Quick overview:
- Usual full price: about $160.00 USD
- Weight: 325 g (single shoe)
- Pros: Traction and Grip, Built quality, Breathable
- Cons: Bigger heel, lacing system (depends on preference)
- Suitability: Trail running in all conditions and terrain.
Bottom line:
Excellent traction and grip – whether on dry or wet – make Skychaser shoes a great training companion for any day.
Photos:
Product description and How we tested it:
Over the last decade, I have switched between couple of brands for trail & mountain running shoes in a search to find what works best for me. I place big priority on grip – the shoe must stick to dry and wet rock perfectly, otherwise it’s out of the window. That’s the main reason why I stopped running Salomon and totally dig La Sportiva shoes in recent years. The Adidas Skychaser fits in between the two overall but is actually on par with La Sportivas in the grip and traction department.
Adidas describes the Skychasers as stable and protective trail running shoes for rugged mountain runs. The Boost technology is supposed to return energy after every stride while the one piece Continental rubber sole provides ultimate traction and grip.
While it’s hard to say I “felt the boost” the other claims are certainly true. I have ran the Skychasers for over ten times now (1-2.5h sessions), over various terrain and in all conditions, and can honestly say I am very happy with the grip and traction. I mean, my best ever road bike and car tires were Continental so I am that surprised.
I can’t judge the fit very well as I ordered them blind and could definitely use a half-a-size smaller. Despite that they fit me well enough. I think the sizing is quite true but I thought to rather order them slightly bigger than smaller, and I got my wish.
The upper is well-built and has a clean look & feel. While breath-ability and draining are excellent the materials used for the upper appear to be strong and I am confident the shoes will last. The tongue features a “rubberized” top part that seemed stiff at the first glance but actually wraps my ankle very comfortably.
The sole features big lugs, is thicker than I am used to (23mm heel, 17mm forefoot) and with the beefy heel I definitely feel higher above the ground. Overall, the sole has a good solid yet comfortable feel while running. The heel is very stable and quite soft when descending but I would prefer if it was slightly narrower.
I won’t discuss the lacing system much as I think it’s a very personal preference – I simply like traditional laces more. I can certainly live with both the Adidas and Salomon speed lacing and while there are differences between the two I would say they are equally good.
To go a level higher from Skychasers definitely consider its GTX version or another model – Terrex Agravic GTX shoes. The Agravic shoes look similar except couple of small details that might make the difference depending on your preferences – traditional lacing, Gore-Tex membrane…
Pros:
- Excellent grip and traction
- Built quality
- Different colour combinations
What can be improved about this product:
It’s difficult to poke holes into Adidas shoes as I was very happy with all of the three or four pairs I owned before. But if I could change two things on the Skychaser then I would:
- Make the heel smaller – not thinner but less volume on the perimeter.
- Replace the laces with traditional ones 😉
Product Specs:
- Upper: Synthetic Textile
- Midsole: TPU, Boost, Pro-Moderator
- Sole: Continental Rubber
- Insole: Molded OrthoLite
- Drop: 6mm (23.5mm to 17.5mm)
- Sizing: men’s US 6 – 12, 13, 14
Online stores that sell Adidas Skychaser shoes:
- $159.95 at Backcountry.com (various colours, GTX model)
- $103 at CampSaver.com both men’s and women’s models
- $107 – $150 at Backcountry.com (the Agravic models including women’s and GTX)
- And at both Adidas.com and Adidas.ca websites