Adidas Supernova Solution Review: Stable as a Neutron Star

What You Need To Know

Introduction to the Adidas Supernova Solution

JON: While supernovas are usually associated with the death of a star, Adidas has brought new life to its Supernova lineup with an emphasis on comfort. As the name suggests, the Solution is its stability model.

With a padded mesh upper and the new super midsole Dreamstrike Plus, Adidas is hitting the message of comfort, comfort, comfort with everything it’s got. Rounding out the stability features is the support rod system. The name is a little misleading if you’re used to seeing shoes with literal carbon rods like the Prime X or Adios Pro. Instead, these “rods” are denser foam on the bottom, with more attention on the medial side to provide some dynamic support. The Adiwear outsole also has a focus on durability and grip with an aggressive, durable tread pattern.

Adidas isn’t usually my first pick when it comes to a stability shoe — I’ll admit that much. The last stability shoe I had from Adidas was the Solar Boost ST. It wasn’t bad by any means, but historically, Adidas isn’t my first pick for something like this. I found myself gravitating to the Brooks Adrenaline or New Balance Prism instead. Time to see if the very blue Supernova Solution changes that.

SAM: We are living in a problem-solution-oriented world. Many people are not ok with accepting things as they are, and while this can, in many cases, be a mindfulness issue, it also leads to entrepreneurs and the titans of industry finding crafty and creative solutions to the problems of the world. Sliced bread. Air travel. Smartphones. Nuclear Fusion. All famous solutions to everyday problems… though maybe not the last one (just yet).

A problem facing the running industry right now is uncomfortable shoes, as determined by an Adidas-commissioned study. According to this study, shoes are so uncomfortable that 47% of the time, if a runner decides not to run, it’s because their shoes hurt. What is the solution, you might ask? The Supernova line, and in our case, the Supernova Solution (extra solution power!). Like the galactic explosion of energy at the end of a star’s lifecycle, Adidas is hoping that this line can replace the dying shoes of old and lead runners into a brighter future. Let’s see how they did.

What we like about the Adidas Supernova Solution

JON: The Supernova Solution is a solid daily driver that doesn’t go overboard on support. The EVA base foam is resilient and squishy on impact with good energy return on lift-off, with the 10 mm drop pushing me to land and lift off on my midfoot. Adidas’ new Dreamstrike Plus foam takes notes from higher-end shoes fitted with Lightstrike Pro with similar resilience. I enjoyed the Supernova Solution on easy days when I needed some comfort but didn’t want to wear bricks. It was a breeze on long runs when I wanted to shift into autopilot.

The stability was noticeable when I was tired, and my stride began getting sloppy, which was exactly when I wanted it. Also, the positioning of the support rods helped guide me into place and lift off more efficiently, but it wasn’t a dominating factor at all times.

I’m glad that companies continue to offer this “there if you need me” approach instead of aggressive medial posts. I thought the denser foam on the bottom was a neat execution. Admittedly, calling the structure support rods confused the hell out of me as I was expecting literal rods like you would find in the Adizero lineup.

The upper is quite comfortable, with the sandwich mesh and padding gently hugging my feet. Real estate in the toe box was ok but not plentiful. If you have a higher-volume forefoot, I would definitely go half a size up, but I saw no need. I didn’t have issues with my toes running out of room, and the shoe felt true to size. The detached tongue fit nicely under the laces — it gave me no issues with it curling inward or any hot spots.

SAM: Before running in the Supernova Solution, I have to say I was quite excited. Adidas has produced one of my favorite running shoes of all time, the Adidas Adios 4, and I haven’t run in one of its daily trainers since then. By abandoning the dying star that is the Ultraboost, Adidas has delivered the Supernova Solution to us with its Dreamstrike+ midsole foam, meant to adapt to your stride and provide long-term and durable cushioning. I would say it mostly delivered on this promise.

I found the midsole to be the right mix of durable and cushioned, but it didn’t change the game for me. What it did was remind me of what I expected the Glycerin 21 GTS to be, which is a tried and true daily trainer that will take care of you for the long haul. Was it soft? Not really, but it’s one of those shoes you know is going to deliver for 250-plus miles. Another positive of this shoe is its smooth heel-toe transition. 10 mm is a huge drop, but at no point did this shoe ever feel awkward or clumsy to run in. I appreciate a shoe that I don’t have to think about once I lace it up, and the Supernova Solution fits the bill. As far as being a comfortable daily trainer goes, Adidas has delivered on its promise with this shoe.

Let’s talk stability. Adidas’s main support function for this shoe is the Stability Rods system. These are described as dual-density support rods, which I understand is the firmer layer of foam that sits under the Dreamstrike Plus. This firmer layer of foam seems to work in tandem with the geometry of the shoe, a pronounced heel bevel, and a hard piece of rubber in the instep to guide the runner’s foot away from pronation. This is my best estimation of how the support functions, but what I know for sure is that it functions well.

Like I said before, I like a shoe that I can forget about after I start running, and the stability of the Supernova Solution does that for me. The other benefit of having stability in the form of geometric pieces and midsole foam is that it can truly change and adapt to your running form, similar to Asics’ 4D Geometry and the Brooks Guiderail system. While many shoes have stability that feels forced instead of supportive, Adidas accomplishes its goal of providing natural, adaptive support here.

What we don’t like about the Adidas Supernova Solution

JON: I had issues with the heel staying in place. Don’t get me wrong, it’s super comfortable, and I can feel the attention to detail, but I found myself sliding around the shoe just walking around, and it got worse when I would try and pick up the pace while running. A runner’s knot only did so much but did help lock things down a little better.

Toward the end of testing, I also heard (and felt) a lot of noise. The medial side of the insole began constantly rubbing against the inner mesh. It was squeaky as hell and constantly sounded like I’d just been in a monsoon. Repositioning the insole did not resolve the issue, either.

Lastly, this is purely a design complaint, but I wasn’t a fan of the heel. The asymmetrical angling made it look like it was already well-worn and seemed to flare out just a little too much. I thought that this was to give extra support, but I noticed that the Supernova Rise and Stride have the same thing. Performance-wise, it caused no issues — it really just irked me how it looked.

SAM: I’ll get straight to it. I was extremely disappointed by one major facet of this shoe. Where is my Continental Rubber outsole? If I’m paying $140 for an Adidas shoe, I expect a Continental Rubber outsole. The Adiwear outsole was fine, but did not come close to the tackiness and durability Continental has. I understand that this may be part of the move to include more recycled materials, but it is a big disappointment to me.

I wasn’t a fan of the sandwich upper, either. I found it fine for the 30 to 50-degree days of early spring here in Baltimore, but I know as soon as it gets warm, this upper is going to be a problem for me. The multiple layers of material feel overdone, and if a shoe manages to smell bad in cold weather, I can’t even begin to think of what will happen in the summer.

To broaden my scope of complaints, this shoe did not live up to my expectations. From all of Adidas’s hype about listening to runners’ complaints about uncomfortable shoes, I wanted more out of this trainer. Is most of that marketing mumbo jumbo based on a study Adidas performed? Yes. Is this a stability shoe that weighs in the double digits? Yes. But even where my expectations were based on those points, I still felt let down.

It was comfortable but not soft or bouncy. It was stable, but only just enough. It has some pickup, but I never felt like I could run faster than a moderate pace in this shoe. The Supernova Solution is the definition of good, not great, and if that’s what you’re looking for with an every day, innings eater shoe, then this is what you are looking for.

Final thoughts on the Adidas Supernova Solution

JON: I don’t wear stability shoes as much as I used to, but I still like to keep a couple in my rotation for easy days or if I’m coming back from injury. Minimal stability shoes like this one used to be incredibly rare, but I’m glad to see Adidas embrace the trend. The Supernova Solution will remain in my weekly lineup, and the $140 price tag makes it a great candidate for an everyday workhouse.

If I were particularly tired, the support rods would keep me in check, but it didn’t dominate the experience. The foam had enough bounce on lift-off to turn it up a little here and there too. My favorite runs in this shoe were long, hilly jaunts where I just needed time on feet and wanted to hold a conversational pace. The ride helped me glide uphill, and I was able to bomb a couple of downhills before returning back to flatter areas. Also, after running about 50 miles, the Supernova Solution showed minimal wear, suggesting that it still has hundreds of miles left in it.

The stability purists will probably scoff at this, but it was a lot of fun to run in, even if the name sounds more like an IT startup than a running shoe.

SAM: If your problem is looking for an everyday stability shoe that will take care of you for the long haul, keep your pronation in check, and deliver some comfort, then the Supernova Solution is your… solution. If your problem is looking for a brand-spanking new stability shoe that is more comfortable and cushioned than ever before, then you might want to look elsewhere.

Adidas had me excited for this shoe, but instead of a supernova, it feels like we’re still in the Red Supergiant phase of the star cycle. Adidas is on the right track, moving on from the heaviest running shoes known to man, but they’re not quite where they want to be yet.

You can pick up the Adidas Supernova Solution for $140 at Adidas using the buttons below.