The process begins by selecting your shoe size by sex. The brilliance of the site is that it allows the user to customize each shoe by size and width. This ability will allow people who previously required expensive custom shoes or inserts to order correct fitting shoes at retail pricing. Also the rare person who has feet of different sizes now need only order one pair of shoes.
Once you’ve sized yourself up you get to choose your base colors. This tab will allow you to select the color scheme for the midfoot outer, laces, lace-loops& claws (the metal tabs near the toes!), and the 3-Stripes. This process is done in Four phases:
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Select your exterior side base colors (this is the leather portion that runs from the foot opening out to the toes). Users can choose from black, grey, pink, navy, gold, red, ‘slime’ (tennis ball), white and metallic silver.
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Select the color of the laces. Users have the same choices as before with the addition of yellow!
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Select your 3-Stripes color. Users have the same choices as in #1.
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Select your lace-loops & claw colors. Users have the choice of gold or silver.
The next tab is the color scheme for the midfoot inner (all the fabric portion of the upper portion of the shoe) and the level of cushioning provide by the sockliner.
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The midfoot inner choices allow the user to select from: black, grey, pink, navy, red and white.
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The user has the choice of the standard sockliner or the thicker Comfort sockliner.
The next step is something new for most American tennis shoe purchasers. This customization tab will allow you to:
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Select a Hard Court outsole or Omni Court outsole. This is significant because, generally speaking, in the United States we purchase only hard court outsoles. The Omni Court outsole is designed for artificial grass and clay. For all you dirt ballers from the South and summer clay warriors from around the country this means that you can get shoe specifically designed for the sliding and grinding of your clay court game! The second step on this tab is the much less exiting is the choice of outsole color, you are only given two fairly sedate choices and one bright color: black and white or red.
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Once you’ve decide the fate of your sole! (bad pun intended!) you can choose your midsole color, this is the rubberized and cushion portion of the shoe between the midfoot upper and the outsole. Again the choice are limited here, black or white.
Finally we come to the personalization portion of the process. Here you are given two options for giving your shoes a one of a kind look!
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Users now have the option of choosing the standard Adidas logo on the tongue or the national flag of one of 45 different countries. This is a pretty neat feature and depending on the color scheme you’ve chosen for the rest of the shoe give you the opportunity to really make your colors clash!!
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Once you’ve chosen your tongue adornment you have the opportunity to have the heal laser etched with up to 10 characters of your choice. Users have the choice of black, red or white lettering.
Viola! You now have you own personalize pair of Barricades. The graphic display will allow you to check out your shoe from every angle by simply grabbing it and rotating it within the frame.
If you decided that you like the shoe you have the option of ordering it directly from the page for a cost of $140.
I was personally very excited when I was contacted by Adidas about the site, while it is a neat feature and a great idea I felt that it fell a little short. That is not to say that I think that users shouldn’t us the site. Far from it as a matter of fact. The short comings can be easily rectified to make this site the premier custom athletic shoe site on the net.
I was initially disappointed in the lack of selection available, while the Barricade V is one of the most popular shoes available, there is a large segment of the public who don’t like such a heavy shoe. I would have like to see the Genius, Feather, Pulse and Accelerator shoes offered on the men’s side and the Divine, Pulse, Tirand, and Ivy from the women’s side. Adding the selection of Adidas’ full offering of competitive level shoes would give the site much broader appeal and be more practical for players that might not be elite players.
My second disappointment was the lack of available colors. While there are several very cool colors I just felt like it fell short of expectations. I didn’t feel like there enough color combinations available to make the shoes totally unique from what can be purchased at your local pro shop or Internet retailer.
Finally I felt that the $140 cost was somewhat prohibitive. The retail price at most Internet retailers is $130 and most places have Barricade’s for between $79.99-$109. I understand that these are custom shoes but the since they are straight from the manufacturer I can’t quite justify the cost at $10 above standard retail. Wouldn’t $100-120 be more than sufficient to turn a profit?
My criticisms aside I found this to be a wonderful tool for adding personality and individual flair to your tennis wardrobe. The site is also incredibly user friendly and easy to use for even the most remedial computer user. If the changes that I suggest were made (Think about it Lyn!) this would without question be the top tennis footwear site on the net!
If you are ready to get your new custom pair of Barricade V’s go to www.miadidas.com!
Jay Wiseman is a certified Master Racquet Technician (MRT) by the United States Racquet Stringers Association (USRSA), a certification that is bestowed upon only the elite racquet and equipment service professionals. Additionally Jay is a certified P-1 Professional by the USPTA and has served as the Head Professional and Pro Shop manager at multiple clubs on the East Coast and Midwest. Jay has previously spent 3 years coaching Division I collegiate women’s tennis and currently serves as a teaching professional at the largest tennis club in Toledo, Oh and is the Head Boy’s & Girl’s Tennis Coach at Sylvania Southview High School.
