Adidas Hyperboost Edge Review | Big Stack, Bold Look, Better Suited for Easy Days Than Fast Ones

As I unboxed the Adidas Hyperboost Edge, my first thought was that Adidas wanted this shoe to stand out. The design is BOLD.Instead of the bright colors that are common with super trainers, these shoes feature a thick slab of foam with Adidas iconic 3 stripes across the middle. The design may not be for everyone, but it’s an easily recognizable shoe. 

Along with the bold design, the Hyperboost Edge is a brand new release from Adidas.This shoe utilizes Adidas’ new Hyperboost Pro Foam and PRIMEWEAVE upper, designed to feel like a carbon-plated super trainer without the carbon plate.

Is it a shoe for everyone? We didn’t think so, but it’s absolutely a shoe for the middle and back of the pack who need a little extra edge if you will and enjoy a lot of cushion. Both Jen and Coach Amanda tested this shoe with differing opinions, so let’s get in to it.

The Hyperboost Edge is a great option for our heavier and back of the pack runners who want to feel a little fast! It’s not a carbon plated racer, but it has features that will carry you through the long miles with a lightness and plenty of cushion.

Adidas Hyperboost Edge Overview

There is a lot of technology packed into these shoes. Adidas packed high-stack height and significant cushioning, with the intent of maintaining lightweight performance into this shoe.

Designed to rival other super trainers, I found this shoe to fall somewhere in the middle of a daily trainer and super trainer. It’s a bit too responsive for easy runs, and yet less responsive than other speed shoes on the market.

If you love the response of a carbon-plated shoe for training or racing, the delayed response of the Hyperboost Pro foam likely won’t be for you. And we think that’s the key here in determining how you feel about this shoe! If you’re expecting them to run fast, ehhh moderately. Middle and back of the pack runners are going to enjoy hitting marathon pace in a shoe that feels lighter, a little less effort and protects the legs, but we don’t think they pick up the pace for fast work nearly as well.

Getting a feel for these shoes, I realized I had to focus on pushing off my forefoot to get the designed energy response. The response of the foam is more delayed than a carbon-plated shoe. 

Once I got my stride, I was easily going 20 seconds faster than my normal easy pace, on sore legs.

So yes, FASTER! But not 5K crush a PR faster.

So far, I have completed about 25 miles in these, with varying paces and elevation to see how they performed. In a speed workout. I was able to pick up the pace relatively easily, as long as I focused on the forefoot to utilize the springiness of the Hyperboost foam. 

I found these shoes to perform best when running downhill. The inherent forward lean when running downhill really lent itself to the forefoot rocker design. I was able to comfortably pick up the speed and toe-off, with relative ease and efficiency. 

The design of Hyperboost Pro midsole makes these shoes less versatile for all foot strike types. Forefoot strikers and runners with more forward lean will perform best in this shoe.

Coach Amanda: I disagree with the last part because I’m definitely not a forefoot striker, but I’m not as fast as Jen either! Especially coming off an injury I’m putting in mostly easy paced miles and found this to be a nice longer effort shoe. Because it’s lightweight the legs still felt good and I was indeed running just a smidge faster without any extra effort.

This again is why I think it could be a real winner as a marathon day shoe for a lot of every day runners.

The Hyperboost Edge has less of a resemblance to other super trainers on the market. In-line with current trends, the thick foam looks more like an everyday fashion sneaker than a running shoe.

The color options are less common among running shoes, adding to the uniqueness of this trainer.

My first spin in these shoes was an easy 6 mile run. Initially, I noticed that the shoes are loud, I could hear every foot fall on the pavement, through my headphones.While Coach Amanda didn’t notice them running, they are the squeaky shoes while walking on tile or wood floors.

Adidas Hyperboost Edge Fit

Coach Amanda: I didn’t have the same fit issues that Jen did, which is definitely the benefit of multiple testers. I have tried a lot of Adidas shoes and found the length to be pretty standard. I don’t love the little pads in the heel, this is something a few other brands have done recently and while it’s fine during the run at times it’s uncomfortable to walk.

The fit of this shoe was awkward. In my standard size, the shoe runs long, my foot slides around. But, the upper is rigid, along with a fully gusseted tongue. This contributed to a very tight feeling through my mid and forefoot, causing some numbness after a few miles. 

I tried these shoes with thin socks and thick socks to see how the fit varied, I wouldn’t recommend thick socks in these shoes.

The PRIMEWEAVE upper is designed to be super-soft and hyper-light; however, I found it to be thick rather than light. After a few miles in these shoes, my feet were very hot with visible sweat on the top box. 

Due to these factors, I would size down in these shoes. This would prevent any foot movement, coupled with thinner socks and skip or parallel lacing, my feet would be more comfortable than my standard size. 

The heel collar on the Hyperboost edge is tall, longer than my other running shoes. The shoe also features two thick pads to support the Achilles. These pads prevented excessive movement in my heel on flat and up / downhill, despite the extra length for my foot.

Adidas Hyperboost Edge Feel

The Hyperboosts feel exactly as you would expect them to, when looking at the shoe. The high stack height and thick foam disappears the ground underneath you. 

The foam is responsive, even after long miles. But the shoe feels stiff. I did not feel the energy return of Hyperboost Pro foam, unless I was focused on springing off my forefoot. 

Unlike many super trainers with a carbon plate, these shoes have a continuous outsole. The LIGHTTRAXION outsole extends from heel to toe. I felt more stable on both cement and gravel packed trails, compared to carbon-plated shoes.

And that’s the biggest difference in why this feels more like a daily trainer. It’s not a bouncy carbon plated shoe, it feels more like a lightweight well cushioned shoe that you could use for miles and miles.

Similar Shoes to the Adidas Hyperboost Edge

We’ve tested a few max cushioned shoes that feel similar, but different based on the brand fit:

Who Tried It?

I’m Jen: a former gymnast, turned runner and mountaineer. I ran my first half marathon in 2022, and haven’t looked back, now logging 40-60 MPW, while often simultaneously training for my next climb. When I’m not running, you’ll find me somewhere within the Colorado Rockies with my 2 pups, Badger (lab-mix) and Lupin (weimaraner). 

What to Read Next?

• See all of our cushioned running shoe reviews
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