult like fashion. This type of supportive atmosphere is extremely admirable, but when businesses and entrepreneurs try to exploit that by marking up prices and falsely creating a scarce market, it contributes to the negative connotation of such a powerful force. In the recent years of sneakers many of us have ridden the new wave of what’s trending and what’s popular. No shoe can justify their price. That’s fact. Some do offer higher quality, durable materials and midsole technology that makes clouds look like brick houses. Currently one of the most sought after models both retail and resell are the Adidas Ultraboost. Normally intended as running shoe, many as well as myself, like to wear them casually and for times when you’ll be walking or on your feet most of the day. The Ultraboost is a model that never seems to stay in stock and it’s a shoe that is circulated through resell, and will most likely continue to remain at the top of the charts.
I’ve had my UBs for about a month now and I can honestly say these are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. The only issue I have with them is their sizing. Adidas is notorious for having the most erratic an inconsistent sizing among shoe brands. I currently have two pairs myself. My Core Blacks I went TTS and at 10.5 I felt quite a bit of room at the toe box which isn’t as uncomfortable casually as it is when running on a treadmill. As for my Triple Whites, I went down half a size and they fit much better, although about 1/3 of an inch of space remains at the toe, but it isn’t that noticeable.
As for the materials, the upper is comprised of a one piece sock like construction made of primeknit. It’s stretchy, forgiving, and 100% breathable. The knit pattern is also very aesthetically pleasing. It resembles the channels in dessert sand and adds a subtle complexity to the shoe. The laces are looped through TPU side panels that lightly encase the lateral and medial sides of the shoe and add more dimension to the silhouette. The rear has an extended lip that serves as a pull tab, and two small cups at the base of the heel for stability. The outsole is cored out to allow for compression of the Boost, but is constructed with Continental rubber for durability. Now we come to the bread and butter of the shoe. The midsole. At first, I was not at all impressed with boost. It just looked like Styrofoam stuck to the bottom of a shoe. I thought it was weak, it would get chipped so easily and it would be firm. But after toying with implementations of boost in various shoes, (D Rose 6, CrazyLight Boost Low) I began to understand how amazing boost was. In the UB, the midsole is very absorbent. The rebound is amazing and almost seems to give energy to your steps. I don’t feel any soreness or pain when taking my shoes off after work. I can feel individual parts of the midsole compress as my weight distributes throughout the shoe. It’s an amazing feeling, and almost ruins every other shoe out there
With that being said, I don’t see a way to justify such a steep price point. Even if you got them at retail, I don’t think it’s an appropriate figure to spend. Luckily for me I only spent $10 above MSRP, which is probably cheaper than retail + tax anyway. There are shoes in the Adidas line that implement full length boost that are drastically lower. The NMDs, although not as comfortable retail for $140, and even the Crazy Light Boost Low retails for $120 as performance shoe, but still a shoe that is comfortable and reliable. In my opinion $180 is an unreasonable price. A price that is revved up by fanatics and a manipulated market. The Ultraboost is driven by hype, but make no mistake it is undoubtedly a hitter.
-Jonas Luke
