At the end of September 2026 at the Home of Innovation event in Herzogenaurach (Germany), Adidas presented a concept for running sneakers Adizero Gearshift. The main highlight is an adjustable carbon plate in the sole, whose stiffness can be changed depending on pace, terrain and how you feel. Journalists and representatives of the brand themselves have already compared the system to a car's gearbox.
How it works
Conventional carbon plates in today's "super shoes" have a fixed stiffness. In the Gearshift, the plate is designed differently: it can be smoothly adjusted across a range from maximally flexible to maximally stiff.
- In soft mode, the shoe becomes more yielding — more comfortable for easy jogs and uneven surfaces.
- In stiff mode, the "trampoline" effect typical of carbon racing models is enhanced.
Adidas showed two versions of the concept:
1. Mechanical. On the side of the midsole (in the forefoot area) there is a slider button. You have to press and slide it — the plate changes stiffness. To switch, you have to stop briefly.
2. Electronic (digital). It is controlled via an app on a smartphone or smartwatch. You can switch settings right while running, without stopping. In this version, there is a battery and electronics inside the shoe, so it is heavier than the mechanical one. Some sources mention the possibility of automatic adjustment to the terrain based on data from the watch's GPS.
The upper of the sneakers is made of Lightlock material, and the midsole is made of Lightstrike Pro foam (as in other models of the Adizero line).
Status of the project
At the time of the presentation (the end of September 2026), both versions remain concepts. Adidas did not name a release date, a price, and did not even confirm that the model will necessarily go into mass production. The prototypes are currently being tested by the brand's athletes.
The idea looks like a logical continuation of the super-shoe race: instead of buying several pairs for different types of training, a runner theoretically will be able to adjust one pair to the task. How convenient, reliable and justified in terms of weight/price this will prove in practice will become clear only after production samples appear.
For now, though, the joke in the spirit of "the car is automatic, but the sneakers are manual" is quite apt: the mechanical version really does require shifting "gears" by hand.
