Gear Reviews
Review: Reebok Floatride Energy 3 Adventure
Reebok’s recently released the exciting Floatride Energy 3 Adventure running shoe. The innovative trainer is designed for running on multiple surfaces ranging from the track to asphalt to concrete to off-road and trail surfaces. Here is our World Exclusive review of the latest shoe in Reebok’s much lauded and popular Floatride series.
Specifications
Before we get into our experience with the shoe here are the technical specifications of the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure from Reebok.
- Reinforced Toe and Heel add durability and water protection at high wear areas. A toe guard on the stretch ripstop upper adds durability.
- Reebok’s [REE]CYCLED 100% Recycled Plastic Mesh Toe and 100% Recycled Plastic Ripstop Reinforced Heel is durable, lightweight, and quick drying
- Floatride Energy 3 midsole and outsole deliver performance and comfort on the road and trail
- Water-Resistant Upper – H2O Drain technology that allows water to drain quickly and easily.
- Floatride Energy Foam that provides lightweight, resilient, ultra-responsive cushioning.
Design
Reebok’s shoe designers have created a visual masterpiece that cleverly incorporates some of the latest in running tech with the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure.
The Floatride Energy 3 Adventure launch men’s Gable Grey / Midnight Pine / Neon Cherry and women’s and Gable Grey / Pursuit Pink / Vector Navy colorways create eye-catching looks that combine subdued base colors with carefully placed brighter details. The result is a look that isn’t screaming for attention but remains quite eye-catching.
The iconic Reebok stripes appear on both sides of the shoe in a different shade of grey that the rest of the upper. The stripes are given a modern fade effect with full miniature versions of them towards the front and back of the shoe. This is a first from Reebok that works well and adds a premium product vibe to the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure.
The tongue and lacing section of the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure’s upper stands out because it is oversized, brightly trimmed, and has a cool large Reebok logo print on it. It also has a nice suede feel section at its top and a dark colored pull tab running along its entire length. The pull tab matches the color of the one on the back of the shoe.
The contrasting colors used for the heel counter are a final clever aesthetic feature of the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure that we’d like to mention. They really make the rear section of the shoe pop given that they are also used on the rear third of the shoe’s sole. Expect admirers from all angles including from runners behind you when rocking these kicks!
Fit
Reebok’s Floatride Energy 3 Adventure fits true to size for both the men’s and women’s version of the shoe. Therefore, we recommend getting a pair in your preferred size of running shoes. There’s no need to size down for stretching during wear because the upper of the shoe is made of a nylon-based fabric designed to not lose its shape or rip during use.
Getting the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure on your feet is low effort thanks to a combination of its wide tongue area and pull tabs. Loosen up the laces at the top of the tongue, open up the shoe with the pull tabs and slide your feet in without any further adjustment, wiggling or force.
We are fans of the rounded, textured laces of the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure because they are easy to adjust and always remain tied. They’re clearly designed to withstand a plethora of outdoor activities. Afterall “Adventure” is part of the shoe’s name!
Once on the feet the Reebok Floatride Energy 3 Adventure offers a snug, extremely comfortable fit via its perfectly padded upper, sock liner and all-important sole cushioning. There are no hotspots or parts of the shoe that rub on the feet regardless of how many miles you weak the shoe for. Lastly, the shoe’s toe box offers ample space between the edges of the toes and the upper.
The Reebok Floatride Energy 3 Adventure’s tongue deserves a special mention because of the soft feel that it provides across most of the top of the foot all the way to the ankle joint. This isn’t common in today’s running shoes and is certainly a great add for a pair of kicks designed for off road activity where you can run into flying dirt and gravel and protruding vegetation.
Ride
The ride of the Reebok Floatride Energy 3 Adventure is soft and springy regardless of the surface that it is worn on. The push off and cushioning at the heel is phenomenal with fantastic support at the midsole and front of the foot. The rolling wave feel created results in economical strides in which less energy is spent per step.
The feel of the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure’s sole on each foot strike is quite soft thanks to the cushioning across the entire bottom of the feet. There are also great energy return and toe offs that create explosive pushing that helps you move through any distance.
The heel to toe drop on the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure is 9mm. This delta is standard nowadays and works well with the shoe’s shock absorbing Floatride sole and solid hell counter to create good stability with no unwanted ankle movement.
Ventilation
The innovative upper of the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure features a mesh section on most of its front and side. The high-tech fabric used allows for great airflow to the feet that keeps them cool and dry whether the shoe is used at the gym, for speed training at the track or for a long run.
We’ve been rocking the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure for late summer runs in temperatures from 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit for distances from three to eight miles. We didn’t run into any hot feet or wet socks because of its world class moisture dissipation. We can’t wait to see how they work during the Fall and Winter of 2021.
It should be noted that the top and back areas of the feet also remain cool whenever wearing the Reebok Floatride Energy 3 Adventure. As is the case with most running shoes neither is as ventilated as at the front or side of the shoe. Nevertheless, there is no heat discomfort in either area because of the way the mesh section distributes air around the feet.
In the Gym
We’ve done a few weightlifting sessions wearing the Floatride Energy 3 Adventure at our local gym given the shoe’s versatile design and Reebok’s expertise in the cross-training space.
The shoe worked almost as well as one of the sportswear firm’s vaunted Nano series kicks for all the upper body free weight, machine, kettlebell, battling ropes and TRX suspension training system moves that we did while wearing it. This included standing and seated moves that required solid footing such as barbell curls, cable tricep press downs and shoulder presses.
The Floatride Energy 3 Adventure was fine for leg moves such as squats, legs presses, and calf raises as well. We do recommend the Nano over the Energy 3 Adventure for these however because of their less cushioned soles and heel to toe drops.
Durability
Our testers have been wearing the men’s and women’s versions of the Reebok Floatride Energy 3 Adventure over the last two weeks for running over multiple distances and for gym work. This equated to roughly twenty miles and fifteen hours in the gym per tester.
Both versions for the shoe still look almost as good as they looked when they were unboxed. There are no signs of wear other than some slight creasing towards the front of the upper because of running. The outsole amazingly shows no wear other than dirt picked up because of the high abrasion carbon material that it is made from.
The Floatride Energy 3 Adventure is probably the easiest running shoe to clean because of its nylon-based upper. Cleaning the shoe requires no special clothes or fabric cleaners. A moist rag or cloth is all that is needed to wipe dirt off it and have it looking as good as new.
Bottom Line
Reebok hasn’t been releasing a slew of running shoes lately. However, when the firm does the drop is usually world class! The Floatride Energy 3 Adventure is no exception. The shoe is a novel, versatile trainer that can be used on any indoor or outdoor surface. We love the fact that it uses recycled materials as Reebok makes strides towards producing more sustainable products. At a non-discounted price point of just $110 the Energy 3 Adventure is a shoe that must be considered for those in the market for new running shoes this autumn!
