New Balance 890v7 Initial Run Impressions Review: Dramatic Drop in Weight, Improved Stable Ride

Article by Sam Winebaum

New Balance 890v7 ($120)
Update: Read our full multi-tester review here

The New Balance 890v7 is called out by New Balance as having a "sleek and lightweight design which makes it the perfect daily trainer and dedicated workout shoe".  The 890v7 is priced at $120 and will be available early April 2019.

The big news here is that my size US 8.5 sample weighs 6.6 oz /187 grams for a massive 2.3 oz drop from my 890v6 sample (RTR review) at the same size.

With a catalog spec of 7.1 oz men's and women's at 5.5 oz /158 g it should come in a touch under 7 oz. / 198 g in a size 9 (New Balance I believe using size 9.5 for catalog weights). That is light!


Where do the weight savings come from as looked at side by side the stack appears the same at an estimated 27mm heel /21 mm forefoot?

• A lighter Engineered Knit Upper
• and especially far less outsole rubber along with a new Ground Contact RevLite foam

The result is a shoe which should come in lighter than any other trainer racers from New Balance including the 1400, stability oriented 1500, softer Beacon, and Zante Pursuit.

Upper

The upper is what is called an "Engineered Knit".  I am not sure I have yet seen a knit upper with this level of highly varied density of knitting. It is beautiful. It is made up of a single layer with no lining so this should be a very breathable easily draining shoe. The knit has only minimal stretch beyond, cleverly, more stretchy knit in to the ankle collar.
The tongue has a mesh bootie also ventilated.

The fit is excellent, secure and with plenty of toe height and no pointy low front a la some of the Nike Flyknit knits. Compared to the Beacon's upper with its more unitary/single pattern less structured softer and slightly stretchier knit where foot hold could start to suffer at faster paces, the 890 is more dialed to the foot especially upfront, although the Beacon does have a superior heel hold. Compared to the v6 there is more toe overhead room, maybe a touch less toe box width despite being the same last and not quite the secure heel hold of the v6. The v6 had one of the best performance uppers of 2018 so a high bar. As called out by New Balance, the front of the upper contributes to flexibility and it is needed as the 890v7 is a quite stiff and long flexing, so far, with no distinct fairly far back flex point as the v6 has but the stiffer flex wasn't really noticed on the run.

In another weight savings move the v7 has a "deconstructed heel". There is a fairly firm low heel counter with above the gray counter (which I believe is all reflective) the knit collar. It is about the best combination of knit and heel counter I have seen to date but it is not quite the very secure higher profile lockdown of the v6's more conventional approach,

Outsole

LEFT: 890v6               RIGHT: 890v7

Clearly the outsole coverage is reduced as shown above with 890v7 to the right. This must be huge contribution to the weight savings. The 890v6 had a very extensive firm outsole all the way through the mid foot creating a stable platform feel, to stable and firm for my tastes unless run fast. While still thick and firm towards the back with a light stabilizing component given the outsole does not extend forward or as wide as the v6 the sense of a plate is gone. When combined with less extensive forefoot rubber and no orange TPU strips, the transition is easier, if not quite as snappy with the front and rear feel slightly softer and easier on the foot, particularly the mid foot and toes.

Midsole
The midsole (and much of the outsole) is a new flavor of RevLite called Ground Contact RevLite echoing Ground Contact Fresh Foam in shoes such as the Beacon and 1080v8. It is described as resilient, durable, and responsive. I would say this is true but it is not the soft somewhat bouncy ride of the Beacon. The formulation may also contribute to weight reduction. The midsole itself, forgetting the effect of the outsole on firmness feel,  seemsby pressing seems ever so slightly softer than the 890v6 and for sure firmer than Fresh Foam Beacon's midsole

There is still a stability tilt to this shoe as while there is less outsole coverage there are medial side walls which resemble the Nike Zoom Vomero 14 or Brooks Ravenna 10 but are shorter, as soft as the rest of the RevLite and less extreme in profile. After the first 5 miles they were no longer noticed beyond a slight sense of guidance and stability now higher off the ground than the previous outsole plate approach.

Ride and Initial Conclusions 
The ride is on the firm side and responsive, but not punishingly so as I sometimes found the v6 given its outsole  especially at slower paces as my first test runs were, one run being a 3 miler with v6 on foot and v7 on the other.  Losing the outsole rubber really helps soften the ride and shock, front to back, and especially at mid foot and it also makes transitions off mid foot far easier for me, especially at slower paces. I do notice a touch less snap and distinct flex as the v7 so far is stiffer and the TPU strips under mid foot are gone.  This said, the toe off is easier and slightly softer in feel. You really had to push the v6 hard to work its magic and get past the firm midsole outsole coverage, not nearly as much here.

Much more testing to come, but as New Balance suggests, the v7 should be a very stable solid and fast "workouts" shoe and for some a daily trainer. I also suspect it will be become a top racing choice for New Balance fans who seek a touch of stability and a firm responsive ride in a light shoe.

Tester Profile
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is 61 with a recent 3:40 Boston qualifier. Sam has been running for over 45 years and has a 2:28 marathon PR.  
These days he runs halves in the 1:35-1:41 range and trains 40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces in the 9 minute range. He is 5'10" and weighs about 165 lbs.

More comparisons to come as updates and in our full multi-tester review.

Read Sam's full run bios here

The product reviewed in this article provided at no cost. The opinions herein are entirely the author's.

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