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 critical 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 reduce for toe spring for cover in half and full marathon distances (or past).
Takumi Sen combines the protecting, bouncy experience of the Adios Professional with the bottom really feel of a extra conventional racer for a combo shoe that goals to leverage one of the best of each worlds.
Record value is $180 USD, which is lot to spend on a shoe to save lots of for brief races except you hit the native circuit fairly exhausting to carry house all of the financial institution . . . or, for the remainder of us, maybe an age group award!
These prime racers have full-length Lightstrike Professional midsoles and ENERGYRODS for a springy, responsive experience with a fast transition.
What’s modified between the 8 and 9 is an higher replace which dropped the burden 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 matches slender and true-to-size. Dimension up for a medium to broad foot.
There may be slight chance for a med-narrow forefoot match by holding laces free 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 toes begin to damage if I put on them for prolonged intervals.
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 may work as a stability mannequin racing shoe or a extra sturdy coach to tackle a lot of miles.
- Adizero SL is a softer model of the Boston and is very good for straightforward restoration runs and day by day coaching; it is usually $40 USD inexpensive than the Boston and brings a lightweight, snug experience.
- The Adizero Adios 7 is a quick, low-profile shoe that’s nice for speedwork.
Comparable footwear to Takumi Sen embrace 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 appears to be like like it would shed water like no person’s enterprise via the tug-resistant mesh that’s semi-transparent attributable to little areas. This higher is extraordinarily skinny, mild, 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 comfortable the midsole felt. Will it’s nearly as good of a excessive efficiency 5k/10k racer as Adizero Professional?
It appears that evidently the highest shoe firms have already deserted carbon plates. Operating pace, stride, runner’s weight, and lots of different issues affect the diploma of profit from carbon fiber plated footwear, with (debatably) the best benefit going to those that can preserve 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 easy, like my foot was a knife gliding throughout a summer-sun-softened dice that but holds its type beneath the reduce.
The experience is comfortable and responsive, making me wish to rise up on my toes and dash despite the fact that I went into this quick preliminary run with drained legs.
Adidas adizero Takumi Sen 9 Higher
The higher and tongue are fabricated from skinny, see-through mesh with thicker help strips reinforcing key areas: a big toe cap, medial and lateral patches on the ball, the emblem, an additional strip working vertically midfoot, diagonal strips alongside the heel, and a patch on the again.
The tongue may be very skinny with no padding however a help strip of neoprene working down the size. Maybe a barely thicker arch on the prime 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 occasions to get the stress proper.
For a race in sizzling climate, I might run on this shoe barefoot. Twice I ran 3 miles barefoot with little subject. Once I ran 6 miles barefoot I had two small blisters develop on one foot from rubbing: on the prime of the bottom of my proper large toe and on the pinky toe.
The largest subject I confronted with the higher is that the tongue would fold underneath on the medial ball, and the thicker edge irritated the highest of my foot till I took the shoe off to achieve 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 bolstered lateral strips. Reasonable pads line the ankle opening beside the Achilles; there’s extra right here than I might anticipate, given the remainder of the higher, and I believe they made an excellent resolution to “spend some weight” at this spot. I had no issues with heel match or operate.
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 affords much less resistance to slipping the foot in.
After working within the rain I weighed the shoe to seek 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.
(Truly 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 affords great safety and a easy, snappy experience. This is among the finest foams I’ve felt underfoot!
Fiberglass ENERGYRODS run via the midsole and supply a stiff experience with sufficient flexibility to maintain it snug.
Tapping on the rods with my fingernail the place they present via 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 robust and practical—however maintain it mild, please. Certainly, make it one of many lightest trainers, whilst you’re at it. No downside!
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 big pad of Continental rubber with grip strips working laterally proper the place we’d like it for propulsion in races: the medial forefoot.
Easy 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 really an “artisan of the very best order” for racing. It’s a very good 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 mild, breathable, and sheds water in a downpour.
The down sides embrace little help, low heel outsole sturdiness, and a tongue that may irritate if it folds over. It’s costly at $180 USD—however not in comparison with the highest marathon footwear; “costly” is relative!
The pluses and minuses each point out how mild the shoe is, which can make the low factors acceptable—for a racing shoe.
