Is New Balance Running in the Wrong Direction?

I had the interesting experience last Friday of being asked to test fit some brand new New Balance running shoes. NB has been asking some regular runners to try their new just released and pre-release models due to the adoption of a new last. I'll say this... Unless you absolutely love, love, love - that is, truly love - the fit of Nike running shoes, you probably won't like the "new and improved" NB runners.

I tried on the NB 904 (the yellow and black shoe pictured above) and what is likely to be the upcoming NB 1064. Let me start with the heavier 1064... This felt just like a Nike Structure Triax, with the same faults: a bit too heavy, too much underfoot padding in the wrong places, too narrow for a stability runner, and too straight. Of course, the straightness of the new last might be a bit more forgiveable in a "big guy's" shoe.

The issue is even more troubling when it comes to the NB 904. Just looking at the shoe you can see that it is far straighter and narrower than the fine 902 model (the orange runner pictured above). In fact, Mrs. Bear looked at it and said right away that it looked that it would be painful to run in. Agreed.

Another troubling development is that both of these models have been raised. One of the strengths of the 900 series, and of NB runners in general, was the low-to-the-ground structure which provided a lot of natural stability. The higher a running shoe is off of the ground (especially at the heel), the more a runner has to use his ankles for balance... And this is asking for trouble, especially if you have narrow and flat feet, as I do.

So if NB is going to produce shoes that are virtual Nike clones, I will not be adding any pairs to my running shoe collection. There was once a time - up until about 1999 - when the majority of all the running shoes I purchased were Nike. But then they became narrower and narrower, to the point where many of the current models do not fit even at a half-size or one full-size increase.

Prior to Friday, I was definitely planning on purchasing a pair of NB 904s. I've been happy with the NB 901, 902 and 903. Now I will not be handing my money to NB and the Adidas AdiZero Tempo II lightweight performance stability runner is looking even more like the right shoe at the right time.