Pushing The Limits - The Lightest Football Boots of 2012
They're the three lightest boots in the game. The featherweights of football each weighing 160g. For years, football's 'big three' brands have battled for supremacy in the super lightweight division. Now with the arrival of the Green Speed, Nike have finally tabled a rival to adidas and Puma's super slim speed boots.
The Nike GS, adidas f50 adizero and PUMA evoSPEED Ducati are now neck and neck in the race for lightweight. At just 160g, each boot pushes the limits of modern football boot design. Can football boots become even lighter? If so, who will be next to break the 160g barrier in 2013? Take a look and let us know what you think.
Putting each of these boots on a level playing field is slightly misleading. After all, the adizero is the only mass market boot of the three. Both the Nike GS and Puma evoSPEED Ducati SL are limited edition releases. The boots are statement pieces to prove they can match adidas on the scales. When it comes to the Mercurial Vapor VIII and evoSPEED, neither threaten the adizero when it comes to weight. 
For Nike, the GS is a real departure from their Mercurial line. Nike place the Vapor's emphasis on traction and speed. On the scales though, it has never matched the adizero. The Vapor VIII - Nike's lightest Mercurial - tips the scales at 187g. When it comes to super-lightweight speed boots, it's a numbers game. Nike felt they had to match adidas on the scales and the GS was their long awaited answer. 
Puma were first on the scene with a sub-170g football boot. Released in 2009, the v1.185 Ferrari was the original super-lightweight speed boot weighing just 165g. The evoSPEED Ducati SL pushes this original design further with an ultra-thin premium microfibre upper that reduces the weight by a further 5g. 
The adizero continues to set the pace in lightweight design. First launched in 2010 ahead of the South Africa World Cup, the original boot weighed 165g. Since then, each evolution has been built on the same template with the sprintframe acting as adidas' main weapon in reducing weight. If one of the 'big three' are to break the 160g barrier in 2013, adidas and the f50 adizero might be your best bet.
Innovation driven, these are three of the most advanced boots in the game. It's a three horse race for the lightweight crown. Will adidas, Nike or Puma break the 160g barrier in 2013 and continue to push the limits of speed boots?
