adidas adizero Tempo 9

Name: adidas adizero Tempo 9
Brand: adidas
Rating: 4.6 (13 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 8.4 oz · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The adidas adizero Tempo 8 replaced it

How it ranks

The adidas adizero Tempo 9 sits about average for daily trainers in our data. Value and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. Cushioning scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 13 runner reviews and 5 other rated shoes in the adizero Tempo product line.

Decent

Overall

Decent 75

Value

Very good 92

Durability

Very good 90

Appearance

Good 83

Comfort

Below average 63

Cushioning

Bottom-tier 53

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

90 High

High 90

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“Stability positioned toward front while soft boost foam at back makes for amazing gait transition. Soft landing, firm push off.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide ISO

“Midsole is just the right amount of cushioning, and feels fast and propulsive underfoot”

4/5 Full review 90 mpw training for ultramarathons

“Little toe got rubbed raw just about every time”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 26

“Extremely versatile shoe that feels fast no matter the pace”

4/5 Full review 90 mpw training for ultramarathons

“Stable, fast in rolling and toe off, and good for speed work thanks to a harder midsole in the front”

4/5 Full review came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 21

“Lightweight, affordable and extremely durable”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom Trainer

“Still felt tight, both in length and room in mid and toe box”

4/5 Full review came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 21

“One of the only true lightweight stability shoes of the last couple years”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide ISO

“The fastest shoe offering moderate stability that I can find”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Structure 20

“Can handle anything from long runs and easy mileage up to fast paced tempo work”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom Trainer

“Lacks a lot of the extra plastic and useless weight of other stability shoes”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Structure 20

“Very stable due to stiffness, not great cushioning but very bouncy”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for middle distance came from the HOKA Arahi 3

“The shoes run narrow and a little short”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 26

“Outsole rubber is high quality and lugged enough to give traction on dirt”

4/5 Full review 90 mpw training for ultramarathons

“Upper gets very tight and you have to loosen it every now and then”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for middle distance

“Not soft if you're expecting a boost shoe to feel more cushioned”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 26

“Tends to wear through rubber on outside of forefoot quickly”

4/5 Full review 90 mpw training for ultramarathons

“Laces were not flexible and putting pressure on feet”

4/5 Full review came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 21

“Bad for easy runs”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for middle distance came from the HOKA Arahi 3

“Reasonably firm underfoot”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

“Not the most cushioned shoe”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Structure 20

Prefer this shoe over another

33% 4/12

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 23.

Pros

Reviewers report the Continental outsole rubber lasting well over many miles.
Light at 8.9 oz, and reviewers use it for tempo and speed work.
Many runners use it for everything from easy miles to races.

Cons

Cushioning is its lowest-rated dimension, and several reviewers want more of it for longer runs.
Five of the thirteen reviewers say it runs small, and two describe it as narrow and short.
Two reviewers find the laces and the upper tighten uncomfortably during runs.

adizero Tempo 9 rates 75. This shoe has high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the adidas adizero Tempo

Each dot is one version of the adizero Tempo, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

66 2014 70 2014 68 2014 82 2016 68 2017 75 2017

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

adizero Tempo 9 This shoe

2017 · 13 reviews

75 Decent

90 Confidence
adizero Tempo 8

2017 · 2 reviews

68 Below average

70 Confidence
adiZero Tempo 7

2016 · 12 reviews

82 Good

90 Confidence
adizero Tempo 6

2014 · 7 reviews

68 Below average

90 Confidence
AdiZero Tempo 5

2014 · 3 reviews

70 Decent

85 Confidence
adizero Tempo

2014 · 1 review

66 Below average

70 Confidence

Runner Ratings

13 ratings

5/5 8

4/5 5

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.4 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 8.9 oz · Women's 7.9 oz
Release: 2017 Q2
MSRP: $120
Drop: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

A Blue-Collar Workhorse

4/5

Overall

Extremely versatile shoe that feels fast no matter the pace. I wear them primarily for runs on rolling dirt roads, but have run road races and taken them on some mixed dirt road/ trail runs and been satisfied with them. The timelessly designed upper fits very well and has a bit more structure to it than a typical road shoe, which I appreciate in a shoe that I take on many different surfaces. Midsole is just the right amount of cushioning, and feels fast and propulsive underfoot. Outsole rubber is high quality, and lugged enough to give me some traction on dirt - the only knock here is that I tend to wear through the rubber on the outside of the forefoot quickly, but this is no different than any other shoe. The only thing I'd change is to lower the 10mm offset to the 6-8mm range. This would add more stability and make this shoe even more versatile.

ben4stout · Dec 29, 2019

90 mpw training for ultramarathons

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

5/5

Overall

Use for tempo and speed work. Comfortable. Reasonably firm underfoot. Supportive/non-stretch upper.

Anonymous runner · Jul 21, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 5/5

Ive had at least 15 pairs of these

5/5

Overall

great shoes but getting harder to find. they work well as an everyday trainer.

Anonymous runner · Jul 10, 2019

40 mpw training for middle distance

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

incredible value and durability-adidas tempo

5/5

Overall

This shoe is lightweight, affordable and extremely durable. It can handle anything from long runs and easy mileage up to fast paced tempo work while still protecting your foot in the way a racing flat cannot. I highly recommend this shoe for everyone, especially those that don't want to pay $150 for a pair of shoes that only last a month.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom Trainer

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Adidas from a lifelong Nike guy

5/5

Overall

I have a narrow heel and a wider toe box. Have run in Nike Internationals, Pegasus, and other slightly supportive shoes but do not like the new, lighter weight bottoms of the Nikes where the softer foam wears out fast. After I looked around, I switched over to the Adidas AdiZero Tempo series after for a lighter weight trainer that could hold up a bit longer. Am VERY happy so far as it holds well in the heel and has plenty of toe room upfront. It is a lighter trainer so you can also use it to race in as well, and the Continental Rubber sole is very durable. The upper is not as structured as most shoes and may seem a bit unstable but I found it stable enough to run on all surfaces. Currently am on my third pair and can tell it's time to buy a new pair when my knees start to feel it.

A. Moran · Dec 8, 2018

40 mpw training for a half marathon