UF Product Review
by ez

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With the stink caused by the Hyperrides, adidas have been hard at work with UF to design the ultimate trainer specifically designed for Freestyle Parkour.  Already we have various members of Seidojin pressure testing the early prototypes and all of them have been wowed by how good they are. With these not planned for release until early 2006 and with people constantly asking in the forums about Merrell's, Nike Pegasus and the Hyperrides, we are at last standing up and speaking aloud.  adidas sponsorship and bias aside, the 'Nova' is by far the best thing we've seen and used to date. 

Review by Ez.
In my time I've pressure tested nearly 50 pairs of different trainers in the search for the 'One'.  I've tried every brand, many different models and have arrived at the point where I can instantly tell if a shoe is any good or not for this jumping around lark.  I'd like to think of myself as a connoisseur in the quest to find the perfect trainer, but then see images of Finch from American pie and quickly get back to the task at hand. The finding of the 'Nova's came about by complete accident.......while in Barcelona performing for Toyota, I decided to take a detour back to our hotel to a local sports shop, which happened to stock a range of items I'd never seen before.  In there were a load of really funky Asics shoes which I was really tempted by, but being sponsored by adidas means that we obviously can't sport any other brand so I swiftly moved to the their specific section expecting to see more of the Hyperrides and others with a3 technology in.   Don't get me wrong, the Hyperrides are great in terms of comfort and wearing for fashion but *cough cough* crap *cough cough* for actually performing in when doing what we do.  After going through the entire range I found the 'Nova' and instantly saw that they looked spot on.  I tried them on, asked the shop assistant if I could try them with my sorbathane insoles and then jumped around in the shop.  The deal was sealed there and then.
Upon showing the rest of the team, they all agreed that they looked great and asked if I could arrange for adidas to supply us these instead of the Hyperrides and the 'Response' shoes which we'd been using all along.  Not an easy task because somewhere down the line someone thought that if the 'Nova' was good, then the 'Super Nova' would obviously be better.  Nope, these are entirely different shoes so do not get confused.  Anyway, to cut a long story short, the 'Nova' is now the shoe that the Seidojin team sport and you won't hear any complaints from any of them other than "When can we all get our hands on the new FRPK ones?"


Style - Personally, I prefer to sport old skool classics as opposed to regular running style shoes.  If you have no problem about looking like a jogger, these will sit well with you and won't ruin your street cred. Many colour variations available.  4/5

Fit - Very snug fit indeed.  They provide enough support to allow for good shock absorbency without losing any sensitivity and the ankle area is supported well enough to provide confidence. 4/5

Grip - This is where the Nova comes into its own.  They have a large flat area on the outside edge of the foot which allows for great traction.  Especially so when doing tic tacs, dismount slides down walls and cat leaps.  The toe area has great grip for helping kick up and out of cat leaps and the sole is generally spot on for balance drills.  For rail precisions there is a groove in the mid sole which will help beginners 'find their feet' and minimise the risk of over shooting. There is a small section of shiny plastic in the mid sole that is the only down side but the actual groove is small enough to not make any real difference. 5/5

Shock resistance - Very good but when extra insoles are added, they become outstanding. The heel area is nice and thick, so if big drops and flips from height are your thing (shame on you) you'll be catered for. 5/5

Weight - When you take into consideration the amount of shock resistance and ruggedness they provide and then compare that with how light they feel, you'll be really surprised. 5/5

Durability - I've had the same pair since January and they are still holding up really well. 5/5

Value - You can grab a pair from £40 - £65 depending on where you shop and which version you go for. 4/5

Overall - Excellent for beginners and veterans alike.  They are very comfortable, hard wearing and have amazing grip.  The most obvious thing about these babies is that they give you a real spring in your step.  Until specific FRPK shoes are available to buy in 2006, these are the ones we will be sporting and would recommend anyone to check out.  With any trainer, the golden rule always applies.....try before you buy. 4.5/5