One of the most anticipated shoes in the past few months has been the Fresh Foam 980 from New Balance. Much of the hype was due to the divergent trend of “maximalist” running shoes that offer big stack heights and big cushioning to go along with it. From the pioneer in the category, Hoka One One, to new brands on the scene like Altra, more and more running shoe companies have been exploring the maxi territory. The Fresh Foam 980 (FF 980) was my first foray into this world and I must admit that I was excited to see what all the hype was about. Here’s how it went!
OUTSOLE
The outsole of the FF 980 is – surprisingly – made from one solid piece of blown rubber. On top of that, there is only one visible flex groove and that falls diagonally from the medial heel to the lateral heel (inside to outside). The tread pattern hearkens to some of our favorite New Balance shoes with a honeycomb structure which, in the past, provided stability and flexibility without sacrificing traction. the outsole also makes full length (and width) contact with the ground from front to back without gaps anywhere.
To be honest, simply looking at the outsole of the FF 980 I was saying to myself that this one piece construction was certainly going to affect the shoe’s flexibility. I mean, there aren’t even any mid or forefoot flex grooves to break up the single piece. I was wrong. Impressively, the honeycomb pattern seems to almost behave like a mesh; when the flex call for it, it expands to move where it’s asked. The full foot contact of the outsole goes a long way to making the foot feel rather in contact with the ground which is something that I was apprehensive about in a shoe with so much cushioning. The traction on both dry trail (this is NOT a trail shoe but there is a trail version coming
out in July ’14) and road is fantastic.
MIDSOLE
This is where the “maximalist” part of this shoe lives.
The midsole of the FF 980 is made from a single piece of Fresh Foam. On its website, New Balance describes Fresh Foam as, “…an innovative midsole created from a single piece of foam that provides a lower, more natural underfoot feel.” The honeycomb structure of the outsole makes an appearance here as well as the entire outside of the midsole is molded with the pattern. However, to provide different amounts of softness at different places on the shoe, New Balance has made some of the honeycomb convex and other parts concave. On the lateral heel and the medial forefoot, the pattern is concave, ostensibly to make it a bit more cushy. On the medial heel and lateral forefoot the pattern is convex. Essentially the convexity and concavity form an “X” pattern from front to back across the shoe. This layout certainly clarifies that the FF 980 is, no doubt, a neutral shoe. Finally, for us spec-heads out there, while the stack height of the shoe is relatively high – 25mm in the heel and 21mm in the forefoot – the drop is rather low at 4mm.
So here’s the thing; simply the idea of maximal shoes indicates that there is a lot of cushioning going on and when I hear “cushioning” I think “softness”. On top of that, every bit of New Balance’s marketing of the FF 980 points to it being SOFT (see the ads below).
The thing is, this shoe is not that soft. Were my expectations of softness a little off? It’s possible, but there are other people questioning this also. Is this apparent non-softness a bad thing? Not really. For me, this shoe performed and responded quite well (more on this in the ride section below). There is certainly cushioning there but it’s not the type that deadens ground feel and to me, that’s a very good thing. I can’t say that I noticed the convex/concave portions of the shoe in my runs but then again, I am incredibly neutral – and often I supinate. I should also add that for having so much foam in the midsole, the FF 980 remains relatively light at 9.1 ounces (Men’s size 9).
UPPER
The upper of the FF 980 is made primarily from a nicely breathable mesh. It’s single piece, seamless construction is overlaid with support elements that are welded on so there is no stitching. This seamless upper continues inside the shoe where a fine mesh backing provides a comfortable barefoot feel for the foot. The shoe’s Ortholite sockliner easily comes out and reveals a full-length neoprene underlaid footbed (just in case you want to remove said sockliner). There is a flexible yet substantial heel counter forming the heel cup and the tongue, which is non-gusseted, connects with very soft edges and stitching.
The mesh of the FF980 is fantastic. It breathes very well and keeps the temperature very well regulated and it’s flexibility/malleability is excellent. The bonded overlays are really very nice and use a slick matte finish with that honeycomb pattern making an appearance. While I don’t typically run sockless, the interior of this shoe feels amazing and I can easily see sockless devotees having no problems with the FF 980.
The upper of this shoe is pretty much right on for me with one exception: all that foam. The tongue of this shoe, while comfortable, is far too puffy and I can’t quite figure out why. It’s construction and softness seems as though the foam is simply overkill and ads some weight and water absorbency to boot. The unnecessary foam also makes an appearance in the collar of the FF 980. Is it cushy? Sure. But again, the construction of the shoe is REALLY well done and this just seems very out of place. I could be wrong but it would seem to me that trimming the foam in the upper way back would cut some weight and perceived bulk without sacrificing any comfort.
FIT
The sizing of the FF 980 falls in a crack for me. While I typically wear a size 11, these feel a hair smaller than many size 11′s. Finding the right fit would probably be best done at your local run specialty shop. Through the heel and midfoot, the fit of the shoe is excellent, giving plenty of support where and when I need it and letting my foot function freely when I don’t. Even up into the backside of the forefoot the fit is nice. However, with all this great fit, I don’t quite know why the toe box is a bit constricting. It’s not super tight or anything but my small toe is certainly touching/pressing (especially with socks) the outside of the toe box when I’m running. For such a well-fitting shoe, this seems to be an oversight that is easily fixable (hello V2!). The FF 980 also comes in variable widths for those with wider feet.
RIDE
As I mentioned above, the FF 980 is not as soft as I’d thought it would be. I expected the shoe to have a squishy ride that would deaden ground feel. However, where the marketing missed the mark, the feel of the shoe did a very nice job. The firmness of the foam isn’t overpowering by any means. In fact, it feels much like a traditional trainer. However, the single piece construction and springiness of the foam is very surprising. This shoe is responsive and even when I put the screws to it with some speed, it did what I asked and didn’t feel sluggish at all. Additionally, as I mentioned in the outsole section above, the flexibility exceeded my expectations.
I really enjoyed the ride of this shoe and it’s responsive feel. The question that I would have is, how do others who may be looking for something super soft perceive it? If they’re looking for something that feels like running on pillows, this isn’t it – which in my opinion, is a GOOD thing.
OVERALL
To me the Fresh Foam 980 is a very well made, responsive and stable shoe. While its marketing seems to be a tad off, I don’t think that there’s a lot to change with it except the messaging (and ditching the excess foam and rounding out the toe box). It’s a very comfortable shoe for a lot of people, especially those who want a big mileage trainer but don’t want to sacrifice responsiveness for tons of cush. At $109 it’s at the more affordable range of high-end running shoes and it’s quality is fantastic.
If you’ve been considering looking at the Fresh Foam 980, definitely check it out. It’s not what you think!
Review by Brandon Wood
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