Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 First Run Review: A Big Overhaul That Works

Introduction

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 has arrived with one of the most complete overhauls the Adios Pro line has seen. New foam, new uppers, a new lace system, new tongues, new grip: this is not a subtle refresh, and the question is whether all that change actually works together. After early miles in the shoe, the short answer is that it mostly does, and in some areas it clearly improves on its predecessor.

Key Specs and Pricing

The Adizero Adios Pro 4 packs 39mm of foam in the heel and 33mm in the forefoot for a 6mm drop, half a millimetre lower in the forefoot than the Adios Pro 3. That makes it one of the lowest-stack carbon racers you will find, with slightly less midsole in the heel than something like the Adizero Metaspeed Sky Paris but broadly on par with that shoe.

Weight is 202g (7.1 oz) in a men’s UK 8.5, which is 14g (0.6 oz) lighter than the Adios Pro 3, though still a shade heavier than the Vaporfly and Metaspeed Sky Paris, both of which come in under 200g. Pricing stays put at £220 in the UK or $250 in the US, so no price hike here, and that is standard money for a carbon racer these days.

Design and Midsole Changes

Visually there is a nod to the black and white of the Pro Evo 1, but that shoe is a rare, elite-focused racer. The Adios Pro 4 is designed for a broader range of runners chasing PBs across a range of distances, with marathon running very much in mind.

The midsole uses a new Lightstrike Pro compound, tuned slightly differently from the foam in the Pro Evo and dialled in for a little extra softness. The geometry has also been updated: the forefoot rocker has moved back and now sits at 60% of the length of the shoe, the same position as the Pro Evo 1, which Adidas says boosts overall efficiency. The Energyrods 2.0 carry over unchanged from the Adios Pro 3.

Out back, the data-map light traction outsole keeps rubber to a strategic minimum to save weight. It still uses Continental rubber, but Adidas has made it translucent, which looks sharp, with different levels of grip and texture depending on the zone.

The New Upper: The Biggest Step Forward

Up top there are brand new Lightlock uppers: one-way stretch woven mesh designed to fix one of the biggest complaints about the Adios Pro 3, whose fit felt fussy and never quite disappeared on the foot. Some runners also experienced discomfort around the top of the toe knuckle caused by the eyelets.

The new upper material pairs with new locking bands for a snug, secure fit, and the thin wrapping tongues are stitched in to stop them wandering. A simplified lacing structure should make a good fit easier to find and reduce those pressure points. The heel package stays the same as the Pro 3: racy and minimal, with just two side pads for hold and comfort, plus foldable heel tabs with a nice detail that reads “this too shall pass”.

Fit and Comfort

Running in a regular Adidas size, UK 8.5 / US 9, the headline is that the shoe simply feels more comfortable overall. The revised lace setup takes pressure off the eyelets because the bands sit in different places, and it is easier to slide in and get comfortable all the way up the lace carriage. One small quibble: the tongue left the reviewer wanting to pull it up slightly for a bit more coverage.

Elsewhere the news is good. Lockdown across the middle of the foot is solid, there is a nice amount of room in the toe box, and the uppers hug while still feeling flexible with no real restriction. The minimal heel pads do their job, and while there is a little more flex in the heel section than in the Pro 3, you do not notice it on the run. No slipping, no rubbing, no Achilles trouble. The early read is that the shoe runs true to size and is a definite improvement over the Adios Pro 3.

First Run Impressions

Four miles out of the box: one easy warm-up mile, then three progressively faster miles ending around a 6-minute mile on legs that were not exactly fresh after a half marathon the previous weekend. The takeaway: the energy in these shoes is wild. The faster you go, the more propulsion they seem to give back, almost bounding your feet forward, to the point where you have to work to get your feet back down.

At slower paces the picture is more mixed. The rocker and a bit of the foam underfoot showed up in a less positive way, with the ball of the shoe knotting under the foot a little. Once you speed up, though, the repositioned 60% rocker kicks in, you roll through the forefoot, and the shoe springs you off with a huge amount of energy. There is also a slight disconnect between the heel and the forefoot; it does not feel like one piece of midsole the way some rivals do, so landing mid to forefoot is where this shoe works best.

The uppers, straight out of the box, are a huge improvement. They feel dreamy compared to the Pro 3: nice flex, no troublesome movement, that disappearing feel, and no hot spots or awkward bits, heel collar included.

Second Run: Easy Pace and Protection

The second outing was a 5-mile easy to mid-paced loop around the streets of London, deliberately run slower and further back on the heels. The standout was how springy the midsole remains even at lower pace: this shoe really wants you moving faster. There are good signs of protection too, with enough midsole and softness to take the edge off the road even when landing heavier.

Stability is arguably not on the same level as some other shoes, and there is a bit more wobble in the heel at slow paces, but the cushioning seemed sufficient to drag yourself through the last miles of a marathon should the wheels come off. A full marathon test is still needed to confirm that properly.

Early Verdict

This is a light, punchy, lively fast ride, full of fun and energy, a shoe that urges you to pick up the pace and dares you to push harder without making you pay the full effort price for it. The new Lightstrike Pro foam is a shade softer than the Pro 3 but returns more bounce. That softness makes it somewhat less stable in the heel, though attacking the road mid to forefoot makes that a non-issue.

The moved rocker genuinely adds something over the Adios Pro 3, but arguably the uppers are the biggest step forward. If you liked the energy of the Pro 3 but were put off by the fit, the Pro 4 appears to solve that. How it stacks up against the Adizero Metaspeed Sky Paris and the Alphafly awaits more testing and head-to-head comparisons, but the improved comfort, the more aggressive rocker, and the extra softness with bounce have put this shoe into the mix among favourite carbon racers.

More miles are needed before a final verdict, but the early signs suggest this might be the best Adios Pro yet, and the plan to marathon-test it is always a good sign.

Conclusion

The Adidas Adizero Adizero Adios Pro 4 earns attention by fixing its predecessor’s biggest weakness. The new Lightlock upper transforms comfort out of the box, the repositioned rocker and retuned foam add real propulsion at race pace, and the price has not moved. Early testing points to a lively, energetic marathon racer suited to mid-to-forefoot strikers who want a shoe that rewards aggression. If the remaining miles hold up, this could be the strongest Adios Pro to date.