Close to fulfilling potential

It felt like adidas was fulfilling people’s wishes when they released (several times) the X 99.1 Speedportal Leather. Getting rid of the awful upper of the Speedportal, adidas then slapped a soft leather forefoot along with a much more pliable midfoot on the boot and it seemed like adidas created an excellent leather speedboot. As much as brands would like to make us think otherwise, there is still a large market for leather speed boots, when they are done correctly, of course. The reviews that have been released so far are very positive in their reaction to the X 99.1 Leather and for the most part I do agree with these opinions. However, there are some issues that stop this boot from being truly great.

Fit and Feel

The first impressions of the adidas X 99.1 Speedportal Leather are positive. From out of the box, the leather is plush in hand while the midfoot of the upper feels very flexible. This encouraging experience continues when the boots are put on the foot for the first time. The leather is comfortable and has a relatively thin sensation, while the midfoot is so flexible that it quickly takes the shape of the foot. Another plus point is the floating tongue construction and the deep lacing system that allows for a large amount of adjustability with the fit. This means that the boot can work for a majority of foot types.

Another thing that is great is the fact that the insole is thicker than one would think for a boot of this nature. What this means is that there is almost no stud pressure and allows the foot to have a comfortable ride during play. Even on AG there have been no issues to report as far as stud pressure goes. Of course, bladed and triangle studs are better at distributing pressure better than rounded studs because there is more surface area to spread that pressure out.

As one might expect from a speedboot, the lockdown on the X 99.1 Speedportal Leather is good and because there is the deeper lacing system there is a lot of adjustability for the lockdown on different pats of the foot. One might worry that the leather feels sloppy in comparison to the rest of the boot and in fact it also offers a snug (but not overly so) fit. And a minor detail but the laces are fairly nice as well and adds to the premium feel of the boot. It can be argued that having a floating tongue is a massive bonus since it allows for more adjustability versus the more common one-piece construction, we find on more boots these days.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am very critical of the heel shape of most boots but adidas have made an excellent fit on the heel of these boots. There is this nicer suede-like lining on the inside the heel for added comfort while there is good cushioning without feeling overly plush. Given that this is a speed boot, it would not have been a surprise for the heel to be more stiff and have little to no padding, but fortunately adidas have done it properly and provided a heel with great comfort and support.

Even through the initial session with the boots there were not many hot spots except weirdly on the outside of the midfoot. It is almost as if the support cage structure needs to be shifted slightly forward. Another negative is that the finishing or build quality on my pair seems to be lacking a bit and there is a really jarring feeling inside of boot where the synthetic transitions into the leather. Normally, it seems like the extra material is supposed to be glued down to the side of the boot but for my pair it is loose on both the left and right boot. I could understand this issue in an entry level or midrange boot but on a premium limited boot it is unacceptable.

As far as the sizing goes, I went half a size down from my normal size and the fit was excellent. While the leather was slightly snug, it soon stretched to the shape of my toes and overall, the fit was very positive.

Touch

Given the competition on the market, this is a part that the X 99.1 Speedportal Leather need to get right and for the most part it does. The leather is soft and gives a slightly cushioned feel on the ball while the synthetic is razor-thin and makes the touch on the ball feel sharper. Unfortunately, this is another part of the boot that could have been done better. It is understandable why adidas decided to use such a thin midfoot given that the boots are supposed to be very lightweight. But it would have been better to make the midfoot material slightly thicker or the leather thinner so that the synthetic and leather parts feel a bit more similar. But, since this is not the case, the boot ends up feeling unbalanced as there are two different feels on the ball. One slightly cushioned and plus and another that is super thin and almost as if nothing is there. One only has to look at the Mizuno Morelia Neo 3 Japan to see how a leather synthetic lightweight concept should be properly executed.

Fortunately, this is not as much as an issue when dribbling with the ball as the forefoot is all leather and there is a reliable feeling when dribbling at speed. It is also appreciated that there are different shaped studs on the soleplate versus the Speedflow as this allows the ball to be controlled and manipulated better with the bottom of the foot during play.

Passing and Shooting

The unbalanced upper causes issues here as well. Since the midfoot is so thin, there is a super thin on the ball feel when passing the ball with the midfoot. On the other hand, hitting any kind of ball that requires the use of the forefoot means that the feel is more cushioned. I do not mind the cushioned feel and it does feel good when hitting the ball, but I just wish adidas had decided on one feeling rather than trying to do both.

Hitting the ball with power is great as the leather reacts well gives a great feel for the ball. The soleplate also does a great job on anchoring the foot into the ground and allows the ball to be hit with a good amount of power without feeling like the foot is going to slide around on the ground. It is worth saying again that the leather on the boot is much better than expected and performs very well with respect to shooting. You will not get a pingy sensation, but it is still satisfying to hit the ball with power in the X 99.1 Speedportal Leather.

Grip

Probably the only part of the boot from the regular Speedportal that is worth bringing over to this model. It is nice, stiff, and responsive. There is a slight upward curve towards the front of the foot that helps you rock into a sprinting stance. It is shame that the carbon fibre is no longer included on newer Speedportal models because it is a great piece of tech and even on this boot it is a major selling point.

As mentioned previously, there is almost no stud pressure to worry about and the boots are comfortable to run in. Even on artificial ground the studs feel great and never seem to get stuck in the surface. At the same time, the studs are still very aggressive so these boots cannot be properly recommended for AG surfaces.

The big problem

Earlier it was mentioned that there are issues in the build quality on my pair. It appears there are durability issues on the boots in general as within a few sessions the soleplate started separating from the upper. The colour on toes of the boots even began to fade by the end of the first session in the boots as well. Now, there is an argument that can be made that the boots should only be used for matches and on firm ground, but this does not reflect the real world use case for most boots. People will wear their boots wherever and whenever they can and brands thinking when creating boots should reflect this. Every single boot that gets tested by this blog is worn on multiple surfaces and it is unacceptable when there are durability issues this early in use.

Conclusion

Ultimately, that is part of what let’s the adidas X 99.1 Speedportal Leather down. It is so close to being a great boot and just a few fixes here and there would make it a great boot to recommend. Unfortunately, since the boot cannot decide what kind of touch it wants and does not have the durability or build quality to match its high price tag, this is definitely a boot that should be picked up for those curious and if it is on sale.

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