It’s been a very long while since I last shopped for shoes.  My most recent two pairs were sponsored and won in a raffle, so I admit that I really do miss that feeling!  I guess it’s what some would call “shopping therapy.”

The difference between shopping for shoes then and now is that then my selection factors were mostly looks and price, and now more technical (weight, support, etc.), and oftentimes brains and beauty don’t come in a single package.  You’d either pick the pair that suits you well technically but doesn’t really match your taste, or get that good looking shoes that’s just that—for looks.  Of course you can also just pick the cheapest shoes that fit your budget, but we all know how that goes.

Lately adidas came up with its latest line of running shoes, the ClimaCool Ride (CC Ride for short) and at first glance, it thought it looked cool!  I actually first saw it being worn inside the gym before adidas was in touch with me for their campaign material, and from there I discovered the many color combination options—a lot more than the usual!  At first it may look similar with at least two other brands, but personally I picked CC Ride as the best looking among “similar” shoes in the competition.

I actually didn’t think of buying a pair for my own because I still have shoes for races (K-Swiss K-Ona), minimalist running (Vibram Five Fingers), and trails (Merrell Trail Glove).  For the most part I’m pretty much covered with this lineup, but what it lacks is that comfortable everyday pair (currently being covered by my badly-needs-to-retire New Balance 681), and this is where CC Ride would fit perfectly.

Last weekend adidas went all-in with its all24 campaign which involves a 24% discount on all adidas products including all the new arrivals.  At ₱4,795, adidas CC Ride is a bit at the higher tier of the price range, but applying the discount it comes down to a more “comfortable” ₱3,644.20.  It’s still not that cheap but it’s definitely near that “sweet spot” price range for a good pair.  Still I wasn’t that compelled to get one as I was just thinking of the adiZero split shorts for my shopping list, but I admit I was hugely influenced when my officemates got  themselves a pair each.

Fast forward, Greenbelt 3, with my other officemates.  I was a bit disappointed as not all designs are yet available.  I was looking forward to a Black-Red combo, but it’s not yet available.  There’s really no boring option with CC Ride as the color combinations were in good taste and you’d probably like at least one for you.  Personally, this was a bit of a dilemma as I don’t have an eye for just one option in particular!  Wait, did I say that I gave in?

I tried a pair (make that three pairs!) and I realized that adidas CC Ride isn’t just about looks—it’s a “real” running shoe that’s worth runners’ attention!  It’s a beauty alright, but does it also have the “brains?”  I’d be dedicating a review on this pair soon, but this early I can tell that I’ll be spending some quality time with this shoe.  Did I say, review?  Yes!  I was sold!

If CC Ride ended merely at its aesthetic qualities I wouldn’t have bought one, but feeling it’s potential to double not just a regular comfortable (not to mention, handsome) daily shoe but also a running shoe for that unplanned evening run really drove me to go all-in.  It’s not every day that a newly released shoe goes on sale, and it’s not common for a running shoe to have so many looks.  I’ll reserve my reviews for later, but for now I’d like to say, good job with the CC Ride adidas!

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For what it’s worth, I really missed wearing adidas shoes.  The first running shoe I bought when I started running was adidas Supernova Control 10, and since then CC Ride is the only adidas pair in my collection, mostly due to the presence of so many brands in the market.