Disclaimer: The Run Testers sometimes use affiliate links. This means that we may receive payment if you buy products on our website or YouTube. Our use of affiliates supports the channel and does not affect how we review shoes, tech or gear.
The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 is one of the lightest racing shoes on the market, and the most expensive by far. It’s primarily aimed at Adidas elites, but available to buy if you have a spare £450/$500 to spend on it. Based on our testing, however, we wouldn’t rush to splash that cash.
While the Pro Evo 2 is as fast as the best carbon plate running shoes in dry conditions, the grip is poor in the wet, and even on pure performance we have some shoes we prefer, including the Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo and Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, which are a lot cheaper.
Design & Key Stats
- Price: £450/$500
- Weight: 142g/5oz (men’s UK 9 / US 9.5)
- Drop: 3mm
- Stack height: 39mm heel, 36mm forefoot
- Upper: Thin mesh
- Midsole: Lightstrike Pro foam with full-length carbon-infused rods
- Outsole: Thin liquid rubber
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 review
How’s The Fit
Nick and Kieran tested the Adidas Pro Evo 2 for our review and both would recommend going half a size up on your normal running shoe size. Kieran did this and had a comfortable fit in the forefoot, while Nick used his normal size and it was a bit tight around the toes.
Check out more of the best Adidas running shoes
The Run Test: Likes
The Adios Pro Evo 2 is an exceptionally lightweight racing shoe, with only the Asics Metaspeed Ray being lighter among the shoes we’ve tested. Despite this it still has a full midsole stack of springy Lightstrike Pro foam and Adidas’ carbon rods to deliver extra propulsion.
We found the shoe has an incredibly fast turnover and Kieran logged his half marathon PB in the shoe while Nick ran a 16:02 5K in it out of the box. It won’t let you down on race day, unless the ground is wet and slippery, at any rate.
It’s a shoe built for one purpose, which is setting PBs, and it does offer as fast a ride as anything on the market combined with enough comfort for long distance events like the marathon.
The Run Test: Dislikes
The aggressive midsole geometry doesn’t always feel as natural and flowing as other shoes, something Nick noticed especially when he was running on tired legs in the Pro Evo 2. It’s not as friendly to heel strikers as many super-shoes are, in our experience.
More importantly, the grip is dangerously lacking in wet conditions, and both Nick and Kieran both had to throttle back in all-out races at times to avoid taking a tumble on a tight corner. The elite version of the shoe might well have better rubber on it.
Finally, the price is a huge problem for the Pro Evo 2, because it doesn’t outperform rivals that cost almost half as much as it. We get this is an elite-focused shoe that Adidas might not be aiming to sell to loads of amateurs, but even so the price is crazily high.
Verdict And Alternatives
If you want to run fast, the Adidas Pro Evo 2 is among the best running shoes for that job, if you’re in dry conditions at least. However, it’s not our absolute favourite racer, which is a problem when considering its high price and unreliable grip.
We’d look at the Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo and Sky Tokyo first, along with the Puma Fast-R 3 and Asics Metaspeed Ray, if you want a super-lightweight racing option.
The Pro Evo 2 does have a faster, more aggressive ride than the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4, and it’s a lot lighter too, but the cheaper Adidas racer is still an excellent option for most runners and has better grip to boot. We’d get the Pro 4 ahead of the Pro Evo 2, given that it’s half the price.