The very first thing I thought when I opened up the box… “Quality”… and they’re only charging $110 for these?!? AWESOME!!!
Hit the jump for more…
Traction – Very similar to the Crazy Light, only thicker. Only thing that concerns me is the “Splatter Traction Surface”, they are very flat with just a textured base that will hopefully last. I will say that the rubber compound is pretty sticky, adidas uses some of the best rubber I’ve come across in performance shoes.
Here is an up close view of the texture.
Cushion – The cushion comes from the full length EVA midsole, its just foam. Unlike the Crazy Lights, this foam is very dense. Not much give just from standing in them, here’s hoping they will ease up a bit once they hit the court.
Inside they placed a PU insole, which is very nice and greatly needed since the Sprint Frame is placed directly under the foot. If you have ever owned a pair of Reebok Questions, they are nearly identical other than the thickness. PU insoles are very comfortable.
Just a quick shot of the bottom of the insole.
Material – The leather portions on the shoe are synthetics… the nicest darn synthetics I’ve had the pleasure of touching. Truly blows Jordan and Nike quality out of the water in my opinion. While the cracked print looks nice and hides creasing, it makes a funny sound when bent or maneuvered, not horrible just thought I’d mention it.
The SprintWeb is very nice this time around, huge improvement from the soft and thin Crazy Light. This time around they have managed to keep the SprintWeb thin yet strong. Just as flexible as previous renditions, just a bit stronger. Placement of the SprintWeb was perfectly used in the midfoot, supplying you with premium ventilation without sacrificing structure and support as the overuse of SprintWeb had done in the Crazy Light.
The SprintFrame is pretty much the same as the Crazy Light with a larger heel cup. Stiff and rigid on the lateral side for support where you need it and flexible on the medial side which allows full range of motion where a Guard would prefer it.
Fit – Just from a quick try on and full lace-up, these fit very nice… almost too nice, I will know for sure once I’m able to run the court with them but as of now they may posses the best lockdown fit I have ever had. No bunching, rubbing or awkward flexing; absolutely perfect… at least while you are standing.
The cut of the shoe is weird… but it works. Its somewhat of a mid in the heel while the front is much lower than a typical low cut sneaker.
What allows for such great lockdown are the elastic bands. They wrap the ankles and keep them harnessed into place. The coolest part is that they flex a little due to them being elastic, keeping them comfortable, but also keep the heel secured into the back of the shoe. Whoever thought of this was a genius.
I’m truly blown away by the innovation, technology and quality materials that have gone into this moderately priced package. D. Rose is a beast and his second signature looks as if it can handle it. Cant wait to play in these!
I believe this might your first Derrick Rose performance review and 2nd performance review on the 3 stripes (Crazy Light the 1st).
First thing is first, the quality of Adidas puts Jordan/Nike to shame with the leather used. Adidas does not cheap out on their products and they truly aim to give the best products to their users including their players. I had to take a good 15 minutes on my pair when I first got them to just feel the texture of the leather, I was so dazzled by it that I almost forgot I was holding a basketball sneaker.
Now on to the shoes. The midsole is very very very STIFF, you might want to bend them before balling in them. You can bend them with the shoes in your hand attempting to crease them (which looks horrible aethetically but makes the shoes a lot easier to play in. You can also wear your shose and crouch down to a catcher’s position in Baseball to create some flexing and bending in the midsole/outsole. The key is to create major creases in the midsole and flex the outsole as much as possible before playing in them (you will thank me later).
I think this shoe will suit your style (Rolling Around Screens/Slashing) very well.
I look forward to your performance review as always and its great to see you not being herded into the Swoosh Barn.
You are correct, while the colorway of the crazy Lights were the rose version i didnt feel as if it were really his signature.
All of the tips you gave are spot on. I will even wear the shoes every chance i get around the house prior to taking them out on the court just to get them to loosen up.
Im excited to wear these!!!
I think the reason why the front cut of the shoe is so low is because it’s made to fit with the ankle support that drose uses.
These will probably be my next shoes to ball in.
Thats possible, for a player like me who doesnt wear braces, they still fit perfectly. Theyve figured out how to remove material to cut down weight while still promoting lockdown and secure fit.
Cant wait to get a hold of these, love that elastic band feature!
Haven’t been this excited about a basketball shoe since the kobe v’s.
Haha, same here!
Out of all the shoe you have, from YOUR opinion, what basketball shoe do you think has the best grip and best cushion. they can be the same shoes or to separate shoes.
Thanks,
Evan
Best traction so far has been in the kobe 4 and kd3. Best cushion goes to the lebron 8 V1 & V2.
@Nightwing2303, Did you happen to size down (0.5 down) or go TTS on these. I felt these were a little too long so I went a size down. Adidas made these so that Rose could use the Adidas Speed Wraps in conjunction with these so that added a little more space than I would have liked. You have a slightly narrow foot (if I remember correctly), how did you view the sizing on these?
I feel they are true to sz, but they run narrow. Once they are laced up i havent had any issues with them so far.
Would you prefer these over the air jordan q flights?
Just started playing in them so its too soon to tell. I will post updates throughout the testing phase.
HEY!
i watched all your vids 😀
btw what do you think is the best bball shoe of 2011,
best bball shoe thats out
and what do you rate the kobe 6 and the fly wade?
big big thanks 😀
Shoe of the year has yet to be determined, but for guards my top three right now are the rose 2, Q flight and kobe 6… In that order.
i know u probably dont know about them but there called the Jordan CP Too Quick no lie u should really consider doing a review on them check em out http://www.footlocker.com/product/model:167372/sku:67821030/jordan-cp-too-quick-mens/black/red/?cm=GLOBAL%20SEARCH%3A%20KEYWORD%20SEARCH if you like em u should really do a review on them
I do know about them. Saw them in person and they felt cheap.
I will try to get to them, right now i have about 4 pairs to complete so cross your fingers.
I have had these for afew weeks now and where I love the fit and the performance, I have some serious Inner ankle rubbing going on when I push off outwards which end up pretty sore after a session or a game.
Ive experience that on my right foot. There is a cheap way to resolve the issue by purchasing a McDavid level 1 ankle brace. They’re $10 and made out of neoprene, same stuff seen for the inner boot on the AJ7, and that’ll cut out the rubbing.
Could u somehow show how to lace them correctly and the best, because the ankle straps confused me.
Thanks
Its just like lacing up any other shoe. Isnt that bad.
Hi! Great review as always! I am seriously considering buying this shoe right now. It sounds right for my style of play. The problem: I have pretty wide feet. I am not too concerned about the horizontal width, but the width from the top to the bottom of the shoe concerns me. Please help…
Well i will say that the sprintframe may cause some discomfort if your feet are wide, primarily on the later side towards the forefoot. Not sure if the space you are talking about is the shoes length from toe to heel or if youre referring to dead space in the toebox.
Thanks!
I meant space from the top, as in the laces, to the bottom where the traction is.
Ah okay, thats what i call dead space… Really dont know if there is an actual term but thats what i use lol.
There is a little bit of dead space in the toe. I felt it could have used some padding but that wouldve only been from a comfort standpoint. As performance goes, the laces start just after the toe so lockdown isnt compromised with the extra room as it would be in a shoe where the laces start closer to the toe like the Hyperize.
Hope that helps!
Hey, i love your reviews! When do you think your video performance review of this shoe will be out on youtube?
Itll be up as soon as possible. Still testing them.
i’ve watch most of the vid u posted, they are all AWESOME, but since you haven’t did one for this shoe yet, and i am trying to decide what size i should get (eastbay $25 off really got me thinking to get them)
i wear man 8.5 for KDIII and KOBE V 9, so what size do you think i should get since i can’t test them out because it’s online purchase?
THANK YOU NIGHTWING
Thanks man, appreciate it. The Rose run true to sz so grab them for a discount while you can as they are worth every penny even at full retail.