Facts
Road
Shoes best for road, track and light gravel. See the best road shoes.
Trail
Shoes best for trail, off road, mountains and other unstable surfaces. See the best trail shoes.
Good to know
As long as you stick to the road or path, and if you want just one running shoe, buy a road running shoe.
Neutral / cushion / high arch
Shoes for runners who does not need any additional arch support (Around 50% of runners). Best for people with high or medium high arches. See the best neutral shoes.
Stability / overpronation / normal arch
Shoes for runners who needs arch support (Around 45% of runners). Best for runners with a normal arch. See the best stability shoes.
Motion control / severe overproanation / flat feet
Shoes for runners who needs a lot of arch support. Best for runners with flat feet. See the best motion control shoes.
Good to know
- Rule of thumb: If in doubt, buy neutral shoes to avoid injuries.
- More about arch support in this video.
- Find your arch type by following steps from this video.
Daily running
Cushioned shoes for your daily easy running. Great comfort. See best shoes for daily running.
Competition
Lightweight shoes good for races, interval training, tempo runs and fartlek. Here are the best competition running shoes.
Good to know
If you want just one pair of shoes, buy a shoe for daily running.
The height difference from the heel to the forefoot, also known as heel drop, toe spring, heel to toe spring or simply drop.
There are many opinions about what a good heel drop is. We do not recommend any in particular. Lean more in this video.
Summary
We spent 7.3 hours reading reviews from experts and users. In summary, this is what sneaker fanatics think:
11 reasons to buy
- A majority of the reviewers gushed about the great comfort the Adidas Gazelle provides to the foot when wearing the pair.
- A good number of reviewers were appreciative about the versatility of the shoe, saying it is great with a variety of outfit choices.
- A handful of buyers loved the classic look of the shoe.
- A good number of users pointed out that the shoe has great quality.
- A lot of wearers enjoyed the compliments they get from wearing the shoe.
- Most consumers are highly-appreciative of the colors of the shoe.
- One reviewer expressed that purchasing the shoe is worth every penny.
- A good number of buyers said that they would definitely recommend the sneaker.
- A few purchasers said that the shoe doesn’t need a lot of break-in period.
- The Adidas Gazelle is available in multiple color variations.
- The shoe can be purchased in an affordable price.
2 reasons not to buy
- Some of the reviewers pointed out that the Adidas Gazelle can run a bit large and advised to go at least a half size down.
- One buyers said that the tongue of the shoe seemed to be a bit stiff.
Bottom line
This iconic classic silhouette from Adidas has been a household name for many since it was first released. Throughout time, the Adidas Gazelle has been a mass favorite. This sought after shoe provides great comfort for the foot though some can find it a bit large in sizing. It is hard to go wrong with its classic style, great quality, and various choices in colorways – all in an affordable price.
Rankings
Popularity
Ratings
My Rating
Expert Reviews
Experts are sneaker fanatics, who post reviews at youtube, directly at RunRepeat or at their own websites. Each expert is categorized from level 1 to level 5 based on expertise. See stats on expert reviews and how we calculate scores here.
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Adidas Gazelle History
In the year 1966, the Adidas Gazelle was first introduced as a performance training shoe. Throughout time, this classic shoe became one of the most iconic silhouettes from the brand next to the Stan Smith. Though, the real story behind the name of the shoe is still unsure, the Gazelle has become one of the crowd favorites, thus the brand continues to produce the model 50 years later.
The Gazelle, was the first shoe from Adidas to have a suede upper, since during that time, leather was commonly used for shoes. The advantage they got from having a suede upper for a shoe is that it is much lighter and more flexible than leather and still manages to maintain great protection for the foot. The original released colorways of the Adidas Gazelle were the blue and the red colorways and both sporting the white stripes on the sides. The shoe also had a different outsole which provides different kinds of traction. The Red Gazelle which was known as the “Gazelle Rot” showcased a sole taken from the “Olympiade” shoe which was a transparent non-slip sole. The Blue Gazelle also known as “Gazelle Blau” applied the microcell technology and provided a microcell ripple sole for the shoe. This technology embodied the small air bubbles into the rubber, providing an additional cushioning for impact on landing with the ripple effect of the shoe allowing the foot to have a firm grip on indoor surfaces.
It was in the 1970s that the Adidas Gazelle became one of the most popular shoes from the Adidas brand. Adidas did some experimentation on various types of outsoles and provided upgraded versions on the shoe. Along with these is the so-called “Soft Protect” which provides protection on the Achilles tendon and also a vinyl forming tongue which gives off comfort. By 1972, the brand released the microcell sole with hexagonal tread which the brand used for the new re-issue of the shoe.
The Adidas Gazelle became extremely popular especially in the UK and has been a part of some major sub-culture in the 80’s proving that the shoe is truly a classic. A few of the legendary groups to worship the Adidas Gazelle Reggae, Hip Hop, Terrence Casuals, Grunge, and Britpop.
The silhouette has witnessed various collaborations and amazing releases throughout its existence. One of the latest collaborations for the Adidas Gazelle is the “Wood Wood Adidas Gazelle”. The Danish brand, Wood Wood, celebrates its 15th anniversary this year through some big collaboration in which one is with their long-time partner, the Adidas brand and gave a touch on the Adidas Gazelle.
They gave the Gazelle a black and white image which took inspiration from Nørrebro, a famous home-neighborhood in Copenhagen. The shoe showcases a long-haired suede upper with the “Nørrebro” branding on the side. The W.W. logo can be observed on the back part of the shoe along with the words “Madness” and “Mayhem” on the heel of each shoe. Both the Adidas and Wood Wood Branding are also featured on the tongue of the shoe.
The Adidas Gazelle continues to live on being one of the iconic shoes of the Adidas brand. Various iterations are made on the silhouette along with a variety of colorways released, allowing the people to have a lot of choices that would definitely suit their taste when grabbing a pair of these classic sneakers.
Adidas Gazelle Style
The Adidas Gazelle is a combination of sport and casual style. Originally designed as an indoor soccer shoe, throughout time, this pair of kicks has shifted into a more casual use. The versatility of the shoe is proven as it goes well with a variety of outfit choices from a sporty get-up, hip-hop look, street style, to a semi-formal look.
The shoe also does well in a chic, sophisticated look with a little bit of a ragged style thrown in it for women. For men, the shoe can perfectly go well with a pair of skinny jeans, normal fitted jeans, and shorts. For women, the shoe is perfect with a mini dress, a mini skirt, a pair of skinny jeans, leather pants, leggings, shorts and even Daisy Dukes shorts.
Fit & Sizing
The traditional lace-up closure of the Adidas Gazelle allows the wearer to adjust the shoe and give the foot a rather comfortable fit. The shoe is offered in medium width. Throughout time, the shoe has been released in both the men’s and women’s colorways. Since the current model is a unisex shoe in men’s sizing, both men and women can purchase the shoe. The women should get 1.5 off of their regular size to get the best fit. Sizes are from 6 to 14 with half sizes available.
Notable Features
Both the stylish classic look and the comfort from the Adidas Gazelle have mostly caught the attention of the buyers. They praised the shoe for being so comfortable for the foot when they wear them. They also admired about how stylish it looks as they loved all of the compliments they get when wearing these pair of kicks.
Additional Info
- The Adidas Gazelle was seen on the foot by celebrities in the likes of Bob Marley, Kate Moss, Oasis, and the young Michael Jackson.
- Hip Hop artist, Run-D.M.C. released a song called, “My Adidas”. They performed the song at Madison Square Garden as a part of their “Raising Hell” Tour in 1986. During the song, they asked their fans to raise their Adidas sneakers at the same time. This led Adidas to offer a multi-million dollar deal with RUN-D.M.C. This was the brand’s first ever partnership with a non-athlete.
- A pigskin leather upper adds durability and retro style.
- Trefoil logo on the heel and tongue are very prominent.