Discontinued · trail · Trail / Race day / Tempo · $180
Earlier generation of the New Balance Supercomp Trail v2 line, kept for replacement lookups.
Built for trail, race day, tempo, at a target pace of 8:00–11:00 /mi on trail.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trail.
New Balance tuned this midsole soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. 34 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 lively at 3/5 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 8 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is moderate — enough curve to smooth the roll-through without dictating your footstrike. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 250 miles from the outsole, about $0.72 per mile at $180.
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
255 g / 9.0 oz
20 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
34 mm
2 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
8 mm
2 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$180
20 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~250 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.
On Cloudsurfer Trail 2
287 g / 10.1 oz · 34 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $170
Cushioned, road-friendly trail shoe for mixed terrain.
Puma Velocity Nitro Trail
255 g / 9.0 oz · 36 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $140
Road-trainer geometry with PUMAGRIP rubber for gravel and light trail.
Puma Fast-Trac Nitro 4
272 g / 9.6 oz · 34 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $140
Low-slung technical trail trainer with deep lugs and Nitro bounce.
Salomon Genesis 2
290 g / 10.2 oz · 34 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $150
Comfortable, stable trail trainer for long technical days.