As a summer full of intrigue continues to grow on the horizon, adidas decided to blow the doors off the world by releasing a boot that weighs just 99 grams. Slashing the current lightweight standard by nearly half, we look at the pathway that got us here and what adidas could do as they move forward.
99 grams. 3.49 ounces. A cloud with studs. The lightest boot to ever grace the market and a boot that is as appealing to the imagination of the boot world as it is to those actually hoping to wear the limited edition boot. However, the process has been anything but immediate, with obvious steps that show how adidas and the F50 have worked their way down to this incredible innovation. Starting back when we couldn’t believe how light a 6oz boot felt in our hands, the original adiZero had us with our mouths agape; a boot that seemed to barely have any weight (whether in your hands or on your feet).
The original boot has faded a bit in the memory, but its impact can be seen within the 99 gram wonder. Almost immediately after the update of the original F50, adidas decided to shave off few more ounces with the adiZero Prime. A boot with a surprising amount of professional uptake, especially considering how the pro players typically avoid “SL” releases, and a boot that seemed to fade away as the three stripes headed back towards the safety of 6 ounces and seemed to be content with 5.3 being as high as the bar had been set.
After a few standalone F50 releases that had many thinking that the speed race may have found the light threshold, the silence would be broken when Gareth Bale, some crazy colours, and a removed stud would crash their way past 5 ounces to the 135 gram mark. 4.75 ounces and a sudden surge in the world of lightweight. CrazyLight - a perfect name - attached to a limited edition set of boots that would come in a pair of equally divisive colourways.
However, our imaginations were piqued when adidas showcased a 99 gram concept boot. Would this be released to the public? Would F50’s be heading towards this ridiculous weight? The general consensus seemed to be that this was merely adidas flexing some R&D muscle and that we would probably never experience the 99 gram creation.
Fast forward to April 2015, and our imaginations have been given renewed fuel as the 99 gram boot has been released onto the market. The first few months for this boot will be key to see where adidas use this incredibly lightweight technology as they move forward. The extremely limited numbers might keep us from hearing too many opinions of how the boots perform on the pitch, but all of us are extremely curious about the on-field capabilities of such a lightweight phenomenon.
Extremely limited edition boots don't always need to concern themselves with on-field function as the low numbers normally mean that very few will leave the safety of the box or the mantel, but the key aspect of this boot has us wondering what it can do on our feet. Performance wise, the jury is still out on the adizero 99g, but so far adidas have made a convincing case for their latest innovation.
So, is this the last bastion of a speed race that seems to only include adidas at this point? Or, is the 99 gram boot something that might could become a successful boot for adidas to release multiple times, each time with renewed success? With the never-ending whispers on what the three stripes are planning for this summer, you have to wonder if they are taking risks that a possible clean slate on the horizon would allow. Risks on boots that normally wouldn’t be considered viable, but something that can be seen as a definite bonus to all of us that love to see the latest and greatest in the football gear world. Adidas is certainly floating on air with their newest baby and we wonder how long they can float among the stars.
Get a closer look at the adidas adizero 99g right here.
