In production · road · Tempo / Daily / Long run · $145
Featherweight bounce — the most fun uptempo trainer under $150.
Built for tempo, daily, long run, at a target pace of 6:30–9:00 /mi on road.
The midsole is FuelCell, tuned soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. 35 mm of heel stack is the modern daily-trainer sweet spot — enough foam for long miles without losing contact with the road. Combined, the ride reads as snappy at 4/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. Forefoot flex is middle of the road. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 350 miles from the outsole, about $0.41 per mile at $145.
For the foams and plates New Balance uses across its line, read the New Balance brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
225 g / 7.9 oz
50 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
35 mm
1 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$145
15 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~350 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the New Balance line it is lighter than the brand's median (278 g / 9.8 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (36 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Adidas Adizero Evo SL(2025)
224 g / 7.9 oz · 38 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Lightstrike Pro without a plate — the fun, fast, do-anything speed trainer.
Adidas Adizero Evo SL EXO(2026)
215 g / 7.6 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Evo SL with an exoskeleton cage for extra hold at speed.
Adidas Hyperboost Run
248 g / 8.7 oz · 38 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $170
Adidas Hyperboost Run: 38 mm heel stack, 6 mm drop, 247 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Puma Deviate Pure Nitro
223 g / 7.9 oz · 38 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $150
Plateless PEBA super-trainer: light, lively and race-adjacent.