Adidas continue their partnership with Continental for the latest Ultraboost21 to ensure safe contact with the ground. The partnership started 10 years ago initially designed for trail running, which has now grown to 137 different shoe models. Continental already had more than a century of experience working with rubber compounds for tires. So it was a natural step for Adidas to collaborate with them to create one of the best rubber soles. The resulting soles offer 30% more traction, a reduction in slip, and enable competitors to run more efficiently. 

Adidas latest running innovation, the Adios Pro did not get a Continental rubber sole. Despite the Adios Pro not appearing to have much traction on the outsole, the material used acts like a sandpaper creating traction with the ground. Multiple runners have found these great on dry and wet roads. 

Unlike the Adios Pro, the Alphafly NEXT% has noticeable traction and grip to the sole. Since the first Vaporfly, Nike have added more traction to the outsole and around the heel to help protect the ZoomX foam.

Arguably, the most iconic outsole is the Nike Waffle. The Waffle outsole was first introduced for 12 athletes to use in the 1972 Olympic trials. The shoes were made by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, who used his wife’s waffle iron to create a new kind of running shoe with a waffle-patterned sole to help runners improve speed and traction. This went on to become one of the most expensive sneakers ever sold at auction, fetching $475,500. As it was tweaked over time, the original waffle sole went on to be used in a wide variety of Nike running shoes, including the upcoming Nike ZoomX Invincible Run.

Images: @Nikerunning @AdidasRunning @Unruhjones