Article by Zack Dunn
New Balance Fresh Foam X Vongo v6 ($165 )
Pros:
Ride performed fine and was great for normal running
Upper had felt good on foot and had no issues
Fresh Foam X midsole felt good underfoot but nothing crazy
The stability plate performed well and provided slight stiffness which made cutting down pace slightly easier
Simple, straightforward outsole that performs well
Cons:
The midsole felt a little sluggish
Upper slightly retains heat
Stats
Weight: men's 10.5 oz / 297g
6mm drop
$165 Available now including at our partner Running Warehouse HERE
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
At first impression, I personally wasn’t sure what to expect from the shoe, as I have never worn the Vongo, however I have worn the 1080 so I was expecting a stability “version” of it. With that being said, this shoe is pretty much that.
In terms of the upper/fit, it has a true-to-fit size that is somewhat generous with forefoot space, something I appreciate in a daily trainer shoe.
Midsole
In terms of the midsole, it felt good while running and performed quite well. I definitely think the midsole is the best part of the shoe, though in general it is not extremely exciting or groundbreaking. It is composed of New Balances Fresh Foam X, which is a foam that they use in many of their shoes.
It definitely is different from their FuelCell ``superfoam” in the SC which is more geared towards responsiveness, while this foam focuses more on comfort and softness. I definitely can say the midsole did that well, as it had a nice softness that made it great for easy paced runs.
Since this is a stability shoe, it also has a stability support plate.
It performs as it should and even adds some slight stiffness which could make the shoe okay for uptempo-ish runs.
Outsole
There is not much to say about the outsole, as it has a standard configuration with standard rubber. No issues with uncommon wear at all.
After 46 miles there is very little wear and tear that would be abnormal. Simple, yet works well.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
In terms of the ride, I would say the shoe performed well, and as stated previously, the ride is nothing out of this world, but still above average, and works as should for a daily trainer. It works great for easy / daily running, but I definitely would not use it for much else (workouts / racing). It has a nice soft underfoot feel but is a little heavy and lacks major responsiveness/snapiness, hence the reason I wouldn't use it for anything other than daily running. However, within that realm of daily training and, especially in the stability segment, the shoe is great and definitely gets the job done well.
Score: 8.5/10
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Comparisons
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
New Balance 1080 v12 (RTR Review)
Both of these shoes are quite similar in construction, and as I stated earlier, the Vongo is essentially a stability version of the 1080 with some minor differences. They both feature New Balances Fresh FoamX , so the underfoot feel is similar, however the Vongo has a slightly stiffer toe off as it has the stability plate and the 1080 has more flex and natural toe off.. The uppers feel very similar which I enjoy both so nothing wrong with either. In all honesty, I think the determining factor is whether you need a stability or neutral shoe, in which case neutral runners should go for 1080 and stability runners should veer more towards Vongo.
The Vongo v6 is available now at our partners
NEW BALANCE SHOP HERE
Tester Profile
Zack Dunn: is a college runner at Lewis University. I’ve been running for 8 years, and focused solely on running after giving up on years of baseball and wrestling. I race distances between 800 meters and 10K whether it be on the track, the roads, or on cross country courses. I do most of my training on the roads, some training on the track, and occasionally run trails logging anywhere from 65-80 miles a week. My typical training consists of easy days, long days, workouts (fartleks, tempos, interval training, etc.). My typical training paces range from 7’30 a mile on easy days to sub-5 minutes a mile on fast interval days, and with many paces in between. My personal bests are 4:20 for 1600m, 8:42 for 3000m, 14:51 for 5K, and 25:24 for 8k.
Samples were provided at no charge for review purposes. RoadTrail Run has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased via shopping links in this article. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content. The opinions herein are entirely the authors'.
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1 comment:
Great review, very helpful. You could talk a bit more about sizing and make some more comparisons.
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