Review: Adidas Falcon Elite

Today, we feature one of the three stripe's entry level runners/ trainers known as the Adidas falcon elite. These entry level shoes rarely get any exposure in regards to blog and reviews and are often just relegated to online store catalogs.

King of the Road

I was a bit weary about this race. I initially wanted to join the 16.8 k distance like I did the previous year. However, I was planning a bit of rest after back to back half marathons the past two Sundays (Run United 3 and Rexona Run). Besides, there wasn't really anything  significantly different from the other two race distances with the 16.8k. I then went for the 10k category this time.

What's good about this race is the organizer (Proactive) made a lot of things easier. First, we no longer have to register online and pay via credit card. Second,  there was a pre registration (which will ship the race gear) and in store registration which eliminates the procedure of claiming it in an event like last year. Third was finally having an option to choose singlet color which means no more "We only get what's available brouhaha".

Adipure 360: Another pair on the roll

 

A few months after becoming official partners with Gold’s Gym, one of the top fitness centers worldwide, premier sports brand Adidas has recently rolled out its campaign for Adipure 360 in selected Gold’s Gym branches around the metro. 

Adipure 360, the latest breakthrough shoes for training from Adidas is designed to give each and every user that much needed versatility and comfort during training. 

Its various features command presence on the gym floor:  flex grooves for maximum flexibility, an Ortholite sockliner with microbial protection, an outsole material that provides a lightweight cushioning, and a full bootie construction for anatomical comfort.

Getting the most out of a day’s workout from Gold’s Gym has never been so efficient and convenient with the Adipure 360. 

To check out the latest about this tie-up, you may visit Adidas’ Facebook Fan Page: Adidas Philippines or Gold’s Gym’s Facebook Fan Page: Gold’s Gym Philippines.

Review: Adidas Promodel Zero

The Adidas pro model has been one of the staple models for the brand's performance basketball line. Through the years, it has had its own shares of upgrades, updates and add-ons.  This year, the promodel gets a makeover with the new lightweight adizero technology with the Pro Model Zero.

Bow Down to the King!

Just finished the 16.8k distance of KOTR yesterday (I did not use the singlet because I did not like the color). I finally got my 12 medal goal for the year. But since there's still more than 2 months left, I signed for 3 more races (2 of them half Marathons).

The good points of the race

-Hydration
-Marshalls
-Route
- UP Cheerios

The bad points of the race

-Initial offer of credit card / online transaction exclusive payment
-Inability to Select preffered Singlet color (Dumb Move)

Adidas KOTR 2011 Philippines Rerouting Advisory

 I'll just post this here fore those who will be joining me in running the 16.8k race this Sunday.

 
ADIDAS KOTR 2011 Advisory: There are changes to the race map for this Sunday’s 16.8k Route. Do follow the new map posted here. As for the others, we’ll still follow the same route. For anything else, do contact adidas KOTR via their Facebook page or check your race kits for other info. See you all this Sunday!

DLSU Centennial Jackets, Adidas vs Nike

Today, we take a look at the 2 DLSU Centennial Jackets made by two of the world's leading sporting brands. Because, at the midst of its centennial year, the Shield of green and white switched sides from the 3 stripes, to the Swoosh.

Nike DLSU Centennial Jacket



The DLSU Nike Centennial Jacket was not released commerically but made available only thru its varsity players. The design is similar to the Commercially released 2010 Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas, 2010 USA Fiba Worlds, 2010 Ateneo and 2010 FEU Jackets. It features a Square outline pattern which runs from the sleeve area up to the chest. The upper chest part bears the school logo and the swoosh mark.



The back design bears your generic placements of the Green Archer logo just under the nape area and the big script seen at the back. What makes this different from the other UAAP/ National Team Nike jackets is the sublimated patch at the back which also bears 3 additional logos.



The logos contain the School seal and the two centennial logos, a text based one, and a silhouette of St, John Baptist De la Salle. The Sublimated Patch is then sewn at the back.




Adidas DLSU Centennial Jacket



Unlike the Nike Released Counterpart, The Adidas DLSU Centennial Jacket was commercially released with most of the sizes completely sold out. As of now, there were still some which made it to the markdown, Albeit with extreme sizes such as Women's XS and Men's XXL Left.



The Jackets were released in cream white and green colorways and featured the centennial logo proudly displayed at the back. The print is big and occupies at least the lower 3/4 of the jacket.



The front design features the Adidas logo and DLSU Star. Side Design is made up of the trademark 3 stripes and followed by black accents at the neck collar, sleeves and the waistline.



Overall, the 3 stripes win by a hairline.

KG ditches Adidas for Anta

KG has reportedly signed a contract with chinese shoe company Anta.

Though it is still not officially announced, This will be the fourth shoe brand for KG after Nike, And1 and Adidas.

After what happened to Anta endorsers Danny Seigle and Steve Francis, I hope would not be the same for KG.

Review: Adidas DLSU Jersey 2008

Front View

Material:
The jersey is made up of light dryfit material (Climacool) which provides moisture wicking during games and makes it lightweight.

Print
The print (La Salle Script font) and the Archer logo at the back are heat pressed.


Back View

Tags

KG 4 Sportspick's Fail Shoe

The Garnett 4 figure is one groundbreaking mold for the mcfarlane nba sportspicks series. This is the first time that a player is depicted on his warmups rather than the usual jerseys.



However, upon checking the KG 4 there is something wrong with the foot. Since Adidas has never made a shoe like that. It turns out to be one of LBJ's Shoes. Which means obviously, the mold was originilly intended for LBJ. Here is to hoping that mcfarlane will change the shoes into the TS Commanders before it gets released on feb 2010.

Mi Adidas RP Edition

Adidas has caught up with nike on the RP Game. With nike releasing the RP Hyperize pack and released the RP Hyperdunk in limited quantities in the states, Adidas has also released their own Myadidas Pilipinas Collection.



These are basically customized color variants of their kicks, notably the TS Bounce Commander, the Promodel and the TS Lightning Creator.

Designs are ok but prices are e little higher than the regular releases. (and I like the KG Home colorway better for the bounce commander).

Philippine Inspired Jackets Part 2

After a year and a half, Here is part 2 of the RP inspired jackets.

Part 1 is here

Accel Beijing Olympics Jacket

So the sad tale of the 2008 beijing olypics team revives within this jacket. Achieving 0 golds, 0 silvers and 0 bronzes for the third straight time, but having a consolation prize in Willy Wang's Gold medal in the demonstration sport of wushu. Accel, usually on the receiveing end when having their designs compared with sporting giant brands nike and adidas, has done a semi decent job with their recent national team jacket. A unique combination of microfiber and air cool cloth. Accel's design is still on the gaudy side, but it is a major improvement nonetheless.

Nike Nokia Pilipinas U-18 Team Jacket

Remember The Nokia Pilipinas team? The one who upset emerging asian giants iran in the crossover finals of the Fiba asia U-18 last year, and also the coaching issue after that. Nonetheless, this is one of the better looking B-ball Jackets nike has made. Better than their version of team pilipinas 2007 and 2009.

Blue with streaks of yellow followed by a combination of wool and air cool cloth. The nokia pilipinas logo is embroidered on the cloth.

Nike Team Pacquiao Jacket Red- This was one of the first jackets that team Pacquiao has used after Manny's contract with no fear expired and switched with nike. This was used in his rematch with Barrera and Marquez in late 2007 and early 2008. There were 2 versions of this jacket, the one with the sponsors (worn by the trainers) and one without (Worn by the Pac Man). This simple stylistic design was a hit back then.

Ever since there are a lot more pacquiao based jackets that nike has and has not been released. They recently did a launching of more limited edition (and better looking) pacquiao stuff (shoes, shirts and jackets) in Nike's Flagship store in Bonifacio high street in the second week of may 2009, I suggest you guys get that one instead.

wrong move.

It seems like Nike is fighting back against Adidas in the UAAP wars.

Since Adidas had a lot to offer in showing the UAAP department, Showing with merchandise, game jackets, track jackets and jerseys to offer to the fans of ADMU and DLSU. From billboards to print ads to Gilbert Arenas showing up with this two teams. With all the support and hype surrounding the Three striped brand nowadays, it was then time for the swoosh to fight back. Then they did, with displays of jerseys of their sponsored collegiate teams, UE and FEU complete with custom made hyperdunks. Pretty impressive stuff that are not for sale.

However, as with Nike Phil's Marketing flaw, they show a lot of high demand stuff, and never sell it. In fairness, they did sell very limited Team Pilipinas gears last fiba asia 2007 and Team USA gears last olympic games. And yes, that air force 1 RP edition wasn't seen anywhere on their stores. Selling limited edition stuff makes collectors happy and the general public crying and bugging those who have acquired the same items.

When will nike phils. learn?

Is national pride a crime?

Since there are many people in this blog viewing and/or asking for details regarding the Philippine Track top jacket, I might as well post a certain update in regards to the production of the 3rd batch of the Philippine Jacket. This message was sent by Adidas to the people who reserved for a third batch of the said jacket.

"We express our sincere apologies in informing you that there has been a
design change in the adidas Originals Philippines Track Top (article #
575167) under your reservation. The National Historical Institute of the
Philippines has brought to our attention that the Philippine flag design
on the track top is in violation of Republic Act 8491,The Flag and
Heraldic Code of the Philippines. We are therefore prohibited from
retailing or importing any additional units of this article.

Due to this, we will be replacing all orders of article # 575167 with
article # 575293. Kindly see attached images for your reference. The
design elements are likewise inspired by the Philippine flag, and the
track top will only be produced for a one-time, limited run. Target
launch for this new design is December 2008. Retail price remains at Php 4595, with sizes available from XS to XL for women and S to 2XL for men.

We would appreciate a reply to this email by June 18, 2008 so we may
immediately process or cancel your reservation. Should you wish to
proceed with your reservation, kindly e-mail us back with your name,
mobile number, and sizes required."

So, Basically the old Philippine flag jacket is replaced with a modified version of the women's track top to fit with mens sizes. It also has a pretty cool design and is contrasting to the old loud design of the jacket.




Anyways, Here is article 8491 regarding our national flag.

Republic Act 8491

CHAPTER 1: THE NATIONAL FLAG

I. Prohibited Acts

SECTION 34. It shall be prohibited:

c) To use the flag:

1. As a drapery, festoon, tablecloth;
2. As covering for ceilings, walls, statues or other objects;
3. As a pennant in the hood, side, back and top of motor vehicles;
4. As a staff or whip;
5. For unveiling monuments or statues; and
6. As trademarks, or for industrial, commercial or agricultural labels or designs.

CHAPTER VII PENALTIES

SECTION 50. Any person or juridical entity which violates any of the provisions of this Act shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than Five thousand pesos (P5,000) nor more than Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000), or by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, or both such fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court: Provided, That for any second and additional offenses, both fine and imprisonment shall always be imposed: Provided, further, That in case the violation is committed by a juridical person, its President or Chief Executive Officer thereof shall be liable.

While I do agree that the national flag is a symbol of our nation's Pride, Heritage and honor and should not be in any way used or manipulated like what was said above, It is the people and the Citizen's right to represent their country, their heritage through whatever they wear. The concern is, will the National Historical institute continue to hunt down clothing lines that are inspired or have partially similar color scheme and patterns as the Philippine flag? Will they go as far as hunt down and penalize people who want to be proud of their nationality?

A lot of clothing brands nowadays are into producing clothing with national pride theme in them. From independent graphic shirt sellers at multiply, to adidas's line, FMCC's shirts and jeans, new era's caps Accel's Team Gears and the limited edition national team jerseys of Nike and Mizuno. People's Tastes have changed. They are more proud of their brown roots. Fil-Americans and OFW's would shell out hundreds of dollars just to get their hands on these stuff. Its not like a decade ago where someone would be considered "trendy" or cool by wearing a US basketball Jersey or a Brazilian football jersey or at farther extent, Shirts that say London, Germany, France or any other highly industrialized country that the Philippines could only drool about dreaming to be.

The NHI (National Historical Institute) should even encourage people to represent the Philippines. If anyone has the right to shoulder the name or the flag of the Philippines, its the OFWs, the Fil foreigners who seek their roots, The athletes who sacrifice blood, sweat and tears (except the players and officials of the BAP) and their fans, The taxpayers and the normal day to day citizens. They have a lot more right to represent or show it than corrupt government officials or politicians who just travel abroad with the people's money just to spend in luxuries. It is so disgusting to see the Philippine flag pinned to those personalities in their suits and/or barongs, that is the ultimate disrespect for the Philippine flag.

If there's any consolation here it is the fact that the NHI allowed adidas to continue producing the other version of the jacket. Maybe the first design was just too loud or has too much similar elements to be considered being used as an industrial label. Hopefully producers would not get discouraged of this incident. But just be careful nonetheless.

And another thing, It seems like ABS CBN has released a new station ID where some common extras and their celebrities are running around and wearing shirts inspired by the flag and the others wearing flags used in the revolt against spain. A very cool and proud scene. Will the NHI step on it for those shirts as well?

Philippine Inspired Jackets

There is now a part 2 of this feature, click Here.

Note to everyone: Please do not ask me anymore about the availability of the said jackets. They have been sold out a long time ago and another production is highly impossible. If you are really desperate then there are some online sellers which sell them for 2-4 times the original cost in ebay.

Also, If you saw my pics below being used in selling sites such as ebay or sulit, then the seller is using my pics without permission, Also be careful because the adidas philippine jacket has a lot of fakes being sold on the net. The fakes has a white tag with an "adidas performance logo" as opposed to the original one which has a black tag with the "Adidas originals trefoil logo" and usually sold for around 3,000 php.

There will be a part 2 of this article coming very soon. Featuring another batch of RP inspired jackets. Most likely in late 2008.

Finally, After months of waiting I was finally able to grab hold of the Adidas Philippines jacket. It came out about 2 weeks ago. And I got it a few days after its release, thanks to the nice people at Adidas. As of press time only very few stocks are left and most likely is sold out.

Anyways, here's a mini review of the 3 RP Inspired jackets that I got.



Nike Team Pilipinas Jacket

This was the jacket used by Team Pilipinas on their heartbreaking campaign on the Fiba Asia championships. It was deemed as limited edition and within less than a week, got sold out on several outlets. The only ones remaining in stock from this collection were the "believer" shirts and some XXL sized shorts. There are still overpriced ones available on Ebay.

Design is pretty much basic and similar with TP's Royal blue jersey highlighted by white accents and minimal red ones. TP's Flag crest shield is on the right side, the flag shield has been used by The old National teams from the 40's to the 60's when the country was on its glory days. A white swoosh mark on the left side. Simple Pilipinas Basketball serif at the back. Retailed for around 2k.




Adidas Flag Jacket

This is not worn by any national team or used in an international competition since the Flag track top series of Adidas originals was supposed to be a tribute to countries who have a rich tradition of football. Though that sport is not even close to popular in this country, unless you're part of some club or living in Bacolod.

The design is great! it shows the Philippine flag in front with the sun-face probably inspired by the old revolutionary flags. A small Football is seen in the lower right area with the PH sign. At the back, it shows the crest flag with a ball looking like a Sepak takraw/ Sipa which probably pays homage to our national sport. One thing wrong here though is that According to Article RA 8491, Section 10 of the constitution; when the flag is raised vertically the blue should be on the left. This was because Blue, signifying peace should be closer to our hearts. But this one had the red on the left side and blue on the right. I wished the design team researched a little more before deciding on the final design. Fabric is thick and retails for P4.6k and 85$ US




Accel Phils 2005 Team Philippines jacket

This one was worn by the Philippine Contingent in the 2005 sea games where they bagged the overall title for the first time in Seag history. As expected from accel designs, they turn out to be plain and simple. But what's disappointing on this one is that there are no RP flags visible on the design. There is a big Philippines text on the back but the embroidery is not that good. The red blue design on the side looks good. This was the cheapest among the 3 at a little over 1k. Cloth is made of nylon and lightweight material.

2009 UPDATE!
There is now a part 2 of this feature,
Click Here to view the part 2 of this article.
Includes 3 new RP inspired jackets