New Balance 790, minimalist footwear

The 790 indeed looks intriguing. I'd be interested to hear more opinions, especially by folks who have used Inov8 shoes. My current favorite trail shoe is the Inov8 f-Lite 300 (blue). I just blew through a 50-miler in the f-Lite 300s with not even a hot spot, but the tread loses its nubbly quality mighty fast. I also like the slipper-like red 285s, but only on soft (e.g., grassy, muddy) surfaces, as the landing is otherwise too hard. Another query: How does the upper of the 790 hold up? It looks a bit flimsy, like that of the Montrail Masai, which starts to disintegrate the first time you take 'em out in real live terrain.

Those look sweet. Has anyone else tried them out yet? I would worry about the soles wearing out quickly.

How do they wear if running sometimes on the road?

Feel on the asphalt?

i saw those back in august at the NB headquarters in Irvine. i was immediately impressed and wanted to go for a run in them. they look great. it looked like it was the perfect shoe for me.

the nike vaporfly has worked real well with me. i ran through a bunch of trails in irvine park yesterday and was amazed at the amount of traction. i bet the NB 790 would rival the vaporfly.

I have inov8's, several different pairs. Yes, the inov8s usually use a softer rubber that tends to wear. I don't think you'll run into the same durability questions with these shoes. They don't really have nobs, I don't even know what I would call the bottoms.

I run 80% of my runs on Michigan trails. Which means that I don't have to deal with a lot of rocky hard terrain. I mostly deal with dirt, swamps, roots and occasional rocks.

I've found the inov8's to be fairly clunky. I run a good portion of my miles in old NB900's (I rotate 3 different pairs and each has over 1000 miles on them). For faster days, I'm usually in either Eikeden/Spectrum plus or AdiZeros.

This 790 seems to be a pretty good middle ground between the flats and trainers that I normally run in. I rarely run in the inov8's. I need very slippery terrain to make up for the clunkiness of the shoe.

I am not a very fast runner, my best race ever was probably a 59 minute 10 miler. I run about 2000 miles a year and I haven't missed more than a day or two of training in as long as I can remember.

As for whether or not I would recommend that you run on asphalt in these shoes. Hmmm, good question. Depends on who you are. If you can run in flats, by all means. If you struggle in DS trainers, maybe this isn't the first shoe I would grab.

For those of you running in minimalist shoes right now, this is a pretty amazing shoe. I want to make sure that people know about it. We missed the boat on the NB900's and they moved away from what was so great with that shoe (low heel to forefoot ratio) when they transitioned to the 901 and now 902.

The uppers on the 790s seem much more durable than most of my other flats and some of my trainers. I doubt you'd blow through it very easily. Then again, you may run through jagged rocks all day in the middle of the desert. At which time I'd have to say that your mileage may very.

Love to hear if anyone else has run in these shoes.

I'd be more interested in hearing about minimalist shoes that I could wear on asphalt. Not everyone has access to miles of trails. Or does minimalism imply or require running on trails?

thank you for this. i love the NB900s but the 901s felt a bit different and I didn't like them as much. I def will try the 790s.

idealist wrote:

I'd be more interested in hearing about minimalist shoes that I could wear on asphalt. Not everyone has access to miles of trails. Or does minimalism imply or require running on trails?

After about 2 years of minimalism, I've found this is the case for me. I run in something like the Zoom Marathoners on asphalt and something like the t4, adizero, or H-Street on trails.

i got a pair when they first came out and have run a few trail races in them. They are a bit too minimal for me to do my everyday training in though. I like the fit and the upper does hold up quite well. My only concern would be the amount of miles you could put on this shoe before the tread goes away. I consider it more of a flat than a trainer.

gt

inov-8's are great. i have the flyroc, but i want to get a pair of the roclite 315. just out of curiosity, what model inov-8 do you wear?

your training sounds very similar to mine. i also have a pair of ekidens with over 1000 miles, and i rotate between 3-5 shoes for my weekly mileage, but i also do a lot of barefoot running as well.

Whats the sizing like on the 790's. Do they run a little small like the 900's did?

I got to weartest the 790s last summer. The version that's for sale looks the same as the one I tested.

Sole wear: I didn't notice the outsole wearing away any faster than most other shoes.

Upper: Seemed plenty sturdy to me.

Fit: Same as most New Balance 9.5s.

Use: I wore them mostly for runs that started and finished on roads and were on trails in the middle. I did wear them for some road-only runs out of curiousity, and they were fine. These were the best shoes for running trails I can remember wearing (and I'm not just counting what are marketed as trail running shoes). Light, low to the ground, nice and flexible so that your feet can easily adapt to the trail. (I've never understood why we're supposed to put on firmer-than-usual shoes to run on ever-varying terrain.)

The next time I need to buy shoes, these will be one of my top choices.

I tried on a pair of 790s yesterday and plan to take 'em home today (forgot to bring the $10-off coupon). I can't speak for the sizing of the men's model, but i needed to take a pair of W7 instead of my usual 6.5, as I found my big toe bumping. Once I log a few miles in them in, I'll post my impressions.

I can hardly claim to be a true minimalist, largely scared away by a succession of stress fractures. I race long (up to marathon) on roads in DS Trainers that chew up my feet with blisters (different spots depending on the pair) and on trails (up to marathon, 50K, 50 mile) in Inov8 285s or 300s, depending on the terrain. If the 790s work out, I'll try them in a trail marathon in a week and a half. I do nearly all of my training on (real) trails for fun and rails-to-trails or dirt horse track for workouts, often enjoying Frees on tame surfaces. The Frees, however, have too little protection for anything with rocks/roots/stumps, not to mention that stuff gets caught between the segments. I'm hoping the rock plate in the 790s will give adequate protection while retaining flexibility and providing durability. I'm glad to hear that the uppers don't shred quickly.

For reference (for whatever it might be worth), I'm small (4'11", 92 lb), no longer young (47), generally log 60-70 mpw, and tend to place in the top handful of women in larger trail races (~300 entrants), sometimes first overall and, if not, generally first masters.

have you all seen the new 800T trail shoes from nb. they look alot like the 790's except they have big lugs and a more sock like conforming upper on them. i would think they might be similar to the 790 in weight and just a bit more durable. i think the rep said they are due out this fall. kind of like the la sportiva fireblade without a post and a bit lighter than that shoe as well. hmmmn. we shall see.

Well, I took the 790s out on the trails for 10 miles this afternoon -- plenty of mud, roots, some rocks, and enough downed trees from last week's snow storm to require me to reach into my arsenal of prepositions to navigate them (over, under, through, around, etc.). My impression: thumbs up! The shoes both performed and felt great (very cushy). They managed the slippery muck and gripped well while hopping onto logs. While the rock plate provided some protection, I think it wouldn't be enough if the terrain were truly sharp. I'm not sure how they'll do on a long run (e.g., trail marathon or ultra), but depending on how the next week goes, I might find out next weekend.

I have a pair which a mate from NB gave me. Used them for just cruising and they are pretty darn sweet, they are a trail runner built on a racer last

Well, another few days later and I've got another 20+ miles on these 790s. Still holding up remarkably well. I'm amazed at how soft they feel while still being such a light shoe. Great shoe!

Just to check, I went into the garage and looked at my inov8's. I currently have an old pair of 310s and a new pair of flyrock 315. Which if I'm correct, are some of their heavier shoes. I have in the past, had a pair of of mudroc 280's (the green ones). Like I said, they all seemed a bit clunky. Meaning they don't fit as well as a flat/fell shoe should and the midsole doesn't flex/ride as smoothly as I would hope.

That said, I have seen and tried on the F-lite 250's. They fit way, way too small (I would guess that they were running a size and a half too small). But if they fit, they looked pretty good. The pair I got were freebies (actually every pair I've gotten were freebies).

Inov8 has the right idea, they just need a bit more time for the right product to evolve.

The Wagon

When I usually select a minimalist shoe I get the Brooks Addiction. It is gods gift to running shoes. Probably the best ever developed besides Nike Pegasus.

Brooks Addiction for a minimalist? You might also want to try the Beast or the Saucony Stabil then if you are looking for a brick to run in.

As for the 790, I got a pair last fall. I usually run in a trail shoe over the winter since the roads are icy and snowy, but I've always hated how heavy and stiff they were. When I found out about the 790 trail racer, I knew it would be perfect - the lightweight feel of a flat but a stiff enough sole to keep from slipping. I have at least a few hundred miles on my current pair. The grips on the sole are worn down a bit, but they still feel great and the upper has no visible wear.