adidas Stycon Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 2.7

With internal straps designed to hug the feet in lieu of laces, the adidas Stycons had a rather tight fit, which caused some comfort issues for our team. Chris, who has the narrowest feet of the playtesters, had the best luck when it came to overall comfort. He explained, "I enjoyed playing in the Stycons, but I found it best to take them off as soon as I was done playing. The laceless support straps really wrapped my feet securely and left pressure marks on the tops of my feet when I finished playing. I found the level of support comfortable enough to play in, similar to having my laces tightly cinched in a traditional pair of tennis shoes. I also liked the way the shoes wrapped up around my ankles, and I found them very comfortable and contoured in that sense. After a hitting session, I liked to take these off for the same reason I loosen laces, which is to let my feet relax and breathe. There was never any poking or pinching from the uppers, but the shoes did run a bit hot. Lastly, my high arches felt plenty of support while I was playing in these shoes."

For Mark, the fit was a bit on the constrictive side, and it took a few sessions to break in these Stycons. He said, “These shoes felt very snug during the first few hour-long sessions, almost too tight around the middle section of my feet. After a break-in period I started to feel more comfortable playing in these shoes, and I didn't have too much of an issue with the fit. The Stycons definitely had more of a low-to-the-ground profile. The cushioning underneath my feet wasn't entirely absent, but it was not nearly as plush as I experienced with the Ubersonic 3s. There wasn't a significant amount of material in the arch region of these shoes, but I found them to have enough arch support for my feet. We didn't test these shoes in hot weather, but they did run a bit warm and they weren't very breathable."

Troy struggled with the fit of these shoes for the duration of the review. He noted, "The overall comfort was a bit of a struggle for me throughout the playtest period. These shoes really lock your feet in and keep you supported, but the elastic bands inside of the shoes were squeezing a bit too tightly for me. I was getting a very cramped feel in the middle of my foot near the arch region, to the point where I would take them off halfway through a hitting session. The elastic bands loosened slightly after a long break-in, but I would still get cramping in the middle region of my feet. The fully enclosed upper did not offer much breathability. My feet felt warmer than they do in most shoes that I have tested. The arch support was a bit low, which may have also added to the discomfort I had in that region. The overall fit and shape of these shoes matched my feet pretty well. I think that if I could remove or loosen one of the elastic bands inside these shoes, specifically the one that wraps directly over the middle of my feet above my arches, there would have been very little to complain about comfort-wise."

While the Stycon fit Jason like a glove, he still found the shoe uncomfortable at times due to a lack of cushioning and arch support. He described, "These shoes were a great fit for my feet because of the lower arch and wider base, but I didn't find them to be particularly comfortable to wear. The cushioning is minimal, which provides a great low-to-the-ground feel, but doesn't offer much in terms of shock absorption. The biggest issue was the arch support, or lack thereof. My arches would start feeling fairly sore after about 20 minutes on court. I also think the elastic bands that provide the support and locked-in feel were almost too tight on the middle part of my feet, which may have added to the cramping in that region."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.5

Although most of the team struggled with the comfort of the Stycons, when it came to lateral stability, all of the playtesters were thoroughly impressed. Mark said, "I never once gave any thought to the level of stability, which is a good thing. The low-to-the-ground ride helped provide me with a high degree of lateral stability. I felt like my feet were sitting nice and deep inside these shoes, and the internal elastic bands kept me locked in. I also felt like there was some added support from the upper material that wrapped up higher on my ankles. Other than the level of traction, the overall support and stability of the Stycons are the traits I most favored and benefited from."

Jason added, "For laceless shoes, or any tennis shoes for that matter, I'd consider these Stycons to be very stable. The two elastic straps kept my feet completely locked in. I never felt like my feet were moving within these shoes, and because they were so low to the ground, I could be very aggressive with my movement without any fears. The uppers were stiff enough to provide rigidity when I was planting my feet and changing direction. Overall, it was a fully locked-in ride, and these shoes offer more stability than they would appear to."

Chris carried on the positive remarks for support and stability. He continued, "I loved the level of support and stability offered by the Stycons. I had my concerns when first trying a laceless shoe, but any worries I had vaporized on my first sprint to the ball. These shoes wrapped my feet extremely securely. I have narrow feet and felt more secure in these shoes than I can normally achieve with laces. The stability was also excellent. My feet sat down low, and it felt like there was plenty of shoe to keep me centered and prevent any worries of rolling an ankle. Top marks from me in this category!"

Troy was also impressed by the support and stability of the Stycons. He said, "These shoes are very supportive. They were a bit difficult to slip on at first, but once my feet were inside, they were locked in. The internal fit system created a snug and secure feel. This reminded me of when I played football, and the athletic trainer would tape my ankles before games to maximize lateral support and prevent sprained ankles. The ride of these shoes was very low to the ground and did a great job of making me feel secure when changing directions."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.0

Chris wouldn't quite put the Stycon in the realm of an adidas Barricade, but it held up well for him. He said, "I first started seeing wear to the outsoles of my Stycons under the big toe area of my right shoe. The shoes wore quicker there than I'd expect from a Barricade, but the durability was still pretty decent and better than a speed-oriented shoe. The uppers held up very well. The toes of my shoes show some scuffing, but there's ample material left to keep me going."

Mark agreed, adding, "Relative to the level of durability of an older adidas Barricade, the Stycon's outsole will be less durable, but I was surprised at how abrasion resistant the outsole was for this playtest. The shoes showed some slight tread wear after a couple months of wearing them, so they were impressive overall. I would rate the durability of these shoes somewhere in between the 2018 Barricades and the Ubersonic 3s."

Troy was pleasantly surprised with the durability. He said, "The outsole held up a bit better than I would have anticipated. There was some slight balding around the toe region where I drag my feet from time to time, but no major wear. They weren't quite as durable as the adidas SoleCourt Boost, but more so than the Ubersonic 2s. I didn't get to put them to much use, but there was quite a bit of protection on the medial side of the shoes for those who slide and drag their back foot."

Like the rest of the team, Jason didn't find these shoes to be the most durable he has tested, but he still thought the Stycons were rather impressive. He said, "I found the durability of these shoes to be above average. There was some slight balding to the tread pattern, but I could tell there was a lot of life left after the playtest. I am not a guy who slides into my shots frequently, but these shoes allow me to do that more than normal. With me sliding more frequently, I would have thought that these shoes would have shown more wear to the tread, but they actually held up for the playtest."

Traction - Score: 4.5

The playtesters enjoyed the traction that the Stycons offered and agreed that these shoes would work great for players who like to slide on hard courts. Troy went into detail, explaining, "These shoes felt semi-slick out on the hard courts, which I liked. The herringbone tread was rather defined, almost like a hybrid between a hard court and clay court outsole. I think this somewhat slick traction will cater well to those young grinders out there sliding into their shots on hard courts. I felt like I had some extra give when slamming on the brakes, but I also felt very low to the ground, so it worked out well for my movement around the court."

Mark also appreciated the traction level. He said, "I was able to test these Stycons on quite a few different hard courts, some being grittier on the surface than others, and the shoes provided me with a great blend of grip versus slip on all of them. The combination of a well-engineered rubber compound and a very low-to-the-court ride gave me the confidence to change directions and move at my maximum speed."

The Stycon's stability and secure fit added to the traction for Chris, allowing him to slide into shots and sprint for the ball with complete confidence. He said, "I loved the level of traction in these shoes. I found myself purposely sliding into shots more than usual for two reasons. One: I felt so locked-in and secure that I had more confidence to slide aggressively. Two: I was able to control my slides because the level of grip was both predictable and controllable. When looking to sprint quickly, I was able to get going without any slips or slides. Another top score here from me."

Like Chris, Jason could also utilize a little bit of hard-court sliding. He said, "I really enjoyed the traction of the Stycons. Besides the sheer innovation of being laceless, traction would be my favorite aspect of these shoes. It's on the slicker side, so I was able to easily slide into my shots, yet there was enough grip that I could push off without losing any force. It was pretty impressive how this rubber outsole allowed me to slide into shots but kept me feeling confident when I needed to hit the brakes. These shoes are definitely a great option for competitive, high-level players who are sliding on the hard courts these days."

Weight - Score: 3.3

When it came to the weight of these Stycons, both Troy and Chris found them to feel a bit lighter than the scale might indicate. Troy described, "If I had to guess the weight of these shoes after the playtest was all said and done, I would have said they were around 15 ounces, which is about an ounce lighter than the scale puts them. They felt somewhat rigid during the initial week or two of playtesting, but after a break-in I felt very nimble with these shoes on. Because they were very low to the ground and they hugged my feet so tightly, they didn't carry the weight like the scale would indicate. They were definitely not what I would call lightweight, but they were not super heavy either."

Chris continued, "The Stycons are definitely not the lightest shoes, but I still felt very fast in them. I had so much support, stability and faith in the outsoles, I'd say I was moving at my very best in these shoes. The Stycons live in rarefied air. They feel speedy enough for match days, yet can last well enough for long training sessions day after day."

On the other hand, the Stycons felt heavy to Jason. He said, "To be quite honest, it took a little while to get used to the weight of these shoes. For the past couple of years the trend of tennis shoes has been to go lighter and lighter, so the Stycon is quite different in that respect, and they felt heavier than most of the shoes I've playtested lately. As the Stycons broke in they started to feel a bit lighter on my feet, but they were still very heavy-duty, right up there with the Nike Air Zoom Vapor Cage 4. The downside is that the Stycons don’t carry an outsole durability guarantee, while the Nike Air Zoom Vapor Cage 4s do."

Mark would have preferred a bit of a lighter feel overall. He explained, "In general, right around the 15-ounce mark (US size 10.5) is where I start to find shoes to feel hefty. The Stycons used some increased material and reinforcements to achieve a high level of stability, and coming in just above 16 ounces, these shoes definitely felt substantial. They felt clunkier in the initial sessions, and they never softened up to the point where they felt speedy. I am a big fan of the Ubersonic 3s, and those shoes are more to my liking when it comes to a fast feel around the court."

Overall - Score: 3.6