Adidas has introduced the Adizero EVO SL Zip, a zippered variation of its lightweight performance trainer that brings early-2000s track-spike attitude to the brand’s fast, unplated road shoe. The update keeps the EVO SL’s core running formula intact but adds a tongue-length zipper over the laces, giving the shoe a more sculpted profile while adding another layer of lockdown across the midfoot.

The reference point is clear without feeling like a costume. Adidas describes the Zip as being inspired by a 2000s Adidas track and field shoe, a period when zippered uppers were used to smooth out sprint spikes and create a cleaner race-day silhouette.

Here, the idea is translated for a modern road trainer rather than a pure spike. The laces remain underneath, so the zipper works as a shroud rather than a replacement closure, keeping the shoe’s running function grounded.

Underfoot, the Adizero EVO SL Zip uses the same Lightstrike Pro cushioning that made the standard EVO SL one of Adidas’ most versatile speed-training shoes. The platform is designed for tempo work, daily miles, and faster efforts, with a lightweight mesh upper and Continental rubber outsole supporting the shoe’s road-running purpose. Adidas currently lists the men’s EVO SL Zip at $170, a $20 premium over the standard EVO SL.

The color options include Core Black/Grey Six/Silver Metallic, Cloud White/Core Black/Silver Metallic, Core White/Zero Metallic/Orbit Grey, and Frozen Lemon/Core Black/Iron Metallic. The result is a running shoe that leans into style without abandoning its performance base. It is not a radical reinvention of the EVO SL, but it is a sharp visual remix of one of Adidas’ most accessible fast trainers.