adidas adizero Cybersonic Men's Tennis Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 3.9

With Lightstrike cushioning, the adidas Cybersonics provided our playtesters with a responsive feel on court. A couple of testers needed some time to break in their shoes before they found the comfort they were looking for, but for Mark, the fit and feel of these shoes were spot on. He said, "I consider the new adidas Cybersonics to be low-to-the-ground, lighter weight tennis shoes. I was confident they were going to be well ventilated, but lighter shoes leave me anticipating a trade-off in terms of overall comfort. That said, the new Cybersonics for sure offered stellar breathability, and although it is a low-to-the-court type of shoe, the midsole cushioning was more than sufficient on my old joints. Fit-wise, the Cybersonics are some of the best fitting shoes I've tried. From heel to toe, they hugged my entire foot without ever feeling constrictive, and the stock insert was high enough to trace the contour of my high arches."

Troy finds himself between sizes with adidas shoes, but once he chose the right size he was pleased overall. He described, "For adidas shoes, I go back and forth between sizes 9.5 and 10. For these Cybersonics to fit me comfortably, I had to go up to a size 10, like I did with the Ubersonic 4. The comfort of this adidas Cybersonic had a lot to do with the fit (once I went up to size 10), and I also really enjoyed the feel of the elastic inner sleeve, which is kind of like a partial bootie construction. The overall comfort was very good for me, and these shoes contoured to my feet very well. I will note that over the years, there haven't been a lot of adidas shoes that really meshed well with my foot type. The last adidas shoes that gave me a lot of comfort were the SoleMatch Bounces, but those were so soft and flexible that they weren't all that supportive or stable. The Cybersonics gave me enough cushion and substance underneath my feet. It wasn't necessarily a really plush or soft feel underfoot, but I found enough cushioning to keep me satisfied and not thinking about my feet while playing. Ventilation was better than most shoes I have playtested. The recycled mesh uppers and the perforated elastic sleeve underneath made for the Cybersonics pretty breathable."

The other two playtesters needed more time to settle into their shoes. For Jason, the break-in period was relatively short. He said, "When I first played in the Cybersonics they felt a little stiff to me. They started to flex better after a couple of hours. The underfoot cushioning had a more responsive feel, but I thought they felt good throughout the playtest. As for the fit, I have E-width feet, so these shoes did feel just slightly narrow for me."

Chris never felt fully comfortable in these shoes. He said, "My pair of Cybersonics needed a bit of a break-in. Even when the uppers had opened up, the Cybersonics continued to bug me, with the ankle collars rubbing my ankles on aggressive lateral cuts. I would have liked more ventilation from the uppers, because even in the cooler weather we've had, the shoes ran a little hot. I found the fit to be nice and contoured, and I was able to comfortably find a secure fit for my narrow feet. I liked the level of arch support, and my arches felt well protected."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.5

With a snug fit and some built-in rigidity, the Cybersonics were impressively supportive and stable on court for our team. For Jason, this category was the highlight of the playtest. He said, "The stability and the support were where these shoes really shone. My feet felt really locked in, and the shoes did a fantastic job of keeping my feet stable when changing directions."

Chris offered comparisons to the Barricade, saying, "The Cybersonics did a solid job of supporting my feet. The fit of the shoes adequately held me in place, and the level of stability was very good. I could trust the shoes when moving aggressively, and I never felt in danger of rolling an ankle. The level of stability at the heel was high, and the shoes resisted excessive flexing on aggressive lateral stops. While I was impressed by these shoes, I can't help but compare them to the Barricades, and I much prefer the fit and feel of the Barricades over these."

It was a smooth ride on court in these shoes for Troy. He described, "The support was superb for me and my foot type. As I mentioned in the comfort section, these adidas Cybersonics were very glove-like on my feet, so I felt locked in, but not restricted. My first impression of the Energyrod was that it looked sort of gimmicky, but as I played in these shoes I noticed how it formed into the midfoot shank region and helped to stabilize the shoe when I was moving laterally under pressure. The balance of support and stability was good for me. I find the Barricades to feel a bit stiff and sometimes too rigid for my liking, and the Cybersonics had just enough support and stability for me without feeling overly stiff."

Mark added, "The good folks at adidas definitely figured out a way to cut shoe weight while maintaining great tennis shoe support and stability."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.7

When designing shoes to be quick around the court, durability generally seems to be where comprises must be made. For our team, the Cybersonics might not be Barricade-like in their durability, but the outsoles still held up well. Troy explained, "When it came to the durability of the rubber outsole, these shoes held up about as well as I would have expected. The outsoles showed some slight balding near the balls of my feet and in the toe region, but other than that, they still looked good at the end of the playtest. In comparison to other adidas shoe models, I would put these Cybersonics somewhere between the Ubersonic and the Barricade. They are a bit more substantial than the Ubersonic, but the outsoles are not quite as strong and beefy as the Barricade. As far as the toe durability, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the Adituff recycled toe protection zone held up on the gritty hard court we playtest on, as well as the recently resurfaced hard courts at one of the local country clubs I play at. I don't drag my toes on my serve like I did many years ago, but when I did drag on my volleys and such, the Adituff material was legit."

"For shoes that are supposed to be speed oriented, the outsoles were surprisingly durable," Jason added. "I put about 10 hours on these Cybersonics, and they show very, very minimal wear. Now granted, I am not the harshest person on shoes, but I was still impressed."

Comparisons to the Barricade are hard to avoid when discussing an adidas shoe's durability. Mark chimed in, saying, "For lighter tennis shoes, the Cybersonics feature good outsole durability, just not quite as abrasion resistant as the Barricade."

Unlike the rest of the team, Chris had some struggles with durability, but it was not in the typical areas. He said, "I unfortunately had a lace eyelet fail on my first pair of Cybersonics. This was an issue with some early pairs, but has not been a problem since. I had to start again with a fresh pair, and having switched shoes, I was unable to get as many hours as I would have liked on the outsoles. With that said, the shoes seemed to be holding up pretty well. I was especially impressed by how they held up considering they are speed-oriented shoes."

Traction - Score: 4.0

The team agreed that the Cybersonics offer a healthy amount of stick on the hard courts, but whether that grippy feel was a good thing depended on who you asked. Chris prefers a slicker feel for his tennis shoes. He described, "Right out of the gate, the Cybersonics felt like they were grabbing the court too much to be perfect for me. I prefer more give from the outsoles so I can move naturally when pivoting and taking small adjustment steps. On the plus side, when pushing off, I found a ton of grip to help me get going quickly."

A slicker outsole helps Jason slide out of his shots. He agreed with Chris, adding, "The unique tread pattern provided excellent grip on the hard courts. I was happy to feel that there was a bit of give so it didn't feel like I was just stuck when I tried to stop. However, I would have preferred slightly more give to help with transitioning out of shots."

Mark's footwork settled in nicely to the Cybersonic's traction levels. He said, "For the first few minutes of play on a hard court, the new Cybersonics were a little sticky, but after that, traction was top shelf. It was predictable and comfortable throughout and beyond the playtest."

It was Troy who enjoyed the grip the most. He said, "I will preface this section by stating that I am not one of those players who slides on hard courts. Even when I was in college and felt like I was relatively quick and speedy, I never was much of a slider. Maybe because I come from football and basketball, where I have always been trained to plant and cut strongly. That said, the amount of traction worked very well for me, giving me the confidence to make aggressive cuts and change directions smoothly. I didn't find the Adiwear rubber compound to feel too sticky or grippy on the gritty hard courts, but it also grabbed the court when I put my full pressure into stopping. No real complaints from me when comes to traction."

Weight - Score: 4.3

The Cybersonics weigh in at 14.1 ounces (size 10.5), making them about the same weight as a Barricade. For our team, though, these shoes didn't feel heavy around the court. Troy described, "These Cybersonics are definitely not the lightest shoes that I have ever tested, but they felt pretty speedy on court. I often find lighter shoes too minimal for my liking, as they can lack support or underfoot cushioning. The weight of these adidas Cybersonics was about as light as I would want; meaning that I like the support and comfort, and I think if adidas were to cut any more weight, it might take away the things I love about them. These shoes flexed well as I moved around the court and provided smooth heel-to-toe transitioning, which I also think added to the speedy feel."

Jason also found the Cybersonics well balanced in terms of weight. He said, "I thought these shoes felt lightweight, and I felt quick with them on my feet. They won't blow you away with how lightweight they feel, but that's because they still have substantial stability and support."

Echoing the rest of the team, Chris added, "I was happy with the weight of the Cybersonics. The shoes offered a low-to-the-ground and fast ride. I found lots of stability, so I could trust the shoes, and I never felt slowed down by their weight. I could sprint to the ball quickly, but I didn't feel like the shoes transitioned from heel to toe as well as the Barricades. Rather than rolling smoothly from heel to toe, the Cybersonics had a tendency to slap on the court surface, so I was always cognizant of them."

Mark, too, found a good mix of features. He said, "In my mind, a tennis shoe weight of less than 14 ounces qualifies as being pretty lightweight. At 14.1 ounces for a US men's size 10.5, the adidas Cybersonics straddle that weight threshold and do a great job of blending speed traits with traits that assist with support."

Overall - Score: 4.1