The Adidas Hyperboost Edge Is Your New Super Trainer
Some running shoes strutting around town, whipping up the hype, making big promises. Like the Nike Vaporfly or Puma Fast-R Nitro 3 Elite, the Adidas Hyperboost Edge ($200) promises to usher in “a new era of road running,” with an all-new super-shoe DNA: a giant stack of new super foam, lightweight uppers, and a bold new design.
It certainly looks a lot different than the shoes we might have laced up just a few years ago. But what is it Really different from those so-called super trainers like the Hyperboost Edge? Here, I’ll break down what’s going on inside the new wave of high-performance running shoes and whether they’ll really make you faster.
If you don’t really mind cutting your mileage down by a minute or two, be sure to check out the rest of our outdoor buying guides, including the Best Running Shoes, Best Gravel Running Shoes, and Best Running Socks.
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The Adidas Hyperboost Edge joins a growing line of running shoes that attempt to translate the high-tech of running “super shoes” into “super sneakers,” delivering some of the speed and feel of a running shoe in a more everyday usable package.
The super trainer recipe often combines a big stack of lightweight, high-energy super foam with a nylon or carbon plate and a weight-saving racing-style upper. There is also a growing trend toward plate-less super sneakers, in response to concerns that racking up too many miles in carbon-plated shoes increases the risk of injury. But we’ll talk about it again in a month.
The Hyperboost Edge is Adidas’ first non-plated super trainer and follows in the footsteps of shoes like the Asics Megablast and Saucony Endorphin Azura, surprisingly versatile all-around running shoes that can cover most of your weekly miles. It’s the shoe sandwich that allows them to protect your legs while helping you run further and faster.
The magic of the midsole
Carbon plates often grab the headlines, but midsole foam really creates the super shoe magic. When I started running in 2009, the primary midsole material was still ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which had been in use since the late 1970s and still in use today. EVA is padded (to a point), stable, durable and cheap. But foam technology has evolved. Supercritical gas-infused foams, like the Hyperboost Pro polyether amide block (PEBA) in the Edge, are now creating a buzz.
Supercritical foams are made by injecting a gas, such as CO₂ or nitrogen, under high pressure into the midsole as it forms in the mold. In a supercritical state, the gas is neither liquid nor gaseous, but both at the same time. When the pressure is reduced, the gas expands inside the foam to create bubbles or cells that give the foam its lighter, bouncier properties.
