Adidas Supernova Prima Introduction

For a very, very long time, Adidas has not had a decent max-cushioned trainer. The Ultraboost is a heavy, firm and clunky Adidas maximalist trainer. It doesn’t feel energetic and it’s not fun to run in. Its downfall is its Boost midsole which used to be good (8 years ago) but feels antiquated today.

When I reviewed the Ultraboost Light last year, it was one of the lowest scoring shoes of the entire year. It was the firmest Ultraboost I had tested and it felt like bricks on my feet. I couldn’t wait to get my 80 kilometres in it and finish the review.

Adidas has some great midsole foams in their arsenal. Lightstrike Pro is arguably the most explosive on the market in terms of energy return while Dreamstrike+ is a new-age foam which strikes a great balance of durability and comfort.

The Supernova Prima is the new maximalist trainer within the Supernova range. Other trainers in the range include the Supernova Rise, the Supernova Solution and the Stride. All of them feature Adidas’ new Dreamstrike+, PEBA-based midsole foam.

Adidas states that the Supernova Prima is their most comfortable running shoe to date and advertises that it has 13% more Dreamstrike+ super foam than the Supernova Rise. It’s built for maximum comfort.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Supernova Rise when I reviewed it last year. I found it to be really versatile and I said that it was the best Adidas trainer to come out in years. It can compete with the other top, mid-range, neutral daily trainers in its category.

The Supernova Prima weighs 10.2 oz (290 g) with stack heights of 38 mm and 30 mm. To put that into perspective, the Ultraboost Light weighs 10.5 oz (299 g) with much lower stack heights of 30mm and 20 mm. The Prima costs $160, a competitive price for a max-cushioned trainer.

Adidas Supernova Prima First Impressions

My first run in the Prima was a very slow, 9 kilometre recovery run. I was impressed with how versatile it felt. Even though it was a recovery run, I felt like it could shift up gears quite easily.

I enjoyed how smooth the ride felt and how padded the landings felt, a similar feeling to the Hoka Mach 4 & 5. This is due to the soft outsole and the absence of thick, hard rubber on it.

The shoe that it unsurprisingly reminded me of was the Supernova Rise. The Prima just felt softer, more cushy with less ground feel.

Adidas Supernova Prima Upper

It’s a very comfortable upper with great foot lockdown and I’ve never had to stop mid-run to adjust the lacing. An internal heel counter provides good support while the heel tab makes it feel more luxurious. The large 3 stripes on both the medial and lateral sides are reflective for low-light visibility.

The one area which could be improved is breathability. The engineered mesh is not very porous so it’s not ideal for tropical climates. It’s a true to size fit which is best suited to narrow, high-volume feet.

Adidas Supernova Prima Sole Unit

It’s not a prerequisite for a max-cushioned trainer to be versatile but a high degree of versatility is a bonus. The Supernova Prima is surprisingly versatile considering its weight and its stack height. It feels great when I’m doing super slow runs above 6 minutes per kilometre as well as faster paces below 5 minutes per kilometre. This wide range is due to its lively ride character.

Dreamstrike+ isn’t the softest midsole foam on the market but the PEBA in it really dials up the energy return. As a max-cushioned trainer, I find the Supernova Prima more energetic than competitors like the Triumph 22, Nimbus 26, and Glycerin 21. The Triumph 22 also has PEBA in it but it delivers a plusher, more relaxed ride than the Prima.

My favourite thing about the Prima is how dynamic the ride feels. It feels like a shoe that can do everything. The midsole isn’t mushy so you don’t feel like you are losing energy during transitions which is the case with some max-cushioned trainers.

There are 2 large cutouts in the strobel lining of the Prima, underneath the insole: 1 in the heel and 1 in the forefoot where the ball of your foot lands. This is a design cue which we’ve seen in a number of Adidas trainers. The purpose of these cutouts is to give your feet direct access to the foam to make the ride softer.

The bottom-loaded Support Rods are slightly firmer than the ones in the Supernova Rise. This makes the forefoot stiffer which in turn makes the forefoot rocker more prominent. The rocker helps with efficiency, especially during long runs. The Support Rods also aid in stability.

The Prima is incredibly stable for such a tall shoe. This is due to its base being wide and the density of its midsole which doesn’t cause it to collapse inwards or outwards during the loading process.

The Support Rods also form part of the outsole. This delivers soft, padded landings with more ground feel than trainers with thick, hard rubber outsoles. Durability is a little bit lower on these areas of the outsole.

Traction is fine on dry surfaces but when it rains, the outsole feels slippery because it’s flat and smooth.

Adidas Supernova Prima Conclusions

I would still really like to see an Adidas max-cushioned trainer with a pure Lightstrike Pro midsole. The upcoming Adidas Adistar BYD is a maximalist trainer with a top layer of Lightstrike Pro. It will be interesting to see how energetic its ride is.

In the Supernova family, I prefer the Prima to the Rise because I enjoy that extra cushioning and softness which provides more comfort. The Prima only weighs 0.4 oz (11 g) more than the Rise but it has 2 mm extra foam in the heel and 4 mm extra in the forefoot.

The Saucony Triumph used to be a great all-rounder but with the new Triumph 22 being only good for easy runs, the Supernova Prima is now the King of Versatility in the max-cushioned trainer category.

The forefoot rocker and the firmer ride of the Prima make it much easier to pick up the pace than the Triumph.