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Adidas UltraBOOST: the foam got a cage

When adidas introduced Boost foam in 2013, the question was how much shoe you still needed to build around it. The UltraBOOST is the answer most people know: a full layer of Boost underfoot, a knitted Primeknit upper around it, and between them a plastic cage that holds the midfoot in place. The three stripes are cut into that cage, so the branding and the structure are the same piece.

The sole is easy to recognize. Boost consists of thousands of compressed pellets, and that structure remains visible on the side: a bumpy surface that looks like it has been clumped together under pressure. The model name is embossed on the flank, and at the back there is a sturdy heel frame that locks the foot in. Unlike many running shoes there is no visible window or air chamber; the foam is the technology.

The generations are simply in the title, from the early editions to numbers like 19, 20, 21 and 22, plus variants like DNA and LTD. The highest number is the newest; with each generation the cage and the balance between knit and support shift most of all.

Within adidas’s Boost range, the UltraBOOST occupies the most complete position. The Pureboost strips everything away and leaves the foam exposed, the NMD puts the same material into a lifestyle shell with blocks in the sole, and the Supernova uses it as an everyday trainer. Four shoes on the same foam, and this is the version that builds the most around it.

On this page you can see which versions of the Adidas UltraBOOST are currently hottest according to the Hypescore, the starting price at which they can be found and how many shops have them in stock.