Adios 9 vs Zoom Fly 6 Shoeoff - is Lighter really Faster ?

[@runningwithstelvio]

Hey Tim, great comparison! I really love the Adios 9, but as you mentioned, it's very light and low to the ground. I agree-it’s ideal for the track or short-distance races. It’s also a fantastic shoe for preparing for track season with spikes. I firmly believe that running in shoes like the Adios 9 helps strengthen our feet. Interestingly, I expected it to be less comfortable than it actually is. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@TimGrose]

Yeah these modern foams are noticeably better than the Boost Adios 1 and indeed pre Boost versions I used to race in. Still did feel like very much that sort of "racing flat" however. Am still trying to get over "manflu" then hopefully be looking to do more in the Adios 9. As you say seems a great shoe to transition back to spikes and/or to avoid having to wear them which TBH I mainly ever do now in races.

[@middleagedrunningman]

Superb this Tim! Loved it. Was considering ZoomFly6 but can’t ruddy get hold of any now!!

[@TimGrose]

Thanks! All sizes available in this albeit questionable colourway www.nike.com/gb/t/zoom-fly-6-road-running-shoes-ZXgLBh/HQ3498-100 Mind you think Paula Radcliffe wore a similar colour in Streak flats for her then marathon WR in 2003. Think how many parkruns you could "win" in these :)

[@Tendonworks]

Yes, me ! Loved my racing flats ❤ Nike Spiridon Golds and Nike Duelist ( still can be seen on line) I ran a 64 half and 24:11 5m , so not too shabby shoes !

[@TimGrose]

Great times in any era in any shoes! Saw a pic of me in flats in a race from about 20 years ago recently and noticed how much I could flex my foot back then.

[@SagasuRunning]

Interesting results. I'm not surprised though. The ZF6 is going to aid you much more... but the A9 is going to put more on you. Shoe geometry vs your mechanics... I'd expect the geometry to win almost every time but was surprised how close they were. The Adios 9 is used in Japan as a mechanics development shoe in many of the High School and College teams.

[@TimGrose]

TBH in some ways I was more pleased that pretty much "blind" (i.e. did not look at my watch), I could run more or less the exact same "fairly hard" mile time in two rather different shoes. I do wonder if there was some factor that I was just more tired in the Adios 9 and coupled with being relatively unfit due to the injury problems that have had for a long time now and the fact a shoe like the Adios 9 is probably going to show up those issues more. That all said I have seen in my last few shoeoffs (say in all the Peg Turbos/Plus) that there was next to nothing in it even if some shoes "felt" slower/faster, better/worse etc etc. Indeed I was actually "fastest" in the "lifestyle" Next Nature one which did rather amuse me!

[@SagasuRunning]

@ I agree… running that consistent in such vastly different.. shoes is impressive.

[@robin29991]

Great Shoeoff and love the creepy location. I think I counted 3 other people in your video, so that's 3 more than in my latest:) The Adios 9 really does seem like a pretty unique shoe in today's market. The only other comparable shoe that comes to mind is the Streakfly of course. Totally understand what you mean with it teaching you to run in a different way and helping your toe-off. Something that is mostly lost with these high stack shoes that feel like they do the work for you.

[@TimGrose]

@@robin29991 it was remarkably busy on that lap. Often don’t see anybody but nice to see a few people now and again. Mostly usually dog walkers. Did try to confuse by weaving in a completely different location to film the conclusion at the start. Like to film at random locations outdoors but always a struggle to find somewhere for GoPro so can talk about shoes with 2 hands as it were. Guess Adios 9 and Streakfly are fairly close. Been a while since used a Streakfly but maybe the Adios 9 fejt more like a narrow flat of old as recall Streakfly spreads out a bit more at front even though it is fractionally lighter.

[@noscop444]

As a lighter runner (50 kgs) I think the adios 9 is amazing as a daily trainer! I've used it for like a month and I feel like it has enough cushion, similar to the rebel v2.

[@TimGrose]

Ah interesting. Out of interest what would you race in ? Presume would actually be a bit more shoe as it were.

[@noscop444]

It is quite a lot of shoe! I've never even thought of racing at the moment 😅, but if I were I would go with the adios 9 for shorter distance races like 5/10k. If it's not for racing I feel like it has enough stack actually, I went for longer runs before and it feels fine and doesn't bottom out like the rebel. I also find it surprisingly stable!

[@TimGrose]

@ Rebel v2 I found was too soft for my liking. Anyway always good if a shoe works for what you want to do.

[@teresavanlokven9767]

@@noscop444 Try any of the Adizero Takumi's , the rods in the work!

[@misterbelll]

Great video...Nice to see the English countryside...you say miserable weather but I miss the Country lanes on a Xmas holiday period..... beautiful scenery, great houses, nice run shoe comparison ..Have a great New year..❤️❤️👍👍

[@TimGrose]

@@misterbelll 3rd time now done a Shoeoff there and certainly the coldest this time. Handy location though as close to traffic free and can park next to my start line as it were.

[@mrnjfhk]

Looks cold there! Adios look like a similar road flat to the HOKA Cielo Road which was out before they released the Cielo X1.

[@TimGrose]

Ah yes remember that one but I have never found much love for Hoka shoes so passed. Did you try it?

[@mrnjfhk]

@@TimGrose Yes, they were ok, although very flimsy at the back so prone to blistering- but good for track when not wanting to use spikes.

[@geoffclarke3796]

Interesting video Tim. I started running regularly in my early 40's back in 2011/12 and I recall lightweight racing flats were all the rage. I started off running in fairly well cushioned shoes and the first pair of racing flats I bought were Nike Mayflys which I loved. Over the years before the carbon plated shoes came on the scene I tried a variety of flats including the Mizuno Wave Universe and the Nike Streak LT3. I've also in more recent times tried the Reebok Run Fast Pro and more recently the Saucony Sinister. My get feel is that I might be a fraction quicker in a pair of flats over a short distance like a mile but even a 5k I would be quicker in Vapourflys. I love the feel of minimalist shoes but have to be careful due to my Achilles which I've had issues with on and off since 2017.

[@TimGrose]

Mayflys never came in my size but they were crazy light for the time weren't they. Not sure now how we used to run in Streak LT3. I have an unused pair to replace the one I discarded in Portugal in a previous video. Think more as a reminder to different times. At least the Adios 9 has some "cushion" in comparison but a kind of similar feel. I agree about 5Ks and Vaporflys. Indeed I think it might well apply to any distance on the road for me now. I have done a few road mile races and virtual TTs in Vaporflys and always felt the bounce of the ground helps whereas flats like this Adios 9 just seem light in comparison.

[@BenNotley]

Super shoe off Tim. The weather has been very gloomy this past week. Hope you had a good Christmas mate. Happy New Year! 😎🤘

[@TimGrose]

@@BenNotley yes thanks been good and been able to get some runs in if not yet firing on all cylinders. Good don’t have an app demanding I do some strength sessions.

[@matthanna1980]

Great video as always, Tim. In case you'd like another comparison for the Adios 9, I've a spare pair of box-fresh Puma Liberate Nitro v1 you can have. Mega light (230g), and similar stack to the Adios 9. Perfect fit for narrow feet, too 👍

[@TimGrose]

@@matthanna1980 ah good point about that Puma. I do have a pair and yeah fitted great and did a few decent runs in them but maybe one of those shoes sounded better in my head than the reality. Do feel for fast summer firm trail runs these could have a place even if not the obvious one. I used to use the Adios 1 and earlier versions for that and road of course.

[@jamesrose4345]

Injuries have basically forced me to give up “minimalist” (ie much more cushioning than the old Adios’!) but I used the Evo sl this morning and they were fantastic. You can feel the lack of a plate making you still put in some work, but the foam and rocker combo are so much fun to run in, very cushioned, very responsive, very light, in the region of a super shoe for the effort and I paid £110. Recommended.

[@TimGrose]

I keep missing the "lottery" to get a pair of them! As I alluded to be interesting to compare as the Evo SL appears to be a beefed Adios 9 or vice versa. I do find of late that feel don't want too soft a shoe as although might appear to be "more" cushioned feel am having to work more.

[@josephgonzalez_]

Your fitness is pretty good actually given you haven’t run much at all. And yeah the weather here has been abysmal - haven’t seen the sun for ages! Just constant rain or drizzle. I really must pull the trigger on the ZF6… it sounds ideal. Although back in the day we did make do with these racing flats and ran very good times still - but you hit the nail on the head in terms of effort.. you need longer to recover, and that’s probably the main benefit.

[@TimGrose]

Thanks and well done today in the 10 mile - British M55 champ sounds good. I have a couple of bronzes and ironically one also from the 10 circa 2008 plus road mile in 2016. Seems to be harder now as an M55 with likes of you around ! Yeah I think I am ticking over OK but would certainly get found out past 10K and even that might be a stretch. Think you are right that the recovery benefits are huge and at least the Adios 9 has a modern foam so although it "feels" like a flat of old it is more forgiving than those in that respect.

[@josephgonzalez_]

@ you only need a year of avoiding injury and consistency and your times will come tumbling down again. The supershoes do give runners some extra pace in races no doubt, but the elites all do their hard sessions in supershoes not because they want to flatter their paces on Strava (most don’t even publish their sessions) but because it enables them to do another session a couple of days later!

[@Stevenc1984]

The ZF6 really does sound like an incredible shoe 👟

[@TimGrose]

@@Stevenc1984 yeah certainly biggest surprise of the year for me.

[@paulmulks]

Nice comparison Tim. I have the ZF6 and so far enjoyed the 30 odd miles in have in them. Personally, I couldn't run in the Adios 9 as I think it would completely destroy my shins 😂 The EVO SL is a fantastic shoe! Loving mine as a daily trainer right now. In fact, it's the reason why I've not been hammering my ZF6 I think 👌🏻 I hope you and Sue had a good Christmas 🎅🍻 Only concern is you running on the wrong side of the road, remember should be on the side of oncoming traffic 😉 Gotta get you home safe to Sue afterall 😊

[@TimGrose]

@@paulmulks I do wonder now how the Evo SL would feel compare to Adios 9 as agree the Adios 9 are a little “scary” to run in but although nothing much to them the cushioning is seemingly just enough but you do notice being pushed forward. See what you mean about side of the road. Do feel though that those lanes are quite narrow and being over to the left means I can spot incoming cars better and neither of us really need to move across as it were. If was a wider lane then yes being on right would be better.

[@OldManRunner]

Unsurprisingly I really enjoyed this test Tim...Best wishes for 2025!

[@TimGrose]

@@OldManRunner thanks and you ! As I recall you were underwhelmed by the Zoom Fly 6 ? Any plans on getting any of these adidas ones ?

[@OldManRunner]

@@TimGrose I love the Zoom Fly 6. It is the Pegasus Plus that underwhelmed me...I don't have any plans to get those Adidas shoes, though I would love to run in them round the track. My UK12 ZF6's weigh 312g. So about 23g less than your UK13's. The larger the shoe size the bigger the weight differential. I wonder what the comparison would be like for people with smaller feet...I really should stop thinking about things like this and actually go out and do my run...

[@TimGrose]

@@OldManRunner ah yes sorry was confusing with Peg Plus. I quite like them and certainly been won over by the ZF6 and very similar weight. Recall the OG Prime X was about 50g more in a US 14 to your US 13. Normally though think about 20g is about right. I had a UK 12/US 13 in VF1 and they were only about 15g less.

[@OldManRunner]

@@TimGrose Adidas quote a weight of 177g in a size UK 8.5. so less of a difference comparatively with the ZF6, which stands to reason I guess. One of the prices to pay for larger feet, is the larger shoe weight penalty...

[@TimGrose]

@@OldManRunner yeah especially in high stack shoes. One of the reasons I largely avoid the max cushioned ploddy shoes.

[@alfdickinson1971]

Did just really enjoy doing 'The Old Passion Prince pass' on the slightly down hill section panting past the lady hi viz??? Death coughs galore

[@TimGrose]

Be grateful for the coughs I edited out as could not get any words out LOL ! That's a nice bit of road for getting a move on - well relatively !

[@m.ch4rmaland3r10]

adios 9 was the shoe I want to know before Evo SL came along. I believe it is still the case. I will replace the Streakfly with the Adios 9. Streakfly is great but it is falling apart after 50km! Adios 9 i hope can do better.

[@paulmulks]

50km is that it 😳 I'd be emailing Nike asking for a replacement or refund if that was my experience

[@TimGrose]

@@m.ch4rmaland3r10 Streakfly certainly similar to the Adios 9. For some reason I never did too much in it probably for similar conclusions here that the “heavier” Vspotfjy found both faster and more protective. Be keen to try Adios 9 on some firm trails as well as just feels could work well there. Bit muddy in general though at present.

[@m.ch4rmaland3r10]

@TimGrose I will be interested in how adios 9 fair on the trails with that new outsole. For non technical trails or road to trails, I find hyperion tempo pretty good. It is on the firmer side, especially for the road, but for 5 dirt, it is good for me.

[@TimGrose]

@@m.ch4rmaland3r10 I kind of think if it is terrain where grip is any real issue, won’t be where would want to use anything for “faster” running. It was a bit wet underfoot in this video and some sharp turns and had no issues.

[@Tendonworks]

I think shoe choice depends so much on running gait and style. If you’re an ‘up on your toes ‘ carrying no weight type, these lightweights are fine , otherwise I’d opt for cushioning.

[@TimGrose]

yeah and agree and think when we were younger and faster that was easier to do.

[@sagsdothedu]

I’m looking for a kind of transition shoe to get me used to spikes. I was going to try my Takumi Sen 8s but these may well be better - thoughts? Cheers Tim

[@TimGrose]

I would say the Adios 9 "feels" more like a spike than the Sen 8 and I think a better shoe for that adaption. It's ironic as the Sen used to be the super minimalist flat in the adidas range with the "regular" Adios more than the marathon racer. Now kind of flipped over.

[@teresavanlokven9767]

Hi Tim, okay i'm some 8 years older than you but my go to racer for the Marathon was the NB comp 200 in the 1980's (the Great Hugh Jones won London in the comp 100 i believe in 82) today I expect most tennis shoes have more cushioning and anyone who's only take up running in the last 5 years , well it's different world.. Ian

[@TimGrose]

I think most of my early flats were Nike but remember some Reebok ones too. I was mainly a track runner back in the 80s and 90s so the furthest ever raced in that era was 10K and then only rarely. Did my first two marathons in 2004 & 5 in Nike Streaks which yeah even 20 or so years after your marathon would very much be "lifestyle" shoes now. Adios 9 did remind me a bit of the feel but I think the foam in them would still feel "high stack" compared to what we used to use. Still I was a lot faster in them!!!

[@tworunningbrooms]

I do like the look of the Adios 9. They look very old school. Did you ever run in the Nike Ekidens or the Nike Mayfly? Are they reminiscent of those? How would you judge their durability? How many 5ks would you get out of them?

[@TimGrose]

Surprise surprise Mayflys never came in my size but I wore quite a few Nike Streak flats over the years and recall some of them also had Ekiden in the title. Differently "reminiscent" of those although not got any bar the Nike Streak LT3 and LT4 which in some ways were even more minimalist although more recent. Think big difference is the modern foam as although relatively low stack feel got "some" cushion there. Don't think will use these for anything other than sessions on the road but could be a good parkrun firm trail type shoe. Think they last long enough. Lightstrike Pro does seem to hold well as it were.

[@tworunningbrooms]

@TimGrose where would you place them alongside the Takumis for 5k racing and parkruns?

[@TimGrose]

I might think Takumi for road, Adios 9 if wanted something as light & nimble as possible if surface not so good. Non Tarmac old railways I feel could be really useful.

[@wasifali1326]

Is Adios 9 suitable as daily trainer? Its tts?

[@TimGrose]

@@wasifali1326 there is another commentator here who says he does use it for that. Personally this would be about my last choice for daily training although that might depend what that really means for you. It is not IMHO a shoe for a few easy miles but you could do anything in anything if so minded. To me this is about short, faster efforts and as a shoe to adapt into spikes. That said my first run in it was for an hour but really just to see what it was about.

[@TimGrose]

@@wasifali1326 ps it is TTS for me yes but it is a relatively narrow minimalist shoe

[@wasifali1326]

@@TimGrose thanks dear ❣️

[@metalsadman]

as a lighter and injury prone runner, great cushion and under 300 grams shoes for me. I didn't like my experience with adios pro 3 so I'm staying away from adidas for now, Nikes been god for me, zf6,vf3 and af3s which I have multiple pairs.

[@TimGrose]

Although essentially same foam, the Pro 3 is somewhat "more shoe" than the Adios 9. Decent fast and/or long training shoe for me but never been inclined to race in it. I also largely prefer those Nike ones although have always struggled a bit in Alphaflys as in my large UK 13 they always feel a bit "too much" shoe although the AF3 is somewhat lighter than my ZF6.

[@i.p2088]

Zoomfly 6 sounds good 🎉

[@TimGrose]

@@i.p2088 yes been one have been reaching for a lot since got it

[@brianreiter5572]

The adios 9 and adios Evo SL do seem to have the relationship that the Nike Streak LT 3 and Streak 6 had. As you noted the point of the adios 9 to me would be to work on training foot strength, form, and turnover. The difference really does seem to be about proprioception and the adios 9 does not purport to be a super shoe. It’s a modernized super light flat which you would use for intervals, track, possibly shorter races. Also possibly cross country - which was what the Streak LT was originally designed for I think.

[@TimGrose]

Yeah good point there. The Streak 6 was a lot wider (well relatively) and beefed up. I did a few races in the LT3 - remember a track 5000 and 800 when was a bit wary of spikes and also a parkrun. I remember on the road (even then) that there seemed relatively next to no cushion. In the end I found the LT3 and similar LT4 good for beach runs and grass reps. Still needed to wary of my hamstrings though! I think now it like Streakfly and Peg Plus or Adios 9 and am kind of presuming Evo SL (which don't yet have). I do think Adios 9 will have some place for me but perhaps one need to use sparingly.

[@logohigh1]

bought zoom fly for girlfriend , no excuse not to be faster now 😂

[@TimGrose]

She might overtake you then LOL. Have you got a pair for yourself?

[@logohigh1]

@ I have Mach 5 - as some kind equivalent , and vaporfly 2 In reality we are not fast enough for either - probably

[@vincewarne228]

I don’t know if it’s all in the mind but doing track sessions in higher plated shoes can feel awkward. Although it’s a bit niche it’s why I think shoes like the Adios 9 have a place in the rotation (plus I like buying shoes).

[@TimGrose]

@@vincewarne228 yeah know what you mean but these days I don’t do too many track sessions as prefer running in straight lines on lanes like this in the main as always worried about my hamstrings and bends. Done a few fast track sessions in Vaporfly 1 but they now don’t seem too high.

[@KrisP10]

Looks like you have the same, nice weather as we have here in the southern part of Norway these days 🥹 keen on the ZF6 I have to say. Using Rebel v3 for build

[@TimGrose]

@@KrisP10 been quite misty and foggy last few days but at least not too wet. Probably would feel “warm” for you at about 6 deg C so still shorts weather !

[@TimGrose]

@@KrisP10 ps I have Rebel v4 and a lot lighter than ZF6 but rather wide for me and no plate but perhaps another example why a lighter shoe isn’t necessarily a “faster” one - well at least for me.

[@KrisP10]

@ I have recommended that one to a colleague with wide feet’s - he likes them a lot 👍

[@TimGrose]

@@KrisP10 yes Rebel v4 I thought is very wide and there is even a wide version!