Details
Brand
New Balance
Heel To Toe Drop
12mm
Breathability
7/10
Latest Version
No
Terrain
Trail
Type
Maximalist
Key Features
• Synthetic upper and midsole• Construction and design based around high durability• AT Tread outsole highly resistant to wear over rough surfaces and inclines• 12mm heel drop• Molded EVA midsole• PU foam Sock liner ensures a snug fit• Light weight for a trail shoe, heavier for a running shoe
Upper
The breathable mesh upper used for the New Balance MT510 is made from a combination of synthetic overlays and leather. These overlays ensure a greater amount of flexibility and adaptability thanks mostly to the reduction of its size from previous models. Additionally, the ankle collar and tongue are surprisingly well-padded, ensuring a more comfortable fit. A PU sock liner provides additional cushioning that also keeps the shoes snugly attached to the wearer’s feet. A traditional lace-up enclosure is functional and unobtrusive, but don’t expect it to blow your socks off. The end result of all these design decisions is an upper that is more comfortable and forgiving.
Midsole
New Balance has lined the MT510’s midsole with a thick injection of molded EVA material, also known as IMEVA. This provides the shoes with ample cushioning and responsiveness while maintaining a high standard of durability. IMEVA material aids the movement from heel to toe, ensuring that your feet are comfortable the entire time. It also offers a substantial amount of traction, perfect for those who enjoy exploring off the beaten path. To sum it up, the midsole of these trail shoes provide a simplistic functionality almost reminiscent of a minimalist footwear style.
Outsole
The outsole of these shoes use an all-terrain tread. However, their main defining feature is their medium-sized pods, demonstrating a subtler presence than what is commonly found on other trail shoe models and brands. The lion’s share of the outsole is made from trance rubber, which helps to endow these shoes with a superior degree of durability. Moreover, because the lugs are not aggressive to the wearer’s feet runners can run on more diverse surfaces than the average trail shoe. Contributions made by the outsole in regards to the performance and style of these New Balance shoes make them an intelligent pick for outdoorsmen and women, whether they are jogging along the road or running up mountain trails.
Breathability
The predominantly synthetic mesh upper allows for a pleasant degree of airflow, keeping the interior of these shoes fresh and dry. Your feet will be safe from excessive sweat accumulation because of this, even during running sessions with a greater degree of intensity such as mountain running. For the most part, you will not need to worry about hot feet after wearing these New Balance trail shoes, making them viable in almost any climate.
Comfort
The IMEVA foam midsole in the New Balance MT510 provides excellent comfort. Additional comfort is achieved through the lightweight mesh upper which ensures that runners’ calves are not burdened with extra weight. Lined and padded insoles help to absorb shock from repetitive foot impacts, and the overall fit is on point thanks to the PU sock liner. In addition to a solid fit, the laces are of an adequate length and resistant to untying. Finally, the New Balance staple of providing several additional width variations makes these trail shoes even comfortable to runners with unconventional foot sizes.
Style
The strong and durable feeling provided to runners might help to compensate for what it lacks in terms of style. Due to its high comfort and durability, you can wear these shoes for non-running activities, like going to work or walking about town, but their drab, dated, utilitarian style may discourage you from doing so. A variety of color options are available, which makes it easy to match with other clothes, but no one is going to be particularly impressed by New Balance shoes even if they are perfectly coordinated with your wardrobe. Fortunately, the durable material makes it easy to maintain a fresh appearance over a longer period of time.
Durability
The durability present in these New Balance running shoes is high. While on the run with this shoes, however, it isn’t recommended for use in running sessions that are greater than 20 miles at a time. Something else worth noting about the MT510’s durability is that it’s designed specifically for trails, thanks to its AT Tread all-terrain outsole. While this doesn’t rule out wearing them in other environments such as standard running track and sidewalks, these environments can exacerbate wear and tear over time. Generally speaking, the resilience of these shoes is far greater than you would find in lighter running shoes but is overshadowed by more protective trail shoes on the market.
Protection
New Balance has solved their issue of bulky shoe design in its MT510 model. The overlays manage to avoid excessive thickness, particularly in and around the upper portion. While this works to provide a lighter weight and greater airflow, it comes at a very negligible cost to terrain protection. More padding in the ankle collar helps to protect the back of your lower leg from chafing, an issue that can often be experienced with similarly designed shoes. New balance also provides a new last in this shoes that is narrower in the heel section, resulting in a more secure fit that will protect your feet from slipping.
Responsiveness
With the MT510’s, New Balance has earned bragging rights for their aggressively lugged outsole. This is because it features such excellent off-road traction and cushioning that the responsiveness felt while running in them is second to none. Additionally, a supportive midsole and secure fit on the heel and forefoot from the upper further contributes to the energy efficiency of these trail shoes. Individuals with average to narrow feet will get the most out of this feature, but wider-footed runners can still reap these benefits thanks to additional size options.
Support
These shoes are a great pair for many different forms of exercise, whether it’s walking, light jogging or Tabata-style sprinting. The newly implemented last helps the MT510 to stand out from other versions in this respect, mostly due to the extra-secure heel. No matter if your feet are narrow, wide, or somewhere in between, this fit is just fine and dandy in terms of support.
Terrain
These shoes are specifically geared toward runners who spend most of their time on trails and mountain roads, as a result, it will provide the most comfort and support in these environments. The durable, rugged, and lightweight 510 contains an aggressive lugged outsole dedicated to off-road traction in conjunction with a highly supportive and cushioned midsole and upper. Apart from trails, it is can also be used for other on and offroad terrains because of the AT Tread all-terrain that is found in the outsole. However, the higher than normal weight and unconventional outsole design may make these New Balance trail shoes less efficient and durable on these surfaces.
Price
Regardless of the size and all the amazing features that come packed with this shoe, it retails at a price that is ridiculously reasonable. Forget being low for a pair of trail shoes: these shoes are priced even lower than most running shoes in general. This should not be considered as a bad thing, although to an extent this low price point is justified. The level of protection offered by these trail shoes, arguably the most important aspect of a trail shoe, is not on par with the more expensive offerings. Additionally, the dad-core design of anything New Balance ensures you won’t want to wear these outside of solitary exercise sessions. Because of these reasons, you may be able to understand why they go for so little.
Drop
The drastic difference in elevation from the heel to the toe makes these New Balance shoes recommended for use among runners with a medium to high arches. However, despite this generous 12 mm heel drop, these shoes are still viable for use among neutral-footed runners. Thanks to the protective outsole and cushioned midsole, these shoes can provide a midpoint between an ordinary running shoe and a more heavy-duty trail runner. For the express purpose of facilitating this synthesis of radically different design philosophies, the heel drop is an important component of this ideological cocktail.
Stability
Especially for those prone to overpronation, these New Balance shoes provide a very reliable stability on the trails. This is a result of the medium-sized pods found in the trail shoes which are much more subtle than in previous versions. This helps to ensure stability during running, although the extra wiggle room in the forefoot can detract from this to a degree. Additional noteworthy features like the PU foam sock liner and a high heel drop is just what pronators need for additional stability while running. This doesn’t mean that runners with more neutral pronation won’t have a smooth ride in these shoes, just that they can easily accommodate regular runners and special cases in stride.
Flexibility
As a sort of hybrid between a standard running shoe and a heavier trail shoe, the question of flexibility throws a wrench in this delicate balancing act. As a workhorse trainer that is capable of penetrating through very tough, challenging, and uneven terrains, a certain amount of rigidity is required. However, some of the stiffness in the MT510’s midsole and outsole has been reduced in order to facilitate other activities like light jogging and track sprinting. This aspect of the shoes casts a wider net of runners, but this design compromise may turn off runners used to a more severe trail shoe.
Traction
Amazing traction can be felt in these shoes, whether it’s on hills, rocky trails, or wet asphalt. Thanks to its diminished bulk, the lower weight of the MT510 is just perfect for runners and further contributes to its excellent traction. When these features and perks are considered alongside the new last which secures the heel and the PU sock liner which secures the rest of the foot, these are a pair of shoes that will provide superb grip on even the harshest of surfaces.
Bottom Line
New Balance is the 4th most popular shoe worldwide. With the impressive features present in the MT510’s, this impressive achievement becomes more understandable and justified. The reasonable price, customizable width, terrific stability, light weight, high breathability, great comfort, and secure fit make them a must-have for anyone interested in trail running. If not exposed to harsh conditions, these versatile trail shoes can last for quite some time.
