New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v14 Review
By Andrea Myers and David Salas
New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v14Price: $165 at Running Warehouse
Weight: oz, g (men's size 9), oz, g (women's size 8)
Stack Height:
Drop:
Shoe Purpose:
Pros: Well designed posterior lateral heel bevel, consistent and fluid ride, plush
Cons: A tad on the heavy side, upper can run warm with longer usage
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The New Balance 1080 is the neutral "premium" daily training shoe for the company. The 14th iteration of this shoe cleans up the fit of the upper and plays with the layout of its outsole rubber coverage. Fresh Foam X is a soft and compliant foam that doesn't offer a lot of rebound, but does offer a lot of underfoot protection from pounding. This is a daily training workhorse shoe.
SIMILAR SHOES: ASICS Gel Nimbus 25, Saucony Triumph 22
PAST MODEL: New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v13
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
David: The New Balance 1080 does fit true to size in my men's 9.5. The shoe has a little more space to the fit, thanks to increased volume and width of the material. Despite the increased room, the shoe does lock down well and I had no issues with slippage or foot translation. The mesh upper is certainly on the plush side but does provide good comfort that you would expect out of a premium trainer. The material does have some stretch to it, but not enough for it to feel like your foot can move it. The tongue provides a good amount of padding and I did not have any issues with biting from the laces. The heel collar is consistent with the rest of the shoe and also feels plush. There is a stiff heel counter that holds the structure of the area really well without giving any irritation. As stated earlier, there is a decent amount of width to the 1080. I found the heel normal to slightly wide, the midfoot wide, and the forefoot normal to slightly wide. There is plenty of room for swelling accommodation. The plush material feels really nice for standing, walking, and running most distances. Because it can run a little on the warm side, I normally don't opt for it on long run days (but if the weather is cooler, it will do just fine). From a pure comfort standpoint, this is one of the nicer uppers of the year and I do wear it to work or for walking frequently. It will definitely do the job for running most efforts, but I do think it could be just a tad more breathable.
David's Typical Size: Men's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit David well: Nike Vomero 17, Saucony Ride 16, Puma Velocity Nitro 3
Shoes that have fit snug: HOKA Arahi 7
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon Aero Glide
Andrea: The New Balance 1080 v14 fits true to size in my usual women's 9.5. I have a full thumb's width from the front of my big toe to the end of the shoe, and the the mesh upper provides enough width in the toe box that I did not experience any irritation at my 1st or 5th MTPs. The overall volume of the upper is normal to slightly low, particularly over the midfoot. This did not cause any true discomfort, but I was aware of the upper feeling slightly more constrictive than I would prefer. The mesh material is on the thicker side and did feel warm during any runs above 70F. The rearfoot fits comfortably, with a rigid heel counter and ample padding internally. The gusseted tongue is plush and stays securely in place while running. The lower volume upper makes it easy to lock down the laces and I had no heel slippage or irritation.
Andrea's Typical Size: Women's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit Andrea well: New Balance Beacon v3, Brooks Hyperion Max, Topo Cyclone 2, Nike Vaporfly 3, Altra Via Olympus 2
Shoes that have fit snug: Saucony Kinvara 14 (length and toe box width), Altra FWD Experience (length and width), Hoka Cielo Road (toe box width), Saucony Endorphin Speed and Pro 1-3 (length)
Shoes that have fit large: Adidas Boston 12 (length), Adidas Adios 8 (length)
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Minimal, somewhat
How Flexible is the Shoe: Minimal
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Recommended for Sockless: Yes
Durability Expectation: Average - Above Average
PERFORMANCE
David: The New Balance 1080 v14 was a pleasant surprise for me. At this point, this is my favorite 1080 to date. For some reason I have always struggled with Fresh Foam X. The midsoles were always soft and compliant and I did not have great reinforcement in other aspects of the shoe. It always felt like my feet were working hard. Though the foam is still soft and compliant, this not the case in the 1080 V14. I think they cleaned up some geometric things and made for a much more pleasant and consistent experience.
The Fresh Foam X midsole is soft and compliant, but can take a beating. The foam does not have a major rebound to it, but you can feel it absorbing the load under you. The rocker geometry on the 1080 does help with this as well. The shoe does have a subtle lateral bias to the posterior heel bevel and I do think that it cleans up the initial contact just enough to prevent some of the jarring and instability that I noticed in previous models. The midfoot acts as a transitioning piece into a wider and more stable forefoot. Because there is a lot of foam on the 1080, there is some natural stiffness to the platform. The shoe does have some rubber outsole coverage, that also seems to create some natural guidance. The midline of the shoe is not filled in and gives an area for compression under the foot. That general pattern of having rubber medially and laterally continues into the forefoot, but with an additional panel now in the midline of the shoe. That stiffens up the platform a tad and does give you a nice roll through the forefoot. Both rocker points of the shoe are pretty gradual, and so even though you get a rocker experience, it is not a wild one. The shoe does carry a little bit of weight to it as well, but not so much that it gets in the way of most experiences. This is meant for easy and rhythmic miles. I do think it does that job very well. Could it be more responsive? Sure. But that isn't the goal of this model. For slow and consistent miles the 1080 does get the job done pretty well.
Andrea: The New Balance 1080 v14 is a comfortable, neutral daily trainer that I have found ideal for easy runs. While I liked the previous version of the shoe, it was a little soft for me to keep running in after testing. The Fresh Foam X in v14 is a little firmer, while still providing plenty of underfoot protection for tired feet and legs. The well-designed heel bevel and slightly later forefoot rocker work well for midfoot landings and the shoe does not feel like it is forcing motion in any particular direction. I never felt like the heel got in the way, even when running at recovery paces. I enjoyed the shoe so much on my first couple of easy runs that I decided to try it on a 12 mile treadmill run at 45" slower than marathon pace. I was glad I was on the treadmill, because I had to switch shoes after a mile, as it felt like I was fighting the shoe to run any faster than easy in it. While there is some mild compliance to the midsole, there is not much resilience, and I feel that is what was holding me back when trying to run faster. After that experience, I stuck to easy paces, at which the shoe feels best for me. I used it for a 4 mile cooldown after a 5k race, and even on dead legs, the shoe was great for just jogging along.
The outsole has strategically placed rubber panels that provide decent traction on wet roads, although the traction is not great on dirt or grass. I have 35 miles on my pair and there is minimal visible wear, even on the areas of exposed midsole. I would expect greater than average durability from the outsole and from the midsole, knowing the past performance of Fresh Foam X in other models.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
David: The New Balance 1080 v14 is not a stability shoe, but does have some elements that help give you some levels of guidance. The first is the geometry. The shoe does use a gentle rocker geometry that creates some bias in areas that matter. Starting at the heel, the shoe does have a posterior lateral biased bevel that is gradual enough to be noticeable, but not create any lateral instability. The forefoot also has a nice wide base underfoot that feels stable with each step. There is some gentle sole flaring through the heel and forefoot that also give some feelings of guidance. The outsole layout in the heel also gives a collapsing point along the midline of the shoe to help keep things centered as well. The upper has good security throughout, and although it does have some stretch to it, I do find to be a pretty stable upper. The Fresh Foam X provides some natural instability with how soft and compliant it is, but the shoe does a pretty decent job of managing that.
Andrea: The New Balance 1080 v14 is a neutral shoe with some minor guidance elements. The wider base, particularly the midfoot and forefoot, provide a stable landing surface, particularly for those who land further forward. The well designed posteriolateral heel bevel should also provide a comfortable landing point for heel strikers. The later forefoot rocker provides just enough guidance to encourage a smooth transition to pushoff without feeling like it is forcing motion. The moderate sole flaring that runs the length of the shoe also further helps to center the foot from initial contact to push off. The reason I would rate this shoe neutral as opposed to stable neutral is that the guidance elements are not prominent enough to warrant the rating. Runners with neutral mechanics will do well in the 1080 v14.
Thoughts as a DPT: How Outsoles Can Impact Ride and Cushioning
By Matthew Klein
One of the many reasons we try to have at least two people on each shoe review is that we know different people respond differently to different shoes. There can be differences in the perceptions of cushioning, ride, comfort, stiffness and more. Much of that comes from variations in biomechanics but it also comes from different responses from each person's sensory systems (nerves, etc) interpreting how the shoe is moving under and around the foot. It is for that reason that we make sure we adequately test footwear to determine how it feels as it is never a good idea to judge a shoe only by one quality like a midsole material. How a shoe feels underfoot is often a combination of the midsole material, the insole underfoot and the outsole, or the material usually covering the bottom of the shoe for traction and durability.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: The 1080 v14 was a pleasant surprise for me. I think my main recommendation for the shoe would be to make the upper just a little more breathable. It did run a little warm for me, despite the comfort. I think it would be fun to see them play with their midsole some as well. For me, the Balos was a miss with the foam and dramatic geometry, but adding some of that PEBA blend in the 1080 for a premium cushioned workhorse could be really nice with this slightly more stable geometry.
Andrea: I have enjoyed testing the New Balance 1080 v14 and think it is an improvement on v13 due to the firmer Fresh Foam X in the current version. My only recommendation would be to give the upper a little more volume in the midfoot, as that is not typically a place I am sensitive, so if it bothers me, it may be an issue for a good number of runners. Otherwise, the 1080 v14 will be a workhorse shoe that can eat up many easy miles.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
David: The New Balance 1080 can be for several people. For the runner, it is for someone that wants a soft and compliant foam underfoot that feels durable and consistent. The foam doesn't have a bunch of bounce to it, so this is for someone that wants to feel some of that shock absorption under them and just have nice and easy rhythm to their steps. For the walker, this shoe does give a nice gradual platform that is not dramatic in any parts. The shoe provides a very nice standing platform with slight guidance thanks to its geometry. The 1080 is a workhorse for those looking to be on their foot for some time, and don't care about pushing the pace too much.
Andrea: The New Balance 1080 v14 is a neutral daily trainer with a slightly firmer version of Fresh Foam X as compared to v13. It has a milder rocker geometry that works well for my midfoot landing pattern. I greatly prefer the midsole feel and ride of the 1080 v14 as compared to the extreme rocker geometry of the New Balance Balos. The milder rocker geometry will also make the 1080 v14 a nice walking shoe option for many people, or a comfortable work shoe for those who are on their feet all day.
GRADES
David
Fit: B+ (Excellent static comfort, but does run a little warm with use. Despite good lockdown, midfoot definitely wider than most)
Performance: B+ (Nice and consistent ride, runs a tad warm, not the most responsive, a tad heavy, enjoyable gradual rocker with great cushioning underfoot.)
Stability: B+ (Some inherent instability from foam, but the sole flaring, outsole, geometry do make for a decently stable experience.)
Value: A (Between standing and running, you can beat this thing into the ground.)
Personal: B+/A- (One of my favorite standing and walking shoes, great running shoe for 10 or less miles, gets a little warm after)
Overall Design: B+
Andrea
Fit: A- (overall comfortable fit, but midfoot volume feels a little low)
Performance: B+ (Ideal for easy runs, but I can't pick up the pace at all in the shoe due to low midsole resilience. Not a daily trainer than can double as an uptempo shoe for sure.)
Stability: [neutral] B+ (wide base, well designed heel bevel and later forefoot rocker provide a centered, unintrusive ride)
Value: A (This shoe will last many miles thanks to durable Fresh Foam X and well designed outsole)
Personal: B+ (A dependable easy run shoe)
Overall Design: B+
SHOP | SUPPORT DORNew Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v14Price: $164.95 at Running Warehouse (Coming in October)
Shop Men | Shop Women
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FURTHER READING
Newly-revamped stability with great cushion.
A modernized stability cushioned trainer.
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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