New Balance 910v1 Trail Runner Review

The New Balance 910V1 Trail Runners falls into a more traditional running shoe category with a 10mm heal-toe offset, a cushioned midsole, and tough outer. For me, running in these rather than my usual minimalist trail shoes was a welcomed change.

The uppers are synthetic mesh with a couple different layers overlaid on each other to keep debris of all sizes out. The outermost mesh is very tough, perfect for the rocky Colorado trails that I frequent. The upper also features a reinforced toe and a sturdy heel cup, both adding protection and durability.

The midsole is New Balances lightweight foam – REVlite – which provides responsive cushioning and adds to the overall stable feeling of the shoe. In the 910V1 and other shoes in the New Balance line, I’ve come to really enjoy the responsiveness and support that the REVlite adds, but find that it can break down more quickly with high-impact. When I initially put them on the more built up midsole made them feel as if they may have had a touch of guidance, but once I was running I didn’t notice that they changed my neutral stride at all.

The outsoles of the New Balance 910V1 Trail runners have a varied lug pattern with relatively small, low lugs. The lug pattern combined with the cushioned midsole provide a smooth even ride on all surfaces. The standout feature on these trail runners is the Rock Stop® on the outsole that absorbs and disperses the impact of rocks across the forefoot. New Balance’s Rock Stop® technology is one of my favorite features across all running shoes. It adds tons of protection while still allowing flexibility and not adding weight.

For a shoe with a fair bit of cushioning I still found them to to be quite flexible and allow my foot to bend naturally and flex around rocks and routes on the trail. They also did a really good job of shedding mud on damp trails.

I found the fit to be a little roomy, not only compared to other brands but also other models in the New Balance line. I would consider trying a half size down if you prefer a snigger fitting shoe.

Overall, I found the 910V1 to be a comfortable neutral cushioned trial runner. I would recommend them to folks looking for a durable, protective, trailer runner, especially for higher mileage or rough trails.

The New Balance 910V1 was a challenging to fine online – I couldn’t even find them on the New Balance website – but I did find them at a few retailers.