New Balance - Fresh Foam Hierro v6

New Balance Hierro are nice for this.

Comparative review of three trail running shoes after a couple of hundred kilometers (most in the NB, least in the VJ) Use: forest trails, grass, obstacle courses (including rope climbing), mud & paved surfaces. Not used on hills and rocky terrain. Standout features and pros: Hierro: all day comfort, plushness, lots of padding around the heel and ankle, Vibram rubber compound stick to everything, great for walking too, mild outsole lugs that feel great on paved surfaces too, nice forefoot flexibility allowing ground feel even with the enormous amount of midsole. This is the Sunday long run shoe. Parkclaw: do-it-all road to trail show, immediate perfect fit, no break in period required at all. The soles strike a good balance between responsiveness, comfort, ground feel and agility, good enough for obstacle races and rope climbing, nice forefoot flexibility, good outsole durability, rugged upper that can withstand abuse. This is the very day trainer. VJ Spark: minimalistic off road performance, most aggressive outsole with VJ's own rubber provides ultimate traction including mud, very nimble, lightweight and agile shoe, but still some comfort even on paved surfaces and even without much padding. Hug the feet tightly. No rock plate so proper flexibility. Great for obstacle and rope climbing. Thick insole so there are options for experimenting. This is the specialist shoe. Cons: The NB is simply too bulky for (technical) obstacles and fast short races: the mid- and outsole extend way beyond the foot. The outsole lugs are not aggressive enough to handle mud. The midsole is more plush than responsive so this shoe does not feel fast. The Parkclaw is so do-it-all that there are many compromises for each specific use case. The outsole lugs aren't aggressive enough for mud. One big disadvantage of the Parkclaw is the Inov8 graphene G-grip outsole that feels very slippery on wet hard surfaces. One of the worst I've encountered, but it's not so bad that it ruins the overall experience, you just have to be more careful. The laces are plasticky and come undone easily. I wouldn't recommend these as walking shoes. The VJ Spark sizing is off: all my shoes are either 11 or 11.5 US sizes and I ordered these in size 12 US because of what I read online. Still in size 12, the toe box was (initially) very narrow and required me to change the lacing system and required breaking in. The tongue is a thin flap with no padding. Outsole lug pattern is (obviously) not meant for paved surfaces. Probably great on descents but I have no way to test that. Outsole durability to be assessed.

New Balance Hierro, they're plush, cushioned, comfortable, grippy, but also a bit slow and heavy. Great hiking shoe as well. Inov8 Parkclaw: jack of all trades, master of none. Very durable, very allround, comfortable right out of the box, but the cushioning doesn't give much energy return so it feels a bit old fashioned and a little bit uninspiring. Doesn't feel like a trail shoe when running on road, but it does have trail shoe features like (mild) lugs, toe protector, ankle collar. It has a really wide toe box but also a good lockdown. Nike Vomero: cushioned road shoe that has an outsole tread pattern that is much more trail-like than other road shoes

Salomon Sense Ride 3 were my first real pair of trail running shoes in 2020. After 600km they already felt really flat and the mesh was just coming apart… After that I ran with a pair of NB Hierro v6 for 900km and now a pair of Asics Trabuco 11 with currently 700km, still in very good condition. To me, the problem is from Salomon side !

I had Hierro v6 GTX. They were very plushy and quite lightweight for a well padded and cushioned trail shoe. They also did well on paved roads, where I used them on bad weather days. I was really disappointed when just after half a year they started showing tears on the toebox and collar. I ditched New Balance for Hoka Speedgoats. Much more fun to run in, due to more springy foam and the rocker. One and a half year later, the outsole (also a Vibram Megagrip) is missing half of the lugs, so I switch to another pair.

Agreed with the NB. I have it in the goretex version and use it more as a winter miscellaneous-use/everyday shoe. It’s too much of a tank for me to enjoy on runs.

The new NB Hierro v9 is supposed to be a solid remake that is a better actual running shoe than previous versions of the Hierro. I think you might like the HOKA Speedgoat or the Altra Experience Wild, but I honestly haven't found a comparable shoe to the KOM that fits my foot like a NB.  Zegama is too squishy, More Trail is gigantic, Olympus too squishy, Lone Peak too thin.  Maybe the Altra Timp but you gotta buy in to the 0 drop thing.  I ran through 2 pairs of those but still not the same feel as the KOM. As a side note gripe: constantly disappointed in NB for dropping and creating new trail shoes all the time these days.  I feel like there's no continuity in their shoes anymore and has caused me to start running in other brands that fit me worse.  The 910 v4/Summit KOM was one of the last great shoes they made.  These days it seems like the More Trail super stack marshmallows or the Summit Unknown racing flat, or the Hierro which is pretty much a lifestyle shoe with a tread and sucks for running.  Maybe the new v9 will be a return to a solid mid stack trail shoe.

I used to use New Balance 4E Hierro which fit well, but I was really disappointed in their grip. I was sliding all over the place on anything remotely slick which isn't really good for a trail runner. I switched to the Topo Pursuit shoes and they are wide, comfortable, and very grippy. The Terraventure get great reviews but they were substantially narrower. They were similar in width as the Hoka Speedgoat so wouldn't work for me. Altra had wide shoes at some point, but they progressively narrowed them to the point that I could no longer fit into the Lone Peaks. Supposedly, they are making them wider again and migrating to a Vibram sole which hopefully will be a vast improvement with their shoddy proprietary sole. Their quality control in generally has been poor. Brooks were always too narrow. I could never fit into the Cascadia.

I have been wearing New Balance Hierros for a couple years. I trail run and run on/in the snow. I’ve found they’re durable and comfortable. Traction is fantastic. There is a Gore Tex version but I opt for the regular version. To save money I typically buy the previous year’s version when new models are released.

new balance hierro ftw (lowkey shocked to see it as high as 15)

Came here to say this. I used mine for mixed road trail running all week and for walks around town. Very durable outsole

For affordable running shoes new balance Hierro are under appreciated. I put them through bearings and have had pairs hold up nearly to 1000 miles.

I find the higher the stack leads to more rolling ankles. Shoes that have not worked for me: Brooks Cascadia, New Balance Hierro Shoes that have worked for me: La Sportiva Bushido, Topo Terraventure. Also would like to find a more cushioned shoe but they have been directly correlated to rolled ankles for me and I'm sick of spending money on shoes for now. I'll see how far I can go in the Bushidos, I did a 50 miler in them and it was good, although I was definitely hurting at the end!! The more you do the more you adapt though!

New Balance Hierro comes as wide as 4E for men and 2E for women. Topo is also legit wide. I wear a women's D width and their wide shoes are TOO wide for me. That never happens with my hobbit feet 😂

Absolutely adored the OG-EUs. Also quite like this year's New Balance Hierros (I was a tester last summer).

Trail runners. New Balance Hierro I like a lot. If you have money, check out Norda

New Balance Hierro is what i use for trail running and / or hiking. I wear 4E wide so they'll have any size you need

I spent a day trying different shoes at different shops. The softer heal counter is a driving force - drop, cushioning and wide toebox are also important. The 3 I narrowed it down to were… in 3rd place Altra Olympus 6 (but no drop), in 2nd the New Balance Hierro - seemed good and 1, which surprised me, the Nike Zagama 2 (which was slightly more flexible than the Hierro - a good or bad thing, I’ll report back). The toebox for the Nike has sometimes been described as narrow, when I tried it on it was fine.

I just recently bought new trail runners and many of the reviews on Hokas speak to what you’re saying. Particularly the Speedgoat. Did you not read any reviews? I went with the New Balance Hierro about a month ago and am quite happy with them currently. I’ve put probably ~25 miles on them already and they show almost no wear.

I use NB hierro love them for hiking and throwing

Hola, las que yo tengo para vestir son Hoka mafate speed 4, New balance hierro y te diría que cualquiera de On cloud.

Only 4mm drop though. The heel counter is well-cushioned but normally stiff. Agree they're plenty wide, especially in 2E. High stack does mean they're not the most stable shoes. Not for unstable terrain.

I love the slightly wider fit of my New Balance Hierros. My husband swears by Brooks. It really just depends on the shape of your foot, but I've found both of those brands to be pretty long wearing for trail runners and to not need breaking in. We both used to wear Merrells, but the quality isn't as good as it used to be for me. One thing that really improved my hiking was sizing up a half size and using a runner's knot to prevent slippage.

Really comfortable but at least in the size 14s I wear the sides blow out. Same issue with the Olympus. I've switched to New Balance Heiros which are a similar shape but at least they hold together until the bottoms are too thin to protect my feet. https://preview.redd.it/5cuixhpub69f1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68150112f77175278b621fe7116f1721c057e8ea

I’ve really enjoyed the New Balance Hierro the past few winters. Fresh Foam X stays soft in freezing temps and the vibram outsole is great on snow and ice. Haven’t needed my spikes with them. The v8 is out, apparently they are even softer, closer to the 1080 v13/14 squish. The More Trail v3 was like running in mud, plodding around. They didn’t work for me. I loved the v1.

I've gone through so many shoes for this issue. I landed on new balance hiero and so far no pain. Hoka, asics, saucony and Salomon didn't work for me either. 

I just bought a pair of New Balance Hierro shoes. Regulars are already pretty wide, and there are wide options available.

Honestly the New Balance Hierro. Of all the trail runners I tried on it was the most comfortable, plus it has toe protection so you can really use it anywhere. Good for wide feet too if you get the wide version. I recently hiked the Lost Coast with them and they were great.

New Balance Hierro, wide, they are comfortable but pretty heavy. Just got a pair of OC Cloudultra Pros, medium width, little spendy at $260, but they are supposed to be a wider than normal. Also got a pair of 13W SG 5's off ebay.

I really like the Hierro as well. They are exceptional in winter because they are great on snow and ice. The heel flare on the v7s didn't work great for me as a heel striker but it looks like this has been minimized in the v8.

The trails we are running in my country mainly are humid tropical jungle with mountain slope and very muddy rice paddy with stream and I can say Nike outsole ATC outperform any vibram outsole and those Hoka speedgoat. I used Nike Kiger 8 and also owned a pair of NB Hierro. When the Wildhourse 10 released later this year, I will deffinitely grab one pair

New Balance Hierro, I really like mine and they make them in wides.

The New Balance Hierro comes in wide! Pretty high cushion.

Brooks and New Balance both have great trail shoes (I am partial to the NB Hierro myself) and all come in wide. Topo Ultraventure are also decent, though I had issues with blisters in my foot arch on runs over 6-7 miles. I recommend against waterproof shoes. Get merino socks instead!

If the trail is local to you then I’d ask some local running shops what shoes they like best for the terrain around you. I personally like to have a rotation of shoes for different conditions, but a few that I think are decent all rounders (cushioned enough that you won’t be in pain if you’re running on road, deep enough lugs that you’re not going to slide around the second there’s a little bit of mud, stack height not so high you’re likely to break your ankles as soon as there’s rocks and roots, etc) are the Salomon Ultraglide, On Cloudultra, North Face Flight Vectiv, Topo Mtn Racer, New Balance Hierro. Hoka Speedgoats probably fall under there too but I found them a bit clunky on anything technical and they only lasted 400km (I can usually get double that from a shoe).

Do not do this with plantar fasciitis. Get a shoe with a high stack like the hola speedgoats or the NB fresh foam. PF is not something to mess around with because it will end your hike in a way that nothing else can by making every step agony.

I'm a die hard New Balance person (because they consistently have wide shoes that feel good for me) and I've been using the minimus trail and love them. The fresh foam shoes don't hold up super well with sharp/rocky terrain.