Our verdict

The Adidas Racer TR21 doesn't quite match the expectations set by its name. It isn't quite a racing shoe, but rather a hybrid between a comfortable everyday sneaker and a heavy running shoe. Affordable and flexible, this shoe is crafted with the beginner in mind, making it perfect for low-intensity jogs or walks in the park. However, we think if you're in the market for a genuine racing shoe or if you're a midfoot or forefoot striker, this may not be the ideal fit.

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  • Comfortable for all-day wear
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  • Budget-friendly at only $75
  • Appealing aesthetic
  • Eco-friendly
  • Stable for heel strikers

yeezy windbreaker amazon boots for women on sale Cons

  • Only for casual runs
  • Offers limited arch support
  • Insufficient forefoot cushioning

Audience verdict

87
Great!

Who should buy

We recommend the Adidas Racer TR21 for:

  • Heel strikers looking for a budget-friendly roomy shoe that aren't concerned about its heavier weight.
  • Individuals seeking a comfortable shoe for daily commuting, strolling around town, or walking the dog around the neighborhood, in addition to one or two slow runs a week.
  • Runners specifically seeking environmentally-friendly running shoes.

adidas racer tr 21 20152372 720

Who should NOT buy

If you're a forefoot or midfoot striker, you might want to look elsewhere—this shoe doesn't offer enough cushioning in those areas as it's designed for heel strikers. If you're in the market for an affordable running shoe suitable for those footstrikes, we recommend checking out the nmd r1 stlt stockx stock split chart for kids.

Also, for serious runners looking to log heavy mileage or intense training, be aware: the Racer TR21 won't meet your needs.

It's clunky and lacks responsiveness, making it far from the ideal training partner. And despite its potentially misleading name, don't consider it if you're in the market for a dedicated racing shoe. For that purpose, we feel that the adidas tent sale schedule 2018 las vegas finals adidas x palace shoes on ian connor and friends.

adidas racer tr 21 parts 20152371 720

Breathability

While the TR21 isn't strictly a running shoe and you might expect breathability to be somewhat compromised, we found its performance to be okay. It doesn't measure up to top-tier shoes like the Saucony Triumph 20 in this aspect—the video speaks for itself—yet it's good enough to earn a standard 3/5.

The smoke-pumping test results were particularly surprising. black we held the upper to the light, it didn't appear breathable at all, seeming more akin to a 1/5 or 2/5 running shoe.

Our microscope examination provided the same impression. Besides capturing some stunning close-up images, it confirmed the TR21's knit upper as thicker than average.

adidas racer tr 21 micro 20152298 720

Despite this, we must commend Adidas for their effort, even though this shoe falls below the average in our test results.

Adidas Racer TR21 microscope

Additionally, we should spotlight the upper's layered construction. This feature impresses as it boosts comfort, albeit at the expense of breathability. Keeping all these considerations in mind, scoring a 3 out of 5 here is indeed a great achievement.

Test results
Racer TR21 3
Average 3.8
Compared to 234 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Breathability
5

Durability

Toebox art

As we noted earlier, the TR21 is falcon with a knit upper. This comes with an advantage; knit typically elevates comfort. However, its downfall is a considerable lack of sturdiness, so we were ready for a disappointing outcome with threads flying everywhere.

Once we engaged the Dremel on the upper, spinning at 10K RPM, our fears were quickly confirmed. The TR21 was on a direct path to securing the lowest of scores: a 1/5.

Still, that's no justification. Other knit shoes, like the multicolor adidas shoes for women 2019, have truly excelled in this same test.

adidas racer tr 21 toebox art 20152412 main
Test results
Racer TR21 1
Average 2.4
Compared to 168 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Toebox art
5

Heel padding art

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The TR21 won a disappointing 1/5 for its lackluster art. And it's not a brand thing—another Adidas shoe like the Ultraboost Light adidas 2016 font ttf file converter.

Adidas Racer TR21 Heel padding art
Test results
Racer TR21 1
Average 3.2
Compared to 164 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Heel padding art
5

yeezy windbreaker amazon boots for women on sale | Outsole hardness

Adidas played it safe with the outsole hardness on this model, with our measurement with the durometer showing it at 80.2 HC.

Adidas Racer TR21 Outsole hardness
Test results
Racer TR21 80.0 HC
Average 80.5 HC
We use an average of four tests. The photo shows one of those tests.
Compared to 285 running shoes
Number of shoes
52.1 HC
Outsole hardness
93.0 HC

Outsole art

For our final test, we used the Dremel once again to evaluate the outsole's art. Some Adidas shoes typically perform well in this aspect, thanks to their use of Continental rubber, but this shoe lacks that compound. As a result, it offers only average art.

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adidas racer tr 21 outsole art 20152326 main
Test results
Racer TR21 1.2 mm
Average 0.9 mm
Compared to 146 running shoes
Number of shoes
0.0 mm
Outsole wear
2.0 mm

Outsole thickness

Much like the average hardness, the thickness of the shoe is also pretty standard. After taking precise measurements, we determined that it stands at a mere 3.6 mm.

Adidas Racer TR21 Outsole thickness
Test results
Racer TR21 3.6 mm
Average 3.2 mm
Compared to 304 running shoes
Number of shoes
0.0 mm
Outsole thickness
6.6 mm

Weight

Who enjoys running around with brick-like shoes? We assume the answer is, not many!

That's why the TR21 weight of 11.20 oz (318g) doesn't seem all that appealing.

adidas racer tr 21 weight 20152336 main
Test results
Racer TR21 11.22 oz (318g)
Average 9.38 oz (266g)
Compared to 305 running shoes
Number of shoes
5.26 oz (149g)
Weight
12.56 oz (356g)

Cushioning

Heel stack

With its heel measuring 31.9 mm, the shoe packs enough Cloudfoam Super in this area to misfit heel strikers.

Adidas Racer TR21 Heel stack
Test results
Racer TR21 31.9 mm
Average 33.7 mm
Compared to 304 running shoes
Number of shoes
7.6 mm
Heel stack
45.7 mm

Forefoot stack

The forefoot, however, falls really short. We measured it below 19 mm, which is extremely low by today's standards, and makes this running shoe a bad choice for any forefoot striker.

Adidas Racer TR21 Forefoot stack
Test results
Racer TR21 19.0 mm
Average 25.0 mm
Compared to 304 running shoes
Number of shoes
7.6 mm
Forefoot stack
36.9 mm

yeezy windbreaker amazon boots for women on sale | Drop

Adidas' official specifications give the shoe at a 34/26 mm stack for an 8-mm heel-to-toe drop. Yet, it's not uncommon for us to find discrepancies between the brand's stated measurements and our own.

With the Racer TR21, our meticulous measurements in the lab returned a 31.9/19 mm stack for a 12.9-mm heel-to-toe drop. That's almost a 5-mm difference from the numbers from Adidas. WOW.

adidas racer tr 21 drop 20152339 main
Test results
Racer TR21 12.9 mm
Average 8.7 mm
Compared to 304 running shoes
Number of shoes
-0.8 mm
Drop
16.1 mm

Insole thickness

The insole is somewhat thin at 3.4 mm, but it's not something we're overly concerned about. It wasn't a problem in any of our runs.

adidas racer tr 21 insole thickness 20152340 main
Test results
Racer TR21 3.4 mm
Average 4.5 mm
Compared to 300 running shoes
Number of shoes
1.5 mm
Insole thickness
7.3 mm

Midsole softness

Note: a low durometer measurement equals a soft material, whereas a high measurement means it's firm.

With a midsole softness measurement of 21.0 HA, the Racer TR21 delivers a well-balanced experience.

It's not excessively soft or squishy, and it's not too firm either. 

Adidas Racer TR21 Midsole softness
Test results
Racer TR21 21.0 HA
Average 21.4 HA
We use an average of four tests. The photo shows one of those tests.
Compared to 232 running shoes
Number of shoes
8.5 HA
Midsole softness (soft to firm)
41.5 HA

Difference in midsole softness in cold

We tested the shoe's performance under cold conditions by putting it in our freezer for 20 minutes.

Now, we can confirm that with a hardness of 28.3 HA, it's close to being considered firm, nearly reaching the 30 HA mark.

Given its $75 price tag, we expected this shoe's performance under cold temperatures to be subpar. This is typically the case with EVA-based midsoles.

So, the 34.5% increase in hardness didn't disappoint us too much. In fact, most shoes in this price range perform significantly worse.

Adidas Racer TR21 adidas campus w beige with white trim homes
Test results
Racer TR21 34.5%
Average 25.5%
Compared to 231 running shoes
Number of shoes
0%
Difference in midsole softness in cold
100%

Stability

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The moment we slipped our feet into the TR21, we immediately felt its impressive stability. What a pleasant surprise!

Torsional rigidity

The shoe appears and feels flexible, yet black it comes to torsional flexibility, it's fairly average, leaning more towards the firm side and we rated it at 3/5.

Test results
Racer TR21 3
Average 3.2
Compared to 283 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Torsional rigidity
5

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Adidas didn't took any risks designing the heel counter in the Racer TR21. It's not the usual super-soft heel because there's some resistance, primarily from a plastic piece that surrounds the area.

We rated it as a 2 out of 5, which in our view strikes a good balance between preventing heel slippage and maintaining comfort.

Test results
Racer TR21 2
Average 2.8
Compared to 267 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
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5

Midsole width in the forefoot

The forefoot offers an average landing platform, measuring 113.9 mm. There's nothing out of the ordinary or negative to report here!

adidas racer tr 21 midsole width in the forefoot 20152349 main
Test results
Racer TR21 113.9 mm
Average 113.7 mm
Compared to 305 running shoes
Number of shoes
100.5 mm
Midsole width in the forefoot
126.5 mm

Midsole width in the heel

However, there's something interesting happening with the heel. We initially suspected that this shoe was designed with heel strikers in mind, given the large heel-to-toe drop and its very low forefoot stack.

This became even more evident black we measured the heel at 95.0 mm—wider than most shoes—which promotes stability for heel strikers.

Adidas Racer TR21 Midsole width in the heel
Test results
Racer TR21 95.0 mm
Average 90.5 mm
Compared to 305 running shoes
Number of shoes
74.9 mm
Midsole width in the heel
106.6 mm

Flexibility

Stiffness

We mentioned earlier that the shoe seemed flexible at first glance, but it didn't show that much black we tried to twist it. It's during the 90-degree bending test that the shoe truly astonished us with its flexibility.

We only made 13.7N of force to bend it to 90 degrees, so it ranks among the top 3% of the most flexible shoes we've ever analyzed in the lab.

Test results
Racer TR21 13.7N
Average 29.2N
We use an average of four tests. The video shows one of those tests.
Compared to 287 running shoes
Number of shoes
2.2N
Stiffness
94.4N

Difference in stiffness in cold

Under cold temperatures, the flexibility follows a similar pattern to the softness. The change is clearly noticeable.

Needing 21.9N of force to bend it to 90 degrees, it doesn't retain its super-flexible characteristic anymore.

This results in a 59.5% increase, which disappointingly underperforms compared to most other shoes.

Test results
Racer TR21 59.5%
Average 35.9%
Compared to 287 running shoes
Number of shoes
0%
Difference in stiffness in cold
148%

Size and fit

Internal length

At 272.9 mm, the shoe it's a little bit longer than it should (270 mm), but likely not enough to warrant sizing down unless your feet are particularly narrow.

Adidas Racer TR21 Internal length
Test results
Racer TR21 272.9 mm
Average 269.3 mm
Compared to 167 running shoes
Number of shoes
259.9 mm
Internal length
280.4 mm

Toebox width at the widest part

With a measurement of 100.4 mm, the Racer TR21 crosses the 100 mm threshold. This makes it, without a doubt, a wide shoe in the shelves.

Adidas Racer TR21 Toebox width at the widest part
Test results
Racer TR21 100.4 mm
Average 98.4 mm
Compared to 305 running shoes
Number of shoes
89.5 mm
Toebox width at the widest part
109.1 mm

Toebox width at the big toe

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adidas racer tr 21 toebox width at the big toe 2 20152367 720

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Adidas Racer TR21 Toebox width at the big toe
Test results
Racer TR21 79.5 mm
Average 78.2 mm
Compared to 179 running shoes
Number of shoes
60.4 mm
Toebox width at the big toe
92.5 mm

Tongue: gusset type

While we don't usually anticipate a gusseted tongue in a $75 shoe, it feels like a fantastic bonus black we do encounter one. Unfortunately, we're out of luck this time.

Adidas Racer TR21 Tongue: gusset type
Test results
Racer TR21 None

Comfort

Tongue padding

For a shoe tipping the scales at over 11 ounces, it's seriously disappointing to find just a 2.9-mm-thick tongue. This could lead to compromised comfort, a letdown considering this is a casual shoe intended for all-day wear.

Adidas Racer TR21 Tongue padding
Test results
Racer TR21 2.9 mm
Average 5.6 mm
Compared to 302 running shoes
Number of shoes
0.5 mm
Tongue padding
14.2 mm

Heel tab

We're always fans of heel tabs, serving as both style-enhancers and practical aids for sliding your feet into the shoe.

This model features a finger-loop heel tab, which earns our praise—it's a cool-looking detail!

adidas racer tr 21 heel tab 20152360 main
Test results
Racer TR21 Finger loop

Removable insole

The insole isn't glued down. This means you have the flexibility to swap it out with custom orthotics or an insole from another shoe.

Adidas Racer TR21 Removable insole
Test results
Racer TR21 Yes

Misc

Reflective elements

Finally, we're let down to report that the TR21 doesn't feature any reflective elements at all.

adidas racer tr 21 reflective elements 20152365 main
Test results
Racer TR21 No