Adidas adizero Takumi Sen 9 Introduction
“Takumi Sen” is Japanese for “artisan of the very best order.” “Adizero” signifies it to be a top-tier efficiency shoe with the most recent tech geared for severe coaching and competitors. Collectively these phrases place excessive expectation on this shoe. How does it measure up? Learn on!
Adizero Takumi Sen is a 5k/10K racer that together with its sister shoe, the Adizero Adios Professional, carries a full-length Lightstrike Professional midsole.
Takumi Sen has the right midsole for short-mid distance safety and spring; Adios Professional simply extra of it and a extra aggressive lower for toe spring for cover in half and full marathon distances (or past).
Takumi Sen combines the protecting, bouncy trip of the Adios Professional with the bottom really feel of a extra conventional racer for a combo shoe that goals to leverage the perfect of each worlds.
Checklist value is $180 USD, which is lot to spend on a shoe to save lots of for brief races until you hit the native circuit fairly arduous to deliver residence all of the financial institution . . . or, for the remainder of us, maybe an age group award!
These high racers have full-length Lightstrike Professional midsoles and ENERGYRODS for a springy, responsive trip with a fast transition.
What’s modified between the 8 and 9 is an higher replace which dropped the load about .4 oz. Takumi Sen is the lightest shoe I’ve ever worn with an inventory weight of 6.6 oz. for the unisex M9/W10. My M8.5/W9.5 weighs in half an oz. lighter at 6.1 oz.
It suits slender and true-to-size. Measurement up for a medium to broad foot.
There’s slight risk for a med-narrow forefoot match by preserving laces unfastened on the ball, which permits the slender match to broaden a bit throughout foot plant. I do that, which works nice for races, however my ft begin to damage if I put on them for prolonged durations.
Since I’ve reviewed a number of Adizero footwear this yr, I’ll give a quick overview of a few of the line.
- The Adizero Boston has a extra sturdy heel counter than the pure racers and might work as a stability mannequin racing shoe or a extra sturdy coach to tackle a number of miles.
- Adizero SL is a softer model of the Boston and is particularly good for straightforward restoration runs and each day coaching; it’s also $40 USD inexpensive than the Boston and brings a lightweight, snug trip.
- The Adizero Adios 7 is a quick, low-profile shoe that’s nice for speedwork.
Comparable footwear to Takumi Sen embody the Nike Vaporfly, New Steadiness Fuelcell Pacer, and Nike Streakfly.
Adidas adizero Takumi Sen 9 First Impressions
Pulling these out of the field I felt anticipation within the air. The (close to) paper-thin higher seems like it is going to shed water like no one’s enterprise by means of the tug-resistant mesh that’s semi-transparent because of little areas. This higher is extraordinarily skinny, gentle, and breathable.
Mine popped out of the wrapping contained in the shoebox in photo voltaic pink, an interesting attention-getter; it additionally is available in mint, a deeper inexperienced, and black.
Strolling round in it I used to be shocked by how smooth the midsole felt. Will or not it’s nearly as good of a excessive efficiency 5k/10k racer as Adizero Professional?
Evidently the highest shoe firms have already deserted carbon plates. Operating velocity, stride, runner’s weight, and plenty of different issues affect the diploma of profit from carbon fiber plated footwear, with (debatably) the best benefit going to those that can keep a 6.5 min/mile tempo or quicker.
For the remainder of us the most recent tech, ENERGYRODS, are efficient for propulsion whereas nonetheless permitting some flexibility for consolation.
On the primary run, this shoe felt buttery clean, like my foot was a knife gliding throughout a summer-sun-softened dice that but holds its type beneath the lower.
The trip is smooth and responsive, making me need to rise up on my toes and dash although I went into this quick preliminary run with drained legs.
Adidas adizero Takumi Sen 9 Higher
The higher and tongue are made from skinny, see-through mesh with thicker help strips reinforcing key areas: a major toe cap, medial and lateral patches on the ball, the brand, an additional strip operating vertically midfoot, diagonal strips alongside the heel, and a patch on the again.
The tongue could be very skinny with no padding however a help strip of neoprene operating down the size. Maybe a barely thicker arch on the high of the lacing protects the foot from the stress from the tie. I had no points with sizzling spots from the laces, surprisingly, although I did re-tie a pair instances to get the stress proper.
For a race in sizzling climate, I’d run on this shoe barefoot. Twice I ran 3 miles barefoot with little challenge. Once I ran 6 miles barefoot I had two small blisters develop on one foot from rubbing: on the high of the bottom of my proper large toe and on the pinky toe.
The most important challenge I confronted with the higher is that the tongue would fold below on the medial ball, and the thicker edge irritated the highest of my foot till I took the shoe off to succeed in in and attempt to put it on once more with out the tongue folded, which took some maneuvering.
There isn’t a heel counter past the strengthened lateral strips. Reasonable pads line the ankle opening beside the Achilles; there may be extra right here than I’d anticipate, given the remainder of the higher, and I feel they made a very good resolution to “spend some weight” at this spot. I had no issues with heel match or perform.
The pull tab above the heel truly helps when pulling on the shoe! I discovered Takumi Sen’s pull tab extra helpful than Boston’s because the higher presents much less resistance to slipping the foot in.
After operating within the rain I weighed the shoe to search out it solely went up about an oz. and a half because the water shed proper out of this higher!
Even with the water weight it was nonetheless solely as heavy as my earlier lightest shoe.
(Really 4 footwear tied for my earlier lightest: adidas sl20, Adizero Adios 7, ASICS Noosa Tri, and ASICS Gel-DS Coach 26.)
Adidas adizero Takumi Sen 9 Sole Unit
The medium-thickness midsole is made up solely of Lightstrike Professional, which presents fantastic safety and a clean, snappy trip. This is among the greatest foams I’ve felt underfoot!
Fiberglass ENERGYRODS run by means of the midsole and supply a stiff trip with sufficient flexibility to maintain it snug.
Tapping on the rods with my fingernail the place they present by means of the peek-a-boo window within the sole they really feel (and sound) like low cost plastic. Nevertheless, the engineers have a troublesome activity: make it sturdy and useful—however preserve it gentle, please. Certainly, make it one of many lightest trainers, when you’re at it. No drawback!
With simply over 50 miles on the shoe I’ve not had any issues with the rods, although some folks report noticing a “popping” sound.
Model 9 of Takumi Sen has the identical 6 mm. midsole as model 8, with 33 mm. within the heel right down to a 27 mm. forefoot.
The outsole has a major pad of Continental rubber with grip strips operating laterally proper the place we’d like it for propulsion in races: the medial forefoot.
Clean rubber patches supply some safety to the lateral foam and heel, however not a lot, with two cut-outs exposing the ENERGYRODS and saving weight.
Adidas adizero Takumi Sen 9 Conclusions
The Takumi Sen 9, is actually an “artisan of the very best order” for racing. It’s a excellent shoe for 5k/10k distances: touchdown is agency with a fast roll ahead and pop into toe-off. The see-through mesh higher is supper gentle, breathable, and sheds water in a downpour.
The down sides embody little help, low heel outsole sturdiness, and a tongue that may irritate if it folds over. It’s costly at $180 USD—however not when put next with the highest marathon footwear; “costly” is relative!
The pluses and minuses each point out how gentle the shoe is, which can make the low factors acceptable—for a racing shoe.
