News :
New Balance 880v9 | Analysis, comparative and Highlights
Today we analyze New Balance 880v9, a daily training shoe for runners and runners with neutral tread (or using templates) and who seek cushioning and reliability above all. If you also like compact structures and with good stability, better yet.
This is a model with which you can perform a variety of preparatory sessions and even some competition, if necessary. It complements very well with New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 (although it is from the Fresh Foam family) with which it forms a tandem at the top in neutral training shoes within the American brand. 880 belongs to the 800 Series and is silo partner of its equivalent for overpronadora tread: New Balance 860; or the pureblood that I always say that lives on the border between a mixed and a competition shoe like New Balance 890.
New Balance 880 continues to rely on a TRUFUSE midsole and combining two types of rubber in the sole to obtain what we all look for: better performance.
The weight, yes, does not vary with respect to 880v8, being in 306gr in the finish of man and 260 in that of women. Neither does the drop (10mm), showing that New Balance understands that for the new 880 it is better to touch up to improve but not change the essence of what already works.
We go with the details
Mediasuela
The New Balance 880v9 midsole is characterized by using TRUFUSE technology, which consists of the combination of two materials with different properties: Acteva and Abzorb. The truth is that seeing that a brand combines two or more materials, already as a concept, shows you that it looks for more than a simple objective for your shoe.
The first of them, Acteva, give a clue with the name, since it is a derivative of EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate). EVA is a material widely used in the world of Running for decades and of which the major brands achieve evolutions based on the cushioning, lightness, response or durability, for example, that they want to equip their models. Well, Acteva is that: an EVA more cushioned and lighter than a standard and with greater durability.
On the other hand, Abzorb is a combination of DuPont ™ elastomers and Polyolefin Engage® elastomers. In normal words: It results in a soft and light cushioning.
Combining Acteva and Abzorb is what New Balance calls Technology TRUFUSE to achieve the sum of all its properties: lightness, softness in the cushioning and durability. The touch of design (that is, the placement of these materials along the midsole), is what improves the reactivity of this model.
This description already gives clues that the goal pursued with New Balance 880v9 is to fall in love with those who look for, above all, a shoe with a careful cushioning; that allows them to travel many kilometers, but that also behaves well in the short distances in which they require greater agility.
Observing the shoe closely, it is possible to see slits on the outer side of the midsole, at the height of the heel, and convex on the inside. The slits on the outside serve to make the entry phase (especially for the talonee) smoother, while the convex forms of the interior have a function of improving stability during the transition of the tread.
The piece T-BEAM (triangular and visible from the sole, if we rotate the shoe), it helps to control the movement of the ankle when it rotates inward once we have hit the ground.
No doubt they are stabilizing elements in a neutral shoe that do not go badly to define it as very stable.
The Height of the heel with respect to the ground is 22mm, while that of the forefoot is 12mm. This gives a drop of 10mm that, as I said in the introduction, repeats as in previous versions.
Sole
The sole of New Balance 880v9 is very successful and repeats with respect to the previous version. If in 880v8 New Balance added few variations, in this new 880v9, it does not change. It is not usual that in practically three versions in a row there are hardly any changes and that means nothing else that the product achieved is very good: The bad changes quickly, and more in the current era than the feeling and the sensations of the runners come quickly to the marks. Repeating becomes a kind of guarantee that it works.
Well, explaining "what works" must be said that two different materials with different properties are used: Blown Rubber and NDurance. This situation many times I compare it with the wheels in Formula 1. There, a wheel with hard rubber is associated with durability, while a soft grip and, therefore, greater speed to pass the curves.
All right, Blown rubber is a soft compound that New Balance places in the front area of this 880v9. Being soft provides better grip, especially on hard surfaces such as asphalt. The American brand has it in wide studs, with a good base of contact with the ground to ensure a very good grip. The but is that, as in Formula 1, the soft rubber wear before the hard. This does not mean that it will not work well ... since they will always work well, but if they are used a lot by land, for example, they will last considerably less than by asphalt.
The other compound NDurance is a much harder and more resistant compound, with somewhat less grip, but with much greater resistance to abrasion and greater durability. This NDurance is placed strategically in the heel, one of the areas that require more resistance to wear.
Upper
The upper of New Balance 880v9 is what changes most compared to the previous model. It stands out for using a mesh Double Jaquard of engineering without seams.
Comfort is a value much sought after today and the finishes of this mesh are very successful. For starters, the bowl has an inner lining with perforations that will improve breathability, in this area so tight to the foot. Moving forward, the mesh has large perforations, both on the sides and in the area of the fingers, following with the effort of ventilating the foot well.
The large "N" side that serves as logo to the brand, and built in TPU, here also has a double function: On the one hand, it collaborates in reinforcing the adjustment of that area and, on the other hand, by being reflective, improves the visibility of the shoe in low light conditions, such as running down the street at night.
The simple toe cap gives you to think first because it does not seem to be very resistant. But then it is when you introduce the hand and yes, it hides a slight inner reinforcement not visible that allows a greater resistance to this area so pressed by the fingers. Further back, the laces rest on a very padded tongue pierced by a multitude of cuts to improve breathability.
In the area of the heel, a TPU reinforcement keeps the ankle embedded giving it stability at the time of impact against the ground. And inside, a thick 5mm template rests on a thin layer of foam, to improve the feeling of comfort during use.
Summary New Balance 880v9
New Balance 880v9 belongs to the group of daily training shoes and is aimed at runners and runners with neutral tread or seedlings looking for a soft and reliable cushioning. Also, stability is a concept that gives added value. Eye, stability without being a shoe designed for those who prone excessively. For this, New Balance can offer you the equivalent of this 880, but for an overstepping footprint: 860.
You can use it with total guarantee for those who reach an average or medium-high weight (up to around 75kg in them and 65kg in them). Above those weights I would be inclined to look towards models like New Balance Fresh Foam 1080, which I think can fit better.
Since it goes from pesos, this New Balance 880v9 remains in just 306gr in the finish of man and 260gr in the woman's. The midsole is not very high and stays at a ratio of 22-12 for a drop of 10mm.
Shoe to consider if you are going to use mainly to train and occasionally to compete, especially if all this is done by urban or hard surfaces such as asphalt.
The official price of New Balance 880v9 is € 140.