Adidas Adizero Evo SL Woven Review: A Smarter Upper on a Proven Ride

Introduction

The Adidas Adizero Evo SL has been one of the most popular daily trainers of the moment, loved by everyone from parkrun regulars to marathon build-up runners. The Woven version takes that exact same midsole and outsole package and bolts on a completely new upper. The question is whether that update is worth it.

What Has Actually Changed

Underfoot, nothing has moved. Measured stack height in a UK 11 came in around 39 mm at the heel and about 32 mm at the forefoot, roughly a 7 to 8 mm drop, which lines up with the original Evo SL rather than the headline brand figures. Forefoot and heel widths matched the original at roughly 12 cm and 9 cm respectively. Weight barely moved either: 261 g or 9.2 oz for the original versus 268 g or 9.5 oz for the Woven, a smaller increase than expected given all the new material.

The upper itself is the whole story. The new woven fabric feels light to the touch, especially in the toe box, and is genuinely breathable. Reinforcements around the toe box wrap round to the back of the shoe, and the material feels a little thicker in those zones than the fabrics used in the Adios 9, Takumi Sen 11 and Adios Pro 4, though it is clearly related.

Toe Box and Fit

Compared with the original, the Woven’s toe box is softer but more enclosed and less baggy. It is a snug, speed-orientated fit that recalls the Takumi Sen 11 without feeling tight enough to force a half size up for most runners. If you have a slightly wider foot, a half size up may be worth considering, though this shoe has never been the best pick for wide feet anyway.

Tongue, Lacing and Fit Details

The tongue has been reworked more thoroughly than photos suggest. Padding now extends much further down toward the initial eyelets, some padding has been trimmed from the top of the tongue, and the tongue itself is slightly longer, protruding a little above the collar. The lace loop section is now stitched down except for one gap where the laces thread through, which looks cleaner even if the adizero logo is no longer readable. Function over aesthetics, and it works.

Gusseting has been added on both sides of the tongue, slightly elasticated and stretching down to around the middle stripe, which keeps the tongue centered. No tongue slide showed up at all during treadmill testing. The reinforcements at the eyelets are identical to the original.

Two smaller quirks: the laces are slightly shorter than before, long enough for a runner’s knot just about, though a standard bow is no problem, and the heel counter is a little shallower than the original’s, possibly to balance the added material. Neither is a dealbreaker, but serrated laces would have been the one change most runners would welcome, and swapping in a spare pair is an easy fix if it bothers you.

How It Fits and Feels on the Run

The payoff of all these tweaks is a shoe that feels more secure and race-adjacent without losing the versatile ride that made the Evo SL a hit. The original’s upper was the main thing holding it back, and this version addresses nearly all of those complaints.

Buying Advice: Original or Woven?

If you are torn between the two, the Woven version is the better buy, especially if you can find a good deal. Pairs have been available around £115 from retailers such as Start Fitness, while discounted originals can sometimes be found just under £100. For a very small price uplift, the upper improvements and marginal weight increase make the Woven the smarter pick.

It is also worth knowing that a special Evo SL Zip version is expected in 2026, using the same midsole and outsole tooling with a zip fastening upper. Given the small premium over a standard pair, the Woven arguably remains the pinnacle of this model, and the additional variants mostly look like Adidas extending the line rather than improving it.

Conclusion

The Adizero Evo SL Woven is the version of this shoe most runners should buy: the same proven ride underneath, and an upper that finally matches it. Longer padded tongue, gusseting, a snugger toe box and a more secure overall fit make it a genuine step up over the original for a modest price difference.