Building the Ultimate Super Shoe: The Best Running Shoe Components of 2021

Introduction

A running shoe is only as good as the sum of its parts. The upper, the midsole, and the outsole all have to work in unison, and across a full year of testing road running shoes, very few models got every component right at once. Some shoes had a superb midsole and a mediocre upper. Others gripped brilliantly but carried far too much rubber.

So instead of crowning a single winner, this piece takes the opposite approach: identify the best individual components of the year, then stitch them together into one hypothetical ultimate super shoe. Think of it as a thought experiment with a practical payoff, because knowing which shoe excels at which part makes it much easier to match a purchase to what you actually need.

The Best Upper: Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 2

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 2 stood out as the upper of the year. It combines a thoughtfully sculpted shape with genuine lockdown, and almost every other shoe tested had a small detail somewhere that was not quite right. The heel padding grabs the sock and pulls the foot in, the lacing is on point, and the very thin, flexible mesh keeps the whole thing light and breathable.

The padded tongue is placed exactly where padding should be, and the fit feels secure without being restrictive. Competitors came close, but not close enough. The Asics Magic Speed upper was a genuine contender with its ample toe box and containing fit, though there was a touch of lace pressure on the top of the foot. The Adios 6 also has a great upper, but its suede overlays are poor in wet winter weather, a problem the Boston 10 shares.

If you care most about fit and lockdown in a racing shoe, the Adios Pro 2 is the one to beat.

The Best Midsole: Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2

On the midsole front, the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 remains the one to beat. The ZoomX foam slab and its carefully cultivated profile still delivered the most enjoyable ride of the year, and it is the shoe that helped produce a personal best at the Bristol Half Marathon. It is the head honcho of midsole foam as far as this year is concerned.

Not that the competition is standing still. The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite offers a lively Nitro foam ride with stability, propulsion, and reasonable stack height. The Asics Magic Speed shares some of those qualities, though it is not quite as forgiving and is not the shoe for a slow slog in the rain. The New Balance Rebel v2 has a lovely squishy FuelCell foam, but it is best kept to distances up to the half marathon and may feel unstable for some runners. Its big brother, the RC Elite 2, offers a more accommodating and versatile midsole that felt good at all manner of paces.

Still, for outright racing performance, the Vaporfly Next% 2 midsole is the benchmark, even if 2022 looks set to bring serious competition.

Outsole Grip: A Trickier Call

Outsoles were the hardest category to settle, largely because running across so many surfaces demands versatile rubber with reasonable lug depth. Some shoes excel on tarmac, others on pavement slabs, and others on loose gravel or grit. Many shoes rule themselves out quickly here.

The RC Elite 2 is simply too slippery on freshly moistened concrete. The Adios 6 is great on road but picks up small stones like a vacuum cleaner, especially in the forefoot and midfoot. The Adios Pro 2’s outsole actually improved as it wore down, but only on road and concrete; on anything else the traction is not there. The Nike Pegasus 38 and Invincible Run both have excellent, durable, versatile rubber that even handles light trails, but all that rubber adds noticeable weight, a complaint also levelled at the Boston 10.

That leaves two winners. The forefoot and midfoot of the Asics Metaspeed Sky are insanely grippy yet light, with enough spacing between the sections to shed loose material rather than trap it. The heel section comes from the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite, whose Puma Grip rubber delivers outstanding all-weather grip and seems never to wear down, which also helps the midsole last longer.

Building the Frankenshoe

Combine the components and the ultimate super shoe of 2021 takes shape: the upper of the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 2, the midsole of the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2, and a hybrid outsole pairing the Metaspeed Sky’s forefoot and midfoot rubber with the Deviate Nitro Elite’s heel. Four shoes, stitched together into what would arguably be the best super shoe of the year.

Of course, no such hybrid exists on a shelf, and that is the practical lesson here. Match the component that matters most to your running. If uppers have let you down before, start with the Adios Pro 2. If you want the fastest ride, the Vaporfly Next% 2 midsole is still the benchmark. If grip and durability matter most, the Metaspeed Sky forefoot and Puma’s grip rubber deserve your attention.

Conclusion

No single 2021 racing shoe nailed every component, but the year’s standouts are clear: an exceptional upper on the Adizero Adios Pro 2, a class-leading midsole in the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2, and outstanding outsole grip split between the Asics Metaspeed Sky and the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite. Pick the shoe whose strongest component matches your priority, and you will not go far wrong.