adidas Stycon Women's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 2.5

The adidas Stycons use a sock-like construction for the uppers and BOUNCE cushioning to support and cradle the feet, but with a laceless design, these shoes also needed to be rigid enough to stay stable during movement. For our playtesters, that stiffness also meant a significant break-in period. Before Brittany could even begin testing these shoes, she needed a minute to process their looks. She began, "When I first opened the shoe box, my first thought was, 'Wow, these are so unique looking!' I was worried if I was cool enough to rock them on court. Once I got past the cosmetics, the next order of business was getting the shoes on my feet, and that ended up being a much simpler task than I expected. I just needed to pull on the loops to widen the opening and slip my feet in. Now, I definitely had a lengthy break-in period for two reasons, one being the arch support and the other being that the shoes weren't flexing on my heel-to-toe transitions. I had sore arches for my first couple of sessions in these shoes, and that continued, on and off, throughout the playtest. Toward the end, I felt the arches compressed and molded a little better to my feet. I found the cushioning to be more minimal and firm underfoot. I always took the shoes off immediately at the end of a hit since they were quite warm and slightly constricting."

With medium-width feet and high arches, Michelle struggled to get the Stycons to work with her foot shape. She explained, "I don't think these shoes are for me. I much prefer adidas's quicker shoes since the more stable options have not been pairing well with my feet lately. I had a massive bruise on the inside of my ankle from these shoes. Thankfully, it didn't hurt, but it was noticeable. The shoes were also cutting me on the outside of my heel, which was very similar to what happened when I wore the SoleCourt Boost. It was a rough playtest, to say the least. Aside from that, the Stycons fit snugly and really sucked my feet in. The cushioning wasn't super plush or bouncy. I just can't see myself wearing these shoes on the court for practice or matches. There were some issues with arch support as well. I don't think I had any support on my high arches and felt them flattening out and stretching in uncomfortable ways as I played. I really did want to like these shoes, but I just couldn't find many positives."

Like the others, Tiffani had some issues with comfort. She said, "I was skeptical about getting these shoes on my feet as soon as I opened the box. The Stycons came with a shoehorn and an instruction sheet. As it turns out, these shoes are easier to get on than some other more traditional shoes with bootie construction. I slipped my foot in, tugged on the loops, and the shoe was on. The Stycons felt snug and supportive around my feet. I likely should have walked around in these shoes first to start breaking them in, but I was too curious about them and headed out to play minutes after putting them on. These shoes did need a break-in and were not flexing the way I like from heel to toe. My foot, from about midfoot to the heel, would lift off the footbed with each foot strike, so after about 15 minutes, my feet would be tired and start aching through the arches. It felt like my feet were working so hard. The cushioning felt lower profile, but I wasn't having any issues with hard impacts. For me, the shoes just weren’t flexing, and they caused arch pains that never went away."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.4

Without laces, the Stycons manage to deliver support and stability using a tightly knit upper and inner support straps. Although these shoes didn't deliver the comfort Michelle sought, there was no denying their stability. She said, "There's no doubt about it; these are some of the most stable shoes I've ever worn. The support was great as well — no issues there. This was definitely the highlight of the playtest. Lots of support, tons of stability. If you are looking for the classic stability that the older Barricades provide, these shoes will give it to you.”

Brittany hit upon the brand's reputation for making supportive shoes, saying, "When I think of the adidas brand and what it has been known for in the past, I think of the Barricades, which were durable and very supportive and stable. The Stycons fit right into this concept, and I found them to lock my feet in surprisingly well without any laces. I think the highlight of the playtest was this support and stability. I tend to look for shoes with higher levels of stability, especially around the ankle, and the Stycons were perfect in that area. There may have been one or two times during the playtest when my feet moved forward in the shoes, but this was during an intense drill and did not hinder my movement."

Tiffani was most impressed by the consistency of the support levels. She said, "Even though these shoes are laceless, the ankle support and stability were outstanding throughout the playtest. The shoes wrap high around the ankles and provide a sense of security. The straps inside the shoes remained tight and didn't loosen during play, which was impressive."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.4

Although these Stycons aren’t backed by a durability guarantee, our team wasn't worried about premature wear. Tiffani explained, "The Stycons look durable, and they live up to their looks. Even though I tested the clay outsole on hard courts, the shoes didn't get torn up too quickly. The toes show little wear, and I have no doubt these shoes would last me several months on hard courts.”

Michelle agreed, adding, "These shoes held up just fine in terms of durability. At first, I wasn't sure if they would wear out fast, but they definitely have a lot of life in them. That being said, I do have to admit that they didn't get as much wear as other shoes we're testing because of the comfort issues."

Likewise, Brittany was impressed in this arena. She said, "I had approximately 10 hours on court with these shoes. The uppers, toes and outsoles all held up very well. I do not see any sort of wear. In fact, the shoes look brand new! These days I am not too hard on my shoes, so I do not need the extra durability. However, in college I was going through shoes every four to six weeks, and I could definitely see myself gravitating toward the Stycons. These are probably some of the more durable shoes on the market right now."

Traction - Score: 3.7

The Stycons come with both hard court and clay outsoles. Our team received pairs with the full herringbone tread pattern, which is typically used on clay courts. Although the ladies play almost exclusively on hard courts, there weren't too many issues with traction. Michelle described, "We playtested the clay version of this shoe, which was good because I don't think I've ever put a clay outsole to the test on a hard court. The traction was just fine. The biggest difference I noted was a softer rubber, which also seemed to make more noise. Because the shoes are on the heavy side, I did feel like I was dragging my feet at times."

Tiffani usually prefers a slicker outsole than Michelle. She said, "The clay outsole is softer and gripped the hard court too much for me. There were times when I felt a little stuck, and I wasn't pivoting as quickly out of shots as I would have liked. The guys tested the hard court version, and I don't think any of them had issues with traction. The clay outsoles were also quite loud and scratchy sounding on the hard court surface."

Brittany felt that the Stycon's traction improved with wear. She said, "At the very beginning, there were a couple of times when I felt stuck, as the grooves really gripped the court. As the playtest wore on the traction started to settle in and smooth out. As I mentioned above, I was impressed with the Stycon's low-to-the-ground feel, and I felt very connected to the court."

Weight - Score: 2.9

On paper, the adidas Stycons are among the heavier shoes at Tennis Warehouse, and our team felt that on court. Tiffani described how some performance features can lead to extra weight. She said, "The Stycons are stable and durable, which unfortunately meant they felt quite heavy. These shoes were also not flexing well for me, so I just felt slow in them. Perhaps a younger player would be able to move smoothly in these shoes."

"I am not going to lie; these shoes are beasts," Brittany continued. "When shoes offer high support, stability and durability, I expect them to be a little heavier. That said, adidas usually does a good job of distributing the weight so their shoes don't feel like they're slowing you down. Unfortunately, these Stycons felt very clunky and noticeable on my feet when moving around on court. I think numerous factors caused this, including the higher ankle support, the lack of flex from heel to toe, and just the weight itself. I would have liked them to feel slightly lighter."

Michelle agreed with her fellow playtesters, adding, "These shoes felt bulky and heavy. There is no questioning that. I have never been the quickest mover, but in these, I felt slow, sluggish and stuck."

Overall - Score: 3.1