New Balance Hits The Hills

New Balance has been entrenched in the business of running shoes since 1906 but the company is dipping a toe in the outdoors market for 2009 with a range of trail running, walking and multi-sport footwear. We nipped over to Hathersage last week to check out what was on offer and discovered a bewildering array of models ready to hit the shelves.

Running Technology Hits The Outdoors

They've taken technology developed for their running shoes and transferred it to their new outdoors product range, so some features will seem familiar if you already run in their shoes on the road. Fit is a priority, with half sizes and a variety of widths available in men's and women's lasts throughout the range.


Cushioning is taken care of by Abzorb/AbzorbFL EVA foam and NLock and LockdownLiner lacing systems wrap your foot in a limpet-like fit. Off-road shoes feature RockStop TPU plates within the sole to protect your feet from rocks and similarly pointy trail hazards, while toe protection rands increase both shoe durability and the life of your pedicure.

Vibram soles and Gore-Tex liners make appearances on higher end models like the 1110 trail shoe and 820 sandal and elsewhere the proprietary TruTrak sole compound provides excellent grip on the trail, making a pleasing ripping noise as it goes.

From Dog Walking To Multisport

The comprehensive range covers everything from urban walking, water sandals, country walking - unashamedly labeled as dog walking - Elite and Fitness trail, and multi-sport. The Elite range includes the 909 trail shoe - above - (£70), which mixes a robust, quick-drying upper with a rugged, rock-friendly sole and its sibling 910 (£80), which has the same features plus a GoreTex liner.

The 840 (£50) was designed to fill a UK-specific niche and is a properly toothy fell runner, whilst the 875 (£65) fills the gap in the middle with a svelte, well-cushioned shoe with snug sock liner for a semi-custom fit.


The technology-packed 1520 - above -  (£80) is NB's break-through multi-sport model. It's gaiter compatible, has denser lugs on the forefoot to accommodate flat mountain bike pedals - not clipless, though - and a more aggressive midsole to increase traction on rough terrain.

These design choices are made following intensive development work both at NB's Lawrence, Massachusetts design centre (which has a charmingly named 'smash lab' for scientific analysis of product performance) and on the feet of test crews around the world.

The Future Is Green

NB has a perpetual ear to the ground picking up consumer opinions and so the rather gorgeous 070 is about to come into being. Available in July and bearing excellent environmental credentials as well as a fitness pedigree - and still so new we didn't even get to grab a picture, you'll just have to trust us - the key word here is 'recycled'. The upper is cut from 100% secondhand polyester, at least 25% of the mesh fibres have been pre-loved and pattern layout has been carefully thought out to minimise waste.

The outsole also contains a rice husk component to reduce the amount of rubber required, which is petroleum based. Whilst NB is the first to admit that it's night on impossible to be squeaky clean when you're in the business of mass production, they're clearly making a significant effort to minimise their impact on the environment.


All new shoes for 2009 will contain a minimum of 25% of environmentally preferred materials (EPMs). NB acknowledge that whilst EPMs may be better for the planet on paper, they're sometimes manufactured in less than desirable locations, so point of origin receives consideration when they're sourcing their raw goods.

Some models in the range are suitable for vegans and and innovations like recyclable packaging designed to reduce waste (or even no packaging at all where it's not actually necessary) and the increased use of water-based adhesives, which remove harmful solvents from the production process, will spread throughout the entire range as New Balance continues to monitor its environmental impact.

Made In Cumbria

They're also one of the few outdoor companies still manufacturing a significant amount of product in the UK - or Flimby, Cumbria to be more precise. Their factory produces 73% of domestic product, exports to countries like Japan where a 'Made in GB' tag is highly prized and employs a staff of 210, some of whom have seen family members proudly working with New Balance for three generations. Quite a few things worth shouting about there, we feel...

We have test samples of the 645  - above - walking, 909 trail and 1520 multisport shoes on heavy rotation at the moment and we'll report back with findings in a few weeks.

More about New Balance's range of footwear at www.newbalance.co.uk