New Balance 1080v13 Review | Made with Fresh Foam X

The New Balance 1080 is now in its thirteenth edition and this week, thanks for our friends at New Balance getting us a test pair early and ahead of product launch, we’ve finished up our New Balance 1080v13 review.

The popular shoe has been designed for use during your everyday runs and longer runs. The cushioning is soft offering a plush, luxurious ride to help nurture tied legs after hard sessions or reduce impact related soreness from longer runs.

There is a bit of a change in the feel of the 1080v13 compared to the previous model. The midsole is made from New Balances Fresh Foam X. This is a very bouncy midsole material and instantly feels bouncy when you put the shoes on. The 1080v12 midsole is very soft but, doesn’t have as much rebound. The stack height has changed from 32/24 in the older 1080v12 to 33/27 in the 1080v13. Which changes the drop of the shoes from an 8mm drop to a 6mm drop. The bounce in the midsole of the 1080v13 makes it difficult to notice the drop. When your foot hits the floor you sink into the midsole and it feels like it wraps around the foot before noticeably springing back into shape. The midsole is also more curved and the forefoot stiffer which makes the rocker a lot more prominent. In effect you land on this very soft pillow. The shoe then guides your foot to toe off and springs you a long. For this reason it is unlikely that heel strikers will notice the lower heel and midfoot strikers will be equally happy in the shoes.

The bouncy midsole has made the 1080v13 feel a little less stable. To counter act this, the upper has been made of a tighter weave to give it more structure and the tongue has been gusseted to help wrap the midfoot around the foot. This prevents the foot from moving around inside the shoes. The laces also come further down the foot for the same reason.

The heel cup has an insert to stiffen it up and add stability to the heel. This cup only comes part of the way up the heel. The top section is very soft and padded. It curves slightly away from the Achilles but, not in the noticeable swallow tale style of previous models. The tongue is also softly padded, adding to the cushioned and luxurious feel of the shoes. The toe box is roomier than the previous model and isn’t as pointed but, still curves in towards the end of the big toe so the 1080v13 toe box couldn’t be said to have a straight big toe line. Despite it being less curved than the previous 1080v12.

The forefoot of the 1080v13 is 35% stiffer than the 1080v12. This is to provide the runner with a more efficient ride through the gait cycle. New Balance noticed that stiffer running shoes like their FuelCell Super Comp Elite v3 improved the running economy of the runner, due to having a stiffer forefoot that helped the runner get to toe off. They have used some of the data collected from testing runners in their carbon plated shoes to develop the 1080v13.

The pattern of the flex grooves and positioning of the rubber on the outsole has also been changed. The flex grooves are now in a diagonal formation. This gives the forefoot more lateral flex. This makes the shoe more stable and helps the foot get to toe off quicker.

The feel of the New Balance 1080v13 is quite unique. When walking in the shoes you are very aware of the compression and rebound of the midsole. When you start running on the flat the rebound and the rocker work well together and you feel like you are cruising a long. For me the previous version of the 1080 was very comfortable but, the soft midsole lacked propulsion. Which made them hard to run in at a pace any quicker than an easy plod. I find the 1080v13 a much more pleasurable experience on the flat and although I find it difficult to pick up the pace I can comfortable zip a long at my easy run pace.

Where I live is very hilly and soft midsoled shoes do struggle on this terrain. They often bottom out on steep descents and feel like you are running in deep sand on steep uphills. The New Balance 1080v13 was better than a lot of softly cushioned shoes. On steep descents it did feel like the midsole was almost bottoming out but, the rebound is very strong. Which makes you feel like you are bouncing down the hill. Although this doesn’t teach the perfect downhill running form I did find that my body had taken less of a pounding after long hilly road runs. My quads where less tight in particular.

In summary the New Balance 1080v13 is a highly cushioned shoe with a very unique bouncy feel. Ideal for easy run and long runs. They are available in three width Men’s and two Width Women’s so you can get the perfect fit.

Running uphill was also better than a lot of softly cushioned shoes. Again I felt that I was sinking into the forefoot of the midsole but, the rebound and rocker/forefoot stiffness did allow me to run up steep hills comfortably with good form at and easy run pace. Running quicker is more difficult than it would be in a firmer midsoled shoe.

With modern running shoes you have to select the right type of shoe for the type of running you are doing to get the most out of the shoes. The New Balance 1080v13 is designed to be comfortable and give a high level of shock absorption at easy run paces. I find that it is an advantage that softly cushioned shoes like these aren’t the easiest to run quickly in as it helps me run easy on my easy runs and not pick up the pace by mistake. If you are looking for one shoe to run at a variety of paces in then from New Balance the neutral shoe to consider would be the 880v13: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-fresh-foam-x-880v13-review/

And for the mild-pronator the New Balance 860v12: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-860v12-review/

Alternatives to the New Balance 1080v13

1080v13 vs. Hoka Clifton 9: These are initially slightly firmer with less feeling of compression. In my experience it took over 100 miles of running before these became as soft as the 1080v13. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-clifton-9-review/

1080v13 vs. Torin 7: If you prefer a straight big toe line and a rounded toe box to allow more foot function in your shoes then the Torin 7 or Paradigm 7 (below) from Altra would be shoes to consider. The Torin 7 is neutral and has a soft feel to the cushioning. Not quite as soft and not as bouncy s the 1080v13 deliberately so your feet are able to function in the shoes. Rather than the shoes do the work.

1080v13 vs. Altra Paradigm 7The Paradigm 7 is firmer than the Torin 7 and suitable for the mild pronator as well as the neutral runner. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-torin-7-review/ https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-paradigm-7-review/

1080v13 vs. On Cloudsurfer: These are very soft but don’t have the same rebound. A bit like the older 1080 version the v12. The toe box does have a straight big toe line and is spacious enough for your toes to spread. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/on-cloudsurfer-review/

1080v13 vs. Karhu Mestari: A straight big toe line. The cushioning is firmer than the 1080v13 and the Fulcrum and rocker provide more propulsion so you can pick up the pace easier in these. Making them a bit more versatile. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/karhu-mestari-run-1-0-review/