New Balance's Fresh Foam X Hierro v8 trail running shoe is a well constructed, rugged and comfortable, dare we say balanced, trail shoe. The combination of the energetic fresh foam midsole with a firm outsole and neutral comfortable upper makes this well priced durable shoe a winner for those who love to spend hours on the trails.
We were not mad about the comfortable on both tar and trail, but slightly fragile looking V7. The latest edition has visibly beefed up without losing its all day comfort heritage, plus it's gone a long way to being the brand's most environmentally sustainable shoe with a large percentage of recycled materials.
Fresh Foam X Hierro v8 employs a firm and well lugged Vibram Eco-Step natural outsole to create a full outer sole protective shell of durability and traction around the signature Fresh Foam X cushioning.
The lug design is well suited to harder surfaces including tar on route to and from trails, but deep at 4.5mm and the rubber compound sticky to cope well with our rocky and rooted technical trails.
The more robust V8 is slightly heavier than the V7 but at only 320g it still feels light with its engineered closed mesh upper with non stitched generous overlays. If you're looking for a comfortable, foot hugging shoe to last well on rough terrain and like to run over 20km, then this cushioned, sustainable and protective trail shoe should work for you. A 6mm stack height: 26mm rear and 20mm forefoot is less than they look, so you get solid cushioning but a well grounded feel, unlike many less stable shoes with greater stack heights.
The reliable Vibram Megagrip outsole includes a solid toe protection bumper which is always key when you lose concentration.
Delivering the lowest carbon footprint in NB trail range is a feel good factor made possible utilising a new print dye upper colouring process reducing water waste, a Regrind upper print material utilising waste as a resource and the Vibram Eco-Step Natural with more than 90% petrol-free ingredients.
At R3100 these good looking shoes could be a real working class hero. *Watch this space for our review.
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