So many of my shoe purchases start out with sore feet. In this case it was a sore left bunion, and maybe it is caused by my too-small pair of Brook Ricochets or maybe my worn out
Brooks Levitate 2s.
In any case, I went to my local shoe store, and checkout the Brooks Levitate 3's, but they are built as a slip-on shoe without shoe tongue, and so the laces cannot be used to adjust the tightness of the upper. I had a pair of shoes like once (
PureBoost ZG), and while they was comfortable for standing in, they could NOT be held tightly enough on my foot. My toes either hit the front of the toe box, or the knit fabric puckered when I tightened down on the largely decorative shoe laces. Eventually I took the laces off, and used them as slippers around the house. They are still comfortable to stand in.
I read some reviews, and decided to try Adidas Solar Boost ST. I selected them because they seem to address the problems that I had with my last
Boost shoes, which is too little structure, and generally floppiness to them. Of course, the Boost sole is springy and does a great job of protecting my foot. They also last a long time.
Solar Boost has somewhat less Boost expanded polyurethane and two structural features. It has a thermoplastic olefin bead between the midsole and the upper for support, and it has a dumbbell shaped nylon insert that keeps the shoe from twisting. The higher-end Boost shoes always had nylon inserts, and this version has an even larger one.
It has a knitted upper that is stretched comfortable. While the styling isn't the flashiest, this color isn't so bad.
In size 11, the SolarBoost weighs 338 g, which is 27g or 7% less than the Brook's Levitate 2s they replaced. They are about the same as my old Brooks Ghost 9's (335g). More numb
2020 Solar Boost 338 g
Brooks Levitate 2 365 g
Brooks Ghost 9 335 g
2018 Pure Boost 335 g
2015 Boost SuperNova 335 g
2012 Energy Boost 300 g
In the view below you can see how the white polyolefin elastomer near the heel provides some support and protection, but does not extend around the back of the heel.
In the following photo, one can see the nylon support that prevents twisting. This shoe sole has the
Continental Tire logo. Continental has a cooperative agreement with Adidas since 2007. My 2017 Pure Boost shoes has a similar looking black rubber outersole, but no Continental logo. My
Boost SuperNova has a different style outersole.
In the photo below, one can see the triangle of the nylon stabilizer extending around on the inside heel. Maybe this is for some sort of added support, or maybe it is a styling feature.
The photo below shows the weaving in the upper. It really looks like a sock in this image.
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August 2018 Update
I now have 500 miles on these shoes, and they are still doing well. They are my favorite pair of shoes now. I like them so much that I bought another pair. In the summertime, my shoes get wet from sweaty and I like to give them a day to dry out.
