New Balance
Fresh Foam X Hierro v8

New Balance
New Balance

New Balance

New Balance

New Balance

New Balance

New Balance

I use goretex running shoes as my daily walking / running shoes on rainy and snowy days. It used to be Adidas Supernova, which had amazing grip and survived for a long time until the midsole snapped in half. Then Hierro v6 which were super comfy, but started showing wear and tear of the upper after only 6 months. I moved to hoka speedgoats, which are not known for their durability, but I found 2 pairs in price of 1, so I thought a set would last me long enough. Indeed the vibram lugs after 18 months of using mostly on hard surfaces were destroyed on one side. And that may happen in general to trail shoes with big lugs instead of more asphalt oriented outsole. Despite some opinions, their traction on wet or icy asphalt is very good. The only specific situation when they turn into slipgoats is when I come from very low temperature and step on wet concrete like puddles of melted snow in a garage. There is yet another option. Couple of years ago my wife bought herself Reebok Work n Cushion. They were quite comfy, ridicuosly cheap and simple oldschool shoes. There are other brands making shoes for work. Something like Hoka transport, which can have interesting upper with its cordura lining plus the rich midsole.
My New Balance Hierro V7s in goretex are good on mixed terrain. A little flat perhaps and not great in full on mud. V9 is well cushioned but soft compound soles wear fast on tarmac. I'm 25% tarmac and got 350kms out of a pair. V7s are much longer lasting but getting hard to find. I think you'll struggle to get a consistent reply for you Goldilocks shoes.
Hi all, Just wanted to ask for an assessment (opinion) on the sole wear on my NB Hierro V9s after 285km...
Cheers. Yes, road to trail then road to home. They're wearing pretty quickly but there's some life left. One issue I have with this shoe is I 'fall off' them on occasions, they can twist under my foot. I'm considering the Gel Trabuco as a replacement when they're done even though I've been a long term NB fan.
Yes, resoling is an option. I find that the upper on these is less snug. On tramlines the shoe feels like it rolls whilst my foot remains upright. It's disconcerting. My older V7s were a completely different shoe.
These have more cushioning but less 'feel' for the trail I sense.
Midsole is holding up well. They ride really nicely, very good job of cushioning rocks and stones.
My New Balance Hierro V7s in goretex are good on mixed terrain. A little flat perhaps and not great in full on mud. V9 is well cushioned but soft compound soles wear fast on tarmac. I'm 25% tarmac and got 350kms out of a pair. V7s are much longer lasting but getting hard to find. I think you'll struggle to get a consistent reply for you Goldilocks shoes.
I haven't, no. Looks like a similar shoe to the 7. The 9 is a new beast entirely.
try getting some V8s off amazon if they have your size. i found the 9s to be much narrower than the 8s. my feet overhand my 9s and the 8s fit like a glove.
try getting some V8s off amazon if they have your size. i found the 9s to be much narrower than the 8s. my feet overhand my 9s and the 8s fit like a glove.
Altra Olympus are great shoes, but it's worth noting that theyre zero drop, which if you're not used to it will feel really strange and likely give you pain in your calves due to them putting more pressure on your lower legs. If you want that Altra feel but aren't used to zero drop it's worth looking at the Altra Experience Wild which have a 4mm drop Personally, I love my New Balance Hierro v8 and my Nike Pegasus Trail 5, which are very do everything shoes and are really comfortable
Have love every version except for the v8 where the lack of tongue loop and laces stink. Haven’t tried v9 yet but ordered a pair and just arrived, and will once my v8’s wear out. Encouraged by the tongue loop on these.
I'm a mega shoe nerd and have tried a lot. I can't recommend Hokas or other high stack shoes on our trails since you come across several different types of topography in the same hike. The high stack runners, I find, are way too unstable and wobbly... great if you're just going in a straight line on flat trail... but not so great for lateral movement and scrambling. My favorite all around trail runner has been the New Balance Hierro 7... which sadly is all done and they've turned into yet another wobbly high stacker with the 9. Recently I tried a Brooks Caldera 8, and I gotta say it's pretty much spot-on the money. Really solid stability and traction for gravel, rock, incline up and down, and lateral motion. Great cushioning without being a high stacker. Nice ample toebox. They're like wearing nice comfy tanks on your feet, and fit our PHX trails almost perfectly. Shame they're so ugly, lol.

Mount to Coast
H1
Versatile road-to-trail, but struggles on wet, technical downhills.

Altra
Lone Peak Series
Spacious toe box, but cushioning and durability are polarizing.

La Sportiva
Prodigio Series
Great technical grip, but unstable for some, with sizing issues.

Nike
Pegasus Trail Series
Versatile for non-technical trails, but poor on wet, technical.

Mount to Coast
T1
Lightweight, cushioned; but lacing and underfoot protection are issues.

Ranked #1
Salomon - Speedcross Series

Ranked #1
Hoka - Speedgoat Series

Ranked #1
Mount to Coast - H1

Ranked #1
Salomon - Genesis Series

Ranked #1
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series

Ranked #1
Mount to Coast - H1