New Balance is getting hard into the running game

Still a few RC130s around.

The shoe names that I remember the easiest are the Adidas SL72 and SL76, the numbers standing for the years.

I like the shoes having a numbering system as long as it's one that makes sense.

I'm very close to buying the lds 1000's from New Balance but I'm a bit concerned if they will be good for the 800 and 1600.

They fit great for and are as light as any spike you will find besides Nike, but is it aggressive enough for an event like the 800. I mean does anyone really notice a different using a longer distance spike for the 800?

http://stores-admin.newbalance.com/detail.asp?type=WMFTCTTF&style=WR1000BW&filterSize=10

New Balance first signed Maggie Vessey after her surprise PRE win in 2009. They followed that with Jenny Barringer-Simpson, Sarah Bowman and Brenda Martinez among others, to round out a great Team of athletes. Can't wait for the season to start, New Balance has come to play!

i love new balance!!

the 1080's are awesome.

good ride and feel great over 300 miles.

Male signees?

...and how many medals did New Balance win at the Beijing Olympics?

One...and that athlete signed with Nike the following season!

Go big or go home!

Craig Miller

Jack Bolas

Chris Barnicle

middle distance wrote: I mean does anyone really notice a different using a longer distance spike for the 800?

Some do, some don't I actually ran my best 800 and 1500 in an old pair of Nike Ventulus, which are as flat as the New Balances you're looking at. Some people really buy into the whole "aggressive" plate, but I always found them uncomfortable.

most stores sell a ton of 993s.

in fact, its not just old dudes who wear them (even though it must be noticed, they keep buying new pairs even though getting older).

go to any college campus these days and you'll see that the 993 is like the north face jacket or the clark's wallabee (albeit maybe to a lesser extent) but it is a shoe that is passing the in crowd and becoming a must have for anyone who strives to be a part of the cool crowd.

and when the msrp for the 993 is like 79.99 and you can get away with selling them at 129.99 or even 134.99 then there is no doubt that 50 dollars is making a big impact. so running stores (especially those around college campuses, which aren't the majority located near colleges?) would be impacted by the loss of that profit. a lot more 993s are sold than vomeros or nimbus or other high cushion shoe.

If you look at the NB Japan website you'll see they make some fantastic flats and great 7-8oz trainers (as do Asics and Mizuno Japan to be fair). I think the US line is a bit cack though.

Nicko wrote:

If you look at the NB Japan website you'll see they make some fantastic flats and great 7-8oz trainers (as do Asics and Mizuno Japan to be fair). I think the US line is a bit cack though.

That's why NB is popular in Japan, and crap in the U.S.

Shoes in the U.S. are produced for the singular purpose of getting runners injured, because they are designed by podiatrists and surgeons, not runners.

I actually ran my best 800 and 1500 in an old pair of Nike Ventulus, which are as flat as the New Balances you're looking at.

I only ran one season of track in high school because I also played baseball, but I tied our 800m school record while wearing heavy cross country spikes where the short spikes were indented so much they barely reached the track surface. And they were basically non-aggressive (although with a more flexible rubber sole)

Anyways, I figure the lds 1000's are better than that, so it can't be too bad!

Pantman wrote:

The RC150s were the best flats ever! I have two pairs left - both resoled now; both nearly dead.

In the UK we had the RC130s this last year or so - great shoes out of the box, but the life span is appalling. A step back from the 150s, but not as bad as the 152s (orange ones) which were less minimalist.

The NB Minimus range looks great - very excited about that!

NB have been the best brand for racing flats over the years - just having a weak patch that I hope will be ended by minimus!

In the meantime I have been running in Asics Piranhas - ran a marathon in them and have got almost 1500 miles out of them thus far (with one resole after 1000).

the minimus weigh something like 8.5 ounces. If you like the rc130s, you won't like them at all. They aren't a racing flat.

Magnum Runner wrote:

I only ran one season of track in high school because I also played baseball, but I tied our 800m school record while wearing heavy cross country spikes where the short spikes were indented so much they barely reached the track surface.

So then what happened?

<|:-0

There are just too many brands out there that have a better array of products which perform, feel and look better than any NB product, including shoes, apparel, bags, socks, pencils, paper, paperweights, pencil sharpeners....lol. I really just don't like NB, but that's my opinion. But whatever works for you, stick with it until you feel it doesn't work for you anymore. It is a free country, either way NB will either figure it out, or struggle for a long time. Good news!! if you don't like NB, then buy stuff from other manufacturers, this is an open market society and you have rights.

produce good shoes for runners wrote:

Shoes in the U.S. are produced for the singular purpose of getting runners injured, because they are designed by podiatrists and surgeons, not runners.

Thats one hell of a statement to make, you sure you aren't being facetious?