New Steadiness Recent Foam X Extra v4 Introduction
4 years in the past, New Steadiness noticed the pattern of extra manufacturers providing maximal cushion choices and launched the Recent Foam Extra. The title says all of it, there’s simply extra to this shoe.
The stack top was formidable, and designed with a rocker midsole, the runner may land and roll into their subsequent step.
Annually since being launched, New Steadiness has fully redesigned the shoe, and this providing isn’t any totally different.
At $150, the Extra v4s compete towards footwear such because the Saucony Endorphin Shift 3, Skechers GoRun Max Street 6, Puma ForeverRun Nitro, Hoka One One Clifton 9, and the ASICS GlideRide 3.
This group of high-to-max cushioned footwear supply among the extra standard trainers in the marketplace proper now, and the Recent Foam Extra are firmly in that dialogue.
New Steadiness Recent Foam X Extra v4 First Impressions
I used to be very excited to see what New Steadiness would do to replace considered one of my favourite footwear of the previous few years. After they arrived I used to be impressed by the visible and the development. They felt stable and the higher seems to be snug.
After I first put them on, they have been extremely snug, and felt very stable underfoot. The aggressive rocker design made me wish to transfer. Nonetheless, on the primary run – a 5 mile common run – I developed blisters on each toes the place the midfoot and the toe-box meet.
I hoped this was only a break in interval, but it surely was the primary shoe I’ve skilled blisters with in just a few years.
New Steadiness Recent Foam X Extra v4 Higher
The higher is an engineered mesh which is breathable and comfortable. It’s properly made and has some nice particulars, whereas staying pretty easy. The higher makes use of a printed design of the New Steadiness emblem on the outer midfoot to assist lock you in.
That is additionally achieved by means of the design and building of the shoe. The heel is pretty tight, the midfoot may be very tight, then the higher flares out to an everyday width toe-box. The higher matches true-to-size in size, and may be very snug for on a regular basis put on.
The design of the higher, nevertheless, can be a significant flaw that noticed me dreading carrying these footwear on runs. The transition from the midfoot into the toebox was so extreme that I developed blisters on each run I had on this shoe, regardless of the gap. I attempted to see if it was solely longer runs, and nonetheless developed blisters and purple spots on the ball of my massive toe on each toes after 1.5 miles.
Past the midfoot blisters, I additionally developed blisters on the heel of my foot on longer runs as my heel was shifting round all through the run. I attempted totally different lacing patterns to handle the problem, however none of them labored. To be honest, I by no means felt my heel slipping, however did really feel the recent spots and blisters forming on any run longer than 10km.
New Steadiness Recent Foam X Extra v4 Sole Unit
New Steadiness makes use of their top-line Recent Foam X which offers unimaginable cushion and vitality return. It feels firmer beneath foot that another foam choices on the market, resembling these supplied by Brooks and Saucony, nevertheless the mix of cushion and vitality return from Recent Foam X is maybe the very best on the market in the meanwhile.
This midsole makes use of strategically positioned flex grooves to assist the transition from heel to toe. This coupled with an aggressive rocker design helps you push the tempo whereas having the cushion underfoot for longer miles. This side creates a really clean experience that’s fairly pleasant. This rocker design begins with a heel bevel designed to assist in shock absorption for heel-strikers, and transitions into a large toe space that offers a secure contact zone on which to push.
The outsole makes use of a Floor Contact Foam to assist minimize down on weight whereas giving an excellent quantity of traction. Nonetheless, this materials can battle on moist surfaces if it’s important to flip quite a lot of corners.
At 38mm beneath the heel, transitioning 4mm to 34mm beneath the toes, this shoe has the cushion to log all of the miles you’ll wish to run.
New Steadiness Recent Foam X Extra v4 Conclusions
This shoe is without doubt one of the most disappointing I’ve run in years. I completely liked the Extra v3, and logged greater than 300 miles in them. They have been my go-to shoe for lengthy runs all of final 12 months. The mix of a comfortable, large – but supportive – higher and the Recent Foam X midsole that supplied nice cushion and vitality return made the v3 one heck of a experience.
Sadly, New Steadiness determined they wanted to vary an excellent factor in a approach that ruined the shoe for me. I should not have significantly large toes, they may be wider than some, however I normally put on common width with no points. But, this shoe precipitated width-related blisters at each distance.
I can see if in case you have slender toes that this shoe may very well be superb for you. The only unit remains to be high notch, the development is immaculate, and the applied sciences make an excellent shoe on paper. In case your toes match within the higher within the right approach, this shoe could be a pleasure.
Nonetheless, for me that simply wasn’t the case. Not like earlier fashions, this isn’t a shoe I can, or will, advocate to any of my associates or acquaintances.
I actually hope that within the subsequent iteration, New Steadiness goes again and fixes among the adjustments for the v5s. I’ll have an interest to see the place they go from right here.
