Adidas Megabounce+ 2008

Megabounce or Megahype? Let's find out...

This shoe is the latest evolution of Adidas's original pillar like vertical cushioning system named the a3. A few years ago, I remember seeing one of the first Adidas shoes which had the a3 cushioning unit in them - they were nothing more than vertical pillars of stiff foam in the heel which was meant to absorb heel impact forces. But sadly, Adidas wasn't the first to introduce cushioning columns in a shoe - Nike beat them to it in form of the Shox, which they launched around a decade back. But Adidas has tinkered around with the a3, first evolving the shape of the foam a3 pillars and then gradually moving on to flexible TPU (Thermo Plastic Urethane) units, which first did duty on the Gigaride, the earlier version of Megabounce. Man, all these names, they sound straight out of the 'Transformers' movie. What was the name of the rogue robot? Megatron? Anyway...

Adidas had made a lot of noise around the Megabounce last year and this has continued into 2008 - when I bought this shoe, I saw larger than life posters and images of it inside the store, so I guess the new Megabounce and its other siblings will continue to be Adidas's center of focus for at least the first few months of 2008. The Megabounce is positioned as a running shoe which in the brand's words, will bring in "more bounce with every step". Also, Adidas has a full arsenal of Bounce shoes across different pricepoints, including the microbounce and other versions with heel only bounce cushioning.

A new twist to the "bounce" tale: The Adidas Megabounce 2008 has a brand new upper and color.

A tale of two softies: An extra pair of sockliners comes free with the shoe. Last year's version of the Megabounce had two different sockliner foam densities - soft and firm, but these ones seem to be the same as I did not notice any perceptible difference in hardness.

The best way to find out how bad or good a running shoe is very simple - take it for a run. For this review, I ran for 5 kilometers on smooth asphalt at an average speed of 12 kms / hour which is a reasonable speed by any standards. I am 5'10'' at 70 kilograms with a regular arch type, so you might want to keep that in mind as you go through this review.

As I take out the mint fresh shoes out of the box to lace them on, I sensed that they were relatively heavy for a pair of modern running shoes. I put them on a weighing machine and they tip the scales at 414 grams for a UK 10 / US 10.5. (I am wearing a size bigger since this is a running shoe). Most of the weight is due to the heavy Bounce cushioning system which replaces conventional foam. The designers at Adidas seem to have done a good job at trying to balance it - they stripped off parts of the rubber outsole to reduce weight, but as a material, TPU is heavier than foam and there's little any designer can do about that.

You give some, you take some: The heel to toe Megabounce cushioning unit - see the humongous flex grooves throughout the outsole; this allows the shoe to carry less weight by using less rubber. It is not completely foamless - there is a small piece of adiprene+ in the front. I guess it was difficult for Adidas to squeeze in small bounce units in that area .Also observe the small "a3" right in the center: the Megabounce is an evolution of the a3, and the lineage is apparently not forgotten.

The business end of the Megabounce: These independent "collapse and snap back" TPU structures act as the shoe's suspension, not unlike the ones found in cars -sort of.

I slip in these shoes and lace them up, getting ready for my first 5k run in them. I walk around a bit to get warmed up and the Megabounce feels softer than what I had expected it to be; I have tried the earlier Gigaride and they had felt stiffer. I might be imagining it, but there seems to be a difference between the two, and that difference feels good. I start running, and the Megabounce feels exactly like how it's supposed to feel - bouncy. Even for a person like me with average weight, I can feel the cushioning effect of the Bounce. As I get into my third kilometer, I am going through my checklist to find out if there are any possible areas of concerns in this shoe. The Bounce cushioning system - check. Heel to toe transition - check. The upper fit and feel - check. No, wait a sec. Though the upper does seem to have a reasonably good fit, the collar area could probably use some help. I have worn one of Adidas's other running shoe, the Supernova CSH 6 and I loved the plush collar padding which Adidas calls the "Geofit". Sadly, there is no Geofit in this expensive pair of running shoes, it's just plain jane foam padding. With a shoe which weighs at least 50 grams more than a normal running shoe, you need a better grip around the collar to prevent any possible heel slippage. Sigh.

And yes, there's another thing.

I regularly run 10k distances. Based on my experience, heavily cushioned shoes start bothering me once I hit 4k or so. You miss the "touch and go" feel which so much helps in running fast, and I soon started wishing that I had a pair of racing flats on to increase my tempo. Most of the serious runners face the same problem when faced with mega cushioning systems such as the Adidas Bounce, the Reebok Mega DMX or the large Nike Air Max. So it is for good reason that most of the serious mid to long distance runners choose a pair of lightweight racing flats over a heavily cushioned shoe to shave off precious seconds off their personal best. But happily, help's at hand for serious runners as the shoe we will review next is the Adizero CS, a superlight racing flat.

Cushioning vs. speed: The big Bounce structures could be a wee bit distracting for serious runners.

GeoFit, we miss you: Pedestrian collar padding is criminal. On the plus side, welded upper on mesh reduces any seams, and the chrome eyelets and the Bounce "smiley" trinket on the tongue are nice little extra touches of detail.

Don't get me wrong - the Megabounce is not a bad shoe; just think of the whole thing as a comparison between a typical Bentley and a Porsche 911 turbo. You could choose to travel in the Bentley, sitting in the plush comfort of soft leather lining seats, or you could opt for the thrill and the adrenaline which the 911 would give you, though you'd be sitting in a relatively spartan surrounding sans plush seats and the connelly leather dashboard. The Megabounce is a shoe which does its job well as long you know what is expected of it.

The Lowdown:

Shoe name: Adidas Megabounce+ 2008

Color reviewed: Neo White/Collegiate Navy

Retail price (India): INR 7899

Estimated US retail: $ 110

Available at: Major Adidas outlets and select multibrand stores.

Weight: 414 grams for a half pair of size UK 10 / US 10.5

Recommended for: Recreational runners with a regular to high arch who love the feel of plush cushioning. It is also a good shoe for heavy runners who require a lot of cushioning to ease some pressure off their knees.

Not recommended for: Serious runners who need to shave off precious seconds off their daily runs; absolutely not recommended for runners with flat foot/low arch since the Megabounce might roll in excessively if you overpronate.

Verdict: Buy this shoe if you are a recreational runner looking for the latest pair of running shoes with all the bells and whistles, and are willing to spend for it.