Adidas Supernova Rise 3 Review
By Matthew Klein
The Adidas Supernova Rise 1 and 2 were big surprises. After the Supernova line-up had been dormant for a few years, it quietly came back far lighter and nimble that most shoes on the market. While others chased the maximal, high stack, heavyweight, these shoes came in at decent stack heights that favored a lighter weight with a PEBA-mixed midsole. The stability sibling, the Solution, was also a pleasant surprise as it was one of the lightest stability shoes featuring almost the same design with more inherent stability in the sole. After testing Solution 3, I was disappointed with the redesign. It was more stable, but heavier and more clunky than what I had grown to appreciate from the reintroduced series. When the Rise 3 was sent over and I saw what looked like a similar design, I expected the same thing. However, the Rise 3 turned out to be a pleasant surprise, coming in lighter than its predecessor, more stable and more durable. The Rise 3 manages to the right the ship of the Supernova series, providing a solid, dependable daily trainer from Adidas.
Adidas Supernova Rise 3Price: $139.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 9.3 oz, 264 g (men's size 9), oz, g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 36 mm heel / 28 mm forefoot
Drop: 8 mm
Shoe Purpose: Daily Training Shoe
Pros: Balance cushioning, stable neutral, great durability
Cons: Short laces, forefoot volume really low, slight posterior heel flare
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Adidas Supernova Rise 3 is a daily training shoe for those who want a consistent ride for non-workout miles. A full-length Dreamstrike+ midsole provides a slightly soft but plenty protective ride with a mildly rockered ride that moves you along with being maximally awkward. A lower volume fit makes for a secure upper, although some short laces require extra fiddling to tie down. A Lighttraxion outsole provides tons of durability and a wider sole makes this shoe surprisingly stable neutral. Best for those wanting a balanced trainer that you can put on, forget about and get your daily miles in, the Adidas Supernova Solution 3 may be the best daily driver to come out of Adidas in years.
SIMILAR SHOES: ASICS Cumulus 27, Saucony Ride 19 (review soon)
PAST MODEL: Adidas Supernova Rise 2
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The Supernova Rise 3 fits me true to size in my normal men's US size 10. The upper is full-length Primeweave, which provides a soft and slightly flexible fit. The forefoot is a tiny bit wide but the toe box is tapered due to a toe guard and low volume fit. Those needing some volume will not like this as the upper sits low across the toes. This lower volume continues into the midfoot with a lower instep. The tongue has strategic padding making it moderately thick overall but it is quite secure thanks to strong gusseting. The midfoot is slightly snug and the lower volume helps further secure the foot. The laces are weirdly short and I had to really pull and tighten them to have enough to tie. Fortunately, the tongue is padded enough that this did not cause me any issues. The heel has a ton of heel collar padding, which offsets a stiffer heel counter that only comes up 2/3rds of the way. The amount of padding protected my heel and the counter did not bother me at all. As the volume was low, the security was quite good, even while turning, my foot did not slide even with the slightly flexible upper. That's also because it did not have much room to move in, making this a secure and closer fitting upper that still breathes.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Hoka Gaviota 6, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Saucony Azura, Salomon Aero Glide 3
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Mildly Flexible
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Mostly yes
Recommended for Haglunds: Somewhat
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: Somewhat (low volume)
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: High
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Adidas Supernova Rise 3 is a daily training shoe. The Dreamstrike+ midsole is slightly soft but not mushy throughout the length of the shoe. The 9.3 oz weight (men's size 9) was not initially noticeable given the wider size of this shoe but as the foam broke in, it feels comfortable and easy to keep rolling. It is on the lighter end of daily training shoes, continuing the trend of the Supernova Rise shoes that differentiate them from the heavy, clunky rides of the prior Solar series of shoes. The heel design is rounded with only a slightly posterior flare. There is a posterolateral heel bevel that helps offsets the posterior flare and creates a smooth, slightly early heel transition that improves as the midsole softens and breaks in. The forefoot is mildly flexible with a fairly normal length but large forefoot rocker. This makes for a standard forefoot transition that feels best at easy paces. Both the heel and forefoot are slightly soft, with the heel being slightly softer compared to the forefoot.
Purpose-wise the Supernova Rise 3 is best for easy runs and long runs. It is a true "daily driver", meant for daily runs at easy paces, recovery pace runs and long runs. The midsole holds its feel well over long miles and the more rockered sole moves along with you regardless of the distance. It also works equally well for walking as the stable neutral design also feels comfortable transitioning throughout the day. Where it struggles is with picking up the pace. Uptempo efforts feel fine as the Dreamstrike+ can still respond and keep you moving. trying to get into tempo paces and below start to feel like a struggle as the geometry and responsiveness of the midsole do not respond that quickly. Fortunately, the entire Adizero line up is designed for this, so this shoe will complement all of that series.
For a road shoe, the outsole traction is decent. I have taken this on bark chips and smooth dirt without issue, although anything more technical becomes a problem. Surprisingly on wet road I experienced a little slippage, so dry terrain is best. The durability has been good as with prior models. The Lighttraxion outsole and I continue to do well together as I have 30 miles on my pair and no noticeable wear. The midsole has broken in but maintained itself well and I expect an above-average number of miles out of these.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The Supernova Rise 3 is a stable neutral daily trainer. Although meant as the neutral counterpart to the Solution 3, it has a surprising number of elements that also make it stable without being a stability shoe. These include a wide sole, support rods, solid sidewalls and the posterolateral heel bevel. The platform of the Rise 3 is quite wide from heel to toe. The sole flares out a decent amount in both directions even at the midfoot, making for an inherently stable platform. There are also moderate sidewalls from heel to toe on both the medial and lateral sides of the shoe. These are far more significant in the heel and midfoot, although they extend slightly to the medial forefoot. The final piece is the posterolateral heel bevel. Although it is small and a bit steeper than it should be, it still helps guide the foot in from the lateral side. This creates even more resistance to medial motion, which is still centered by the rest of the shoe. So while this is not a stability shoe, it does a good job being stable neutral and has been fine for me even on longer runs.
Thoughts as a DPT: Posterior Flare vs Midsole Compression
By Matthew Klein
While I gripe about heel bevels and posterior heel flare all the time, there are some cofounding variables that can offset posterior heel flare. The reason I usually complain about the heel extending behind where the foot sits is that for heel strikers, this can often cause the athlete to land early. This is problematic given the timing of muscle activation in preparation for landing occurs right before landing and this flare can cause an early initial contact that may increase loading into passive structures rather than active muscles. The flare is much better in this version compared to the prior ones but the posterolateral bevel is smaller and bit sharper. This is offset by the much softer sole, which compresses well and instead of causing an initial shock, helps ease the landing by compressing and essentially complementing the bevel. This "easing in" of the transition is a far better balance between extreme heel bevels and posterior heel flare and actually adds to the feeling of the heel being soft. Like the bevel, this is subtle and not overdone, which typically works far better for the human body compared to extremes in design.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: I was a bit nervous with this shoe after the Solution 3, which wasn't terrible but wasn't what I was hoping for. The Rise 3 balances this out as it drops weight, keeps a smooth ride and becomes more stable. My major suggestions for this shoe revolve around the upper. The lower volume does help secure the foot, but it may be a bit too low and tapered for some people. This has apparently been corrected in the Adaptive version, which I have not tested yet, but I may grab a pair to provide insight for many of the unique athletes I have the awesome opportunity to work with. I would love if the same level of security could be maintained while opening up the volume a little bit more. This could easily be offset with longer laces. The short laces make it difficult to lace the shoe well, so having longer ones may be helpful. This could easily be fixed by me skipping the bottom lace holes and relacing the shoe, but I expect not to have to do this with current-day shoes.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The Adidas Supernova Rise 3 is for those wanting a durable, standard shoe for easy and long runs ready to soak up daily miles. Those with a slightly soft sole with plenty of protection and a stable ride will enough the midsole. Those with normal-width but lower-volume feet who want a tiny bit of stretch will enjoy the Primeweave upper. The Rise 3 helps bring the Supernova series from an almost niche lightweight trainer to a better cushioned, true daily trainer that easily competes with the Nike Pegasus, ASICS Cumulus, Saucony Ride, New Balance 880, Brooks Ghost and more as one of the lightest of the standard daily trainers. It has solid cushioning and also blends some of the stable components of the Solution series with going full stability. All this while keeping the standard $140 price with full Lightraxion outsole makes this a great shoe. It is nice to finally see Adidas with a lighter, dependable daily trainer that hasn't been present since the Supernova Glide Boost. Where it will go from here is unknown, but there finally exists something to really complement all the fast Adizero shoes.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: B+ (Padded and comfortable upper, although lower volume with asymmetrically short laces.)
Performance: B+ (Dreamstrike+ provides comfortable cushioning with a mildly rockered sole that keeps you moving over easy miles. Some uptempo capacity but best for easy and long miles)
Stability: A- [Stable Neutral] (Wide platform, sidewalls and support rods keep this shoe stable neutral without being overbearing)
Value: A ($140 for a durable, solid shoe like this is a great deal)
Personal: A- (Although the heel took a few runs to break in, the lighterweight, good cushioning and no nonsense ride have been surprisingly appealing)
Overall Design: A-
SHOP | SUPPORT DORAdidas Supernova Rise 3Price: $139.95 at Running Warehouse
Shop Men | Shop Women
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FURTHER READING
Hylo's cushioned stable trainre.
Brook's flexible high stacked offering.
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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