The Adidas Adipower Barricade 8 Clay is, as the name suggests, a clay shoe. The very fine and thin herringbone pattern is somewhat striking. The direct stability of the shoe stands out to me. This is mainly due to the high quality materials and good workmanship. The damping and the suitability for orthotics have convinced me and there aren’t any defects or complications.
As already mentioned, the shoe is best suited for clay courts because it has a very fine profile. The slip compatibility and the flexible strength of the sole is very good and I was always stable on the court. The durability of the outer material has convinced me that all footwear should be in one piece without seams or change of material for long-lasting and durability. The abrasion-resistant shoe inside also reflects the accurate processing which particularly pleases me.
What could be better in my eyes is the flexibility of the shoe. At first glance the sole and entire footwear looks very tight and inflexible, which particularly displeased me at the beginning. Another negative point is the weight of the Barricade. My shoe size (46) means that the shoe weighs about 480 grams per shoe. Straight away it’s very noticeable, especially if you’re on the court for quite a while.
The lacing system of the shoe is however impressive! The lace length is perfect and the eyelets don’t have sharp edges, so the laces don’t tend to tear. The tongue is very soft and well-padded, but the shoe is still solid when worn.
The shoe looked quite bulky, heavy and inflexible at the beginning. However, after some time the shoe became softer and more comfortable.
Adidas Adipower Barricade 8 Clay Sole
The Adidas Barricade 8 Clay at a glance
Highights (according to the manufacturer)
adiPRENE® adsorbs the impact forces in the heel
adiPRENE® for a dynamic and reliable kick
TORSION® SYSTEM increases the freedom of movement
ADIWEAR- Rubber is extremely durable and "non-marking"
miCoach SPEED_CELL compatibility for perfect recording of data
Advantages of Adidas Barricade
High-quality materials
Regular processing (without stitching)
Good damping qualities
Suitable for orthotics
Non-slip and shock proof sole
Disadvantages
Stability at the expense of flexibility
Relatively heavy
As with all new high quality tennis shoes this model is quite expensive. For this price, you can easily use this model all summer/season long which should convince the most competitive players. The durability of the heel material is unparalleled. This area was made with a slightly rough material so your socks have something to grip to, thus providing a very compact feel. Frequent and long term wearing of this shoe will result in no noticeable wear in the area, again highlighting the good workmanship.
So if a compact clay shoe with a long shelf life and an impressive herringbone pattern interests you, and you don’t mind too much about the weight or price then you are ideally suited to this shoe. You would of course be able to wear it on hard courts too, but it would make sense to get a shoe with a hard court profile. On the other hand, this shoe is completely unsuitable for grass and carpet courts.
A possible alternative would be the Asics Gel-Resolution Clay, which is in my eyes better value for money.
