Pulling New Balance’s new Hierro 5s out of the box, I had two thoughts:
“how cool,” because the aesthetics of the shoe are really taken care of, almost looking like a shoe that you can also put on in the evening to have a beer and not just for working out. No neon colors, no Riccione beach tamarrata, but colors well matched together and a vaguely old school charm that harkens back to the Massachusetts brand’s heritage and their early “sneakers.”
“Won’t they be too heavy?” is the other thought.
Because the Hierro 5s look like structured shoes, with a weight to the hand of 359 grams and a wide, voluminous shape. Moreover, I usually run in shoes with very little drop and tend to be unstructured.
But never judge a shoe without running at least a hundred miles on it.
The top: comfort and protection
The shape is precisely very comfortable, allowing room even for those with bulky feet and a poorly pronounced arch, or flat feet, like mine to feel no pressure. The shoe, in a nutshell, is super comfortable once it is on because the toes find space without being compressed and even after a couple of hours it does not strain the foot.
Just for the record, I put them on while I was healing from my little finger fracture, running in them at first only on soft ground, and in comparison with other footwear, the pain from ground impact was much less.
The upper also is one of the best aspects of this shoe, because the seamless construction, along with the tongue is very comfortable. The material does not appear to be extremely light, which is good in view of durability in mountain use, but on the other hand could create problems in the heat. To address this, the upper has perforations to improve breathability.
The only flaw I found, if you can call it that, is the closure, in that again because of the thickness of the tongue, I was never able to tighten the shoe as I usually do before tackling “full” descents. Of course, you can’t want your cake and eat it, so between comfort and precision of fit this New Balance model leans toward the former, which makes sense, as it is a shoe designed to grind a lot of miles and not for short, nervous, fast races.
Midsole and outsole
The confirmation of this is the Fresh Foam X foam midsole that cushions a lot without going to preclude the responsiveness of the sole/tread compartment. I forefoot support so I can’t judge the cushioning during a run with backward support, although I suppose it’s the ultimate in shoe performance. The 8 mm drop is not felt even at a higher cadence of stride and so is the weight, much more noticeable “in the hand” than on the foot.
As for the tread, the American company has relied on Vibram Megagrip, which is a reliable compound even in wet situations, although, let’s remember, the design of the caps is wide and I would recommend this shoe for long runs on dirt, hilly and soft trails and not for a skyrace on always rocky and uneven terrain.
In conclusion, a shoe that amazed me with its appearance and the comfort demonstrated in prolonged use.
However, I must confess one sin, and I hope New Balance will not hold it against me. The back of the tread had an appendage that I assume served to stabilize the ride, for those who land heel-to-toe. After two days I cut it off with a box cutter, not because the technology didn’t convince me, but because I’m an aesthetic freak.
