New Balance Fresh Foam Balos Review: Hail, First of its Name

What You Need To Know

Introduction to the New Balance Fresh Foam Balos

MEAGHAN: The New Balance Balos was introduced to us at TRE last year as a new addition to the Fresh Foam line. Not only was this a brand new shoe, but also the debut of peba foam in a Fresh Foam package. It was initially described as a premium daily trainer — kind of like a super trainer without any sort of plate. Obviously, we were intrigued.

It’s not really a max cushion shoe, sitting at 33mm in the heel and 27mm in the forefoot, but it’s built with plush features. The upper is a semi-transparent creel that leads into a knit tongue and soft padding along the collar. New Balance’s peba blended supercritical foam sits on a very pronounced rocker geometry with an exposed EVA outsole that gives off real Beacon vibes (for those of you old enough to remember that shoe). There’s rubber in high-wear areas, but it’s not much. So, does this somewhat simplistic yet premium shoe deserve a spot in the lineup? And for $200? Let’s get into it.

LINDSAY: After trying out the New Balance More v5, my first New Balance shoe, I was excited to try another. The More v5 was great, but it wasn’t a daily trainer, and no one wants to drop hundreds of dollars on shoes they can’t wear multiple times throughout the week. Not in this economy, no sir. The New Balance Balos is a little something different, though.

It’s being referred to as a “premium daily trainer,” and I think that is wholly accurate. It fits in with the likes of the Asics Superblast and Saucony Endorphin Speed, at least in all of New Balance’s marketing. It’s not a carbon-plated shoe, but it’s related, and training in it almost feels like cheating.

This is the first iteration, so there is nothing to compare to. I’m sure it’s always nerve-wracking to decide whether a prototype is ready to be released into the wild, but New Balance shoe designers can relax because this is going to be a big hit.

RYAN: I dunno if anyone else is keeping up with the Game of Thrones and House of The Dragon universes as much as I am, but I only had one thought when the Balos arrived. Man, I thought, that sounds like a king of Westeros who either built something spectacular or died in an incredible fashion. And, when you think about brand-new running shoes, both of those seem like appropriate conclusions.

Think about it — Baelor I Targaryen was a great king, beloved by the smallfolk, but he was kind of a nut. He fasted for months at a time, named a child to the position of High Septon, and eventually either died or was murdered (depends on who you ask). Balon Greyjoy, another king — albeit only of the Iron Islands — led his family for years, preserving their way of life while the rest of the Seven Kingdoms went through, well, all of that other stuff before he, too, was murdered.

Wait, I think I might be leaning a little bit too heavily on New Balance’s weird new name. We’re not here to murder running shoes. We’re here to tell you whether or not to buy them.

On a more serious note, I was excited for the Balos to arrive at my door. I had known it was coming for a while, but I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what this 1080-like, plateless trainer would feel like once I got it on foot. Since it arrived, though, I’ve put a ton of miles into the Balos — second only to my trusty Superblast. I’d say that it’s enough miles for me to have formed a solid opinion of the shoe, and yet I’m still kind of confused.

So, let’s get into whether this feels-like-a-1080-but-isn’t-a-1080 is worth its way-more-than-a-1080 price tag.

What we like about the New Balance Fresh Foam Balos

MEAGHAN: Like always, I’ll start with aesthetics, and the Balos has an interesting look — a little retro and a lot rockered. The step-in feel is similar to a max cushioned shoe, and the upper is soft but structured, built with a knit tongue that feels extra premium. I found the fit true to size, without much excess room in the toe box but enough to feel comfortable.

Beneath the foot is a decent layer of Fresh Foam X that is (and I cannot emphasize this enough) very squishy. The rocker does a nice job of keeping your legs turning over, but the ride takes a little getting used to. For those that appreciate a little ground feel, you get that in this shoe, as the outsole is almost entirely exposed EVA. The foam is squishy but also responsive, so you get some decent energy return and a very smooth ride. I wore this shoe for easy runs up to 10 miles, and it felt just as responsive on mile 10 as on mile 1.

One of the Balos’s best attributes is its weight. My US W7.5 weighed 7.3 oz, which is pretty good for a daily trainer.

LINDSAY: I normally start with the top of the shoe and work my way down, but I’m just going to address the elephant in the room. The first thing you notice on this shoe is the literal rocker curve of the fresh foam midsole. The shoe does not sit flat! It’s akin to one of those little rocker horses you see children playing on. Well, this is the adult version, and I’m just as giddy about it.

Back to the upper. I’d bet money on this being inspired by a wicker basket. The fibers are not quite as stiff but still have that weaving pattern and glossy finish. Unlike the insole, the outer is quite moisture-wicking (see what I did there? wicker basket… moisture-wicking…). The laces have great lockdown over a minimalist tongue. I will say the tongue is sort of “low cut” and stretchy. It’s a weird feature in a tongue, but it is gusseted, so it never seemed to slip down too far on a run. The toe box is average; I would caution our wide-foot wearers.

The midsole is a lightweight foam that is soft and bouncy. I already mentioned the rocker shape, which really elevates the propulsion with each toe-off. You can really enjoy all speeds in this shoe because it either helps you coast along on an easier run or helps to give you some pep during speed workouts. It’s extremely versatile. This is very much unlike the More v5, which kind of makes sense now that New Balance has two flavors of Fresh Foam X… I think. I get so confused sometimes. I won’t speculate as to how, but trust me when I say these are completely different shoes. Both are great in their individual ways.

The outer is a smooth rubber with emphasis on the toe area. I’m a midfoot striker myself, so while there isn’t any extra outsole in the midfoot area, I don’t think this will become a problem, as the friction will mostly come from toeing off, given the rocker geometry. TL;DR: The outsole is going to last. It’s all very geometrical.

RYAN: Alright, so I don’t think Lindsay or Meg said anything wrong when discussing what they like about the Fresh Foam Balos, but I’m not sure that they went far enough when describing it, either. This shoe is a good-lookin’, front-to-back rockin’, comfortably fittin’ cruiser. Both the men’s and women’s colorways have the same white base with blue and orange details, but I think I prefer the slightly darker shades on the version I received. It just feels a little bit more lived-in and rustic.

New Balance’s peba-based version of Fresh Foam feels kind of lived-in, too — but in a good way. It’s almost hilariously soft, to the point where you want to lace up and just kind of squish around for a moment or two. I think it actually feels almost identical to a broken-in version of the 1080v13, which is great news for me since I loved that shoe. I’m not entirely sure that I think a foam this soft will stand the test of time, but for now, it feels great.

Moving down, I think the selective approach to outsole rubber placement is probably a good one. New Balance put the heaviest rubber coverage at the toe and along the lateral heel, with a thin layer of EVA to protect the rest, and it should last for as many miles as you can count up. In fact, the only way you’re going to wreck the outsole is if you constantly stomp rocks with the middle of your heel, which sounds awful.

Perhaps the last thing worth mentioning is the Balos’s tongue. It’s a thin, knit tongue that you barely notice over the top of your foot, but that makes it incredibly easy to stretch and reposition while you tighten the laces. New Balance’s knit is ever so slightly ribbed (for my pleasure alone), which means it stays nicely in place while you run rather than sliding up or down.

What we don’t like about the New Balance Fresh Foam Balos

MEAGHAN: Part of the problem with this shoe is me. I thought the Balos was intended for fast training days, so you can understand my initial disappointment with the underfoot feel. While the shoe is built with premium materials (and sure, they feel great), the midsole material is entirely too soft for any sort of speedwork. I think as runners, we hear ‘peba foam’ and expect a fast, race-day feel, but as the Balos clearly exhibits, that is not always the case.

Finally, we’re all thinking it, so I’ll just say it: $200 for this shoe is wild.

LINDSAY: This a squishy shoe and I’m not talking about the cute kind of squishy like Dory’s jellyfish friend in Finding Nemo. On both rainy and extra sweaty runs, I could hear every squishy step. The insole absorbs and holds onto moisture like a sponge. It took quite a while for it to dry, too. I wore them for a double when I was out of town and had no choice but to wear wet shoes for the afternoon run. I will admit it was a bit refreshing to wear cold wet shoes on a hot summer double, though. Until the annoying squish started. I love “the good” in this shoe far more than “the bad,” though, so “I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy.”

The only other gripe I have is the price point. It’s not a carbon-plated race shoe, so why is it priced like one? It’s definitely a higher-end daily trainer, much like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4, and even that is $30 cheaper. Given their equal quality and range of use, it would be a hard sell to convince me to buy these over the aforementioned.

RYAN: Once again, Meg and Lindsay nailed the things we don’t like about the Balos. During my testing miles, I kept comparing it to the 1080v13, and anytime I was asked about it, I said, “Oh, it’s like the 1080 but more expensive.” I didn’t really say bouncier or more fun; I just focused on the price. Don’t get me wrong, I love the 1080v13 — it’s a great shoe — I’m just not sure how to justify the fact that the Balos costs significantly more money.

Also, this version of Fresh Foam X is almost comically soft. It feels great while walking around, but God forbid you land off to the left or right side of your foot. I can’t remember the last time I ran in a shoe that felt this wobbly from one side to the other, which isn’t great when you have to run around so many corners while navigating Baltimore’s promenade.

Oh, and one more time, why does this shoe cost $200?

Final thoughts on the New Balance Fresh Foam Balos

MEAGHAN: The New Balance Fresh Foam Balos is a premium daily trainer; it gives max cushioned vibes, without the max stack. It’s livelier than the 1080v13, lighter than the Morev5 and unlike anything else in the Fresh Foam lineup. This shoe is for the runner who wants a very soft, bouncy underfoot feeling without a ton of stack. Feels a bit niche, but perhaps that’s what they were going for…

LINDSAY: Ryan made a (bad) joke when we first got this shoe. He said, “Let’s hope it doesn’t suck Balos…”. Well, Ryan, they do not and now we never have to hear you say that again. Bless.

New Balance held true to its name with this one. They balanced cushioning with responsiveness and called it New Balance Fresh Foam X Balos v1. Now as soon as my pair dries from my last sweaty run, I will absolutely be wearing them again.

RYAN: I did, indeed, make the joke that Lindsay is referring to. And I will agree, the New Balance Fresh Foam Balos does not suck Balos. It’s actually a really comfortable shoe and one that can soak up mile after mile during my summer marathon build. However, I can’t escape the comparisons to New Balance’s own 1080v13, which has just as much Fresh Foam underfoot and will keep a few more bucks in your pocket. Before you jump in on the peba-based foam, just be sure that you’re putting your money in the right place.

Maybe Balos I, first of its name, will be one of those Westerosi kings who seems “just okay” while ruling but actually set the kingdom up for a long golden age.

You can pick up the New Balance Fresh Foam Balos for $200 on August 1, 2024, from New Balance by using the buttons below.