The New Balance Fresh Foam X Balos is an all-new daily trainer that aims to offer a versatile and comfortable ride, with a high stack of soft and springy foam in the midsole and a pronounced rocker. It’s expensive at £200 / $200, so can the Balos live up to that price? Tom and Nick have been out for a first run to find out.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – Design & Key Stats
02:50 – How’s The Fit
04:53 – First Run
13:07 – Early Verdict
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Hello and welcome to run testers my Name's Nick and this is our first run Review of the New Balance Fresh Foam X [Music] BOS the ballos is an all new premium Daily trainer from New Balance that sits In the Fresh Foam line but it's a fairly High stack shoe that's designed to be Comfortable but also quite fast and do a Bit of everything and I think it's fair To say it takes aim at shoes like the ASX super blast as a plate less super Trainer almost it certainly has the Price of a super trainer costing £200 or $200 weighs in at 251 G or £ 8.8 oz in a UK size 9 and has a 6 mm drop with a Stack height of 38.5 mm at the heel 32.5 At the 4ot there's no plate in the mids Soole but you have got an interesting Foam I think it's fair to say it's a mix Of peber and Eva it's called Fresh Foam Xly New Balance has the fresh foam and Fuel Cell lines I think everything's Quite muddy now cuz they tweak the Foams In each of the shoes within the lines to Have different materials different feels All that kind of thing the names are More indicative of the way they expect The shoes to be used so fresh foam shoes Are probably more daily trainer Comfortable shoes whereas fuel cell Shoes designed to be fast shoes although Again the ballos kind of sits in the Middle of all that because it is
Designed to be a shoe you can use for Fast runs even though it sits in the Fresh Foam stable and has a soft Comfortable feel so it really is Designed to be something that can do a Bit of everything so along with that Soft and bouncy foam you have in the Midsole there that like say is a mix of Peber and Eva you've got a very Pronounced rocker on the shoe to move You through your foot strike you've got Sidewalls of foam to add some stability To the shoe as well but even though it's Not the highest stack shoe in the world It is quite a soft foam and stability is Certainly something that people I think Will be thinking about with this shoe You've got a cre mesh upper with some Reflective details at the front and back There you've got quite a bit of padding Around the collar and a fairly stiff Internal heel counter there again to Provide some stability not much padding On the tongue though in general it's Quite a lightweight upper all around I'll say and the weight is certainly a Factor with the shoe New Balance has Gone out of its way to try and keep it Quite a lightweight shoe to make it more Versatile and then you've got an Eva so So it's mostly quite exposed fir it's Quite soft to the touch just material Here but the black sections at the toe Off and at the outside of the heel are
Much firmer and more durable so will be Interesting to see how the rest of the Midso holds up over use but there are Some stronger more durable patches of Rubber in the key impact areas on the Shoe does have a little bit of a Vibe of The old new balanced Beacon and actually That is the shoe that sprang to mind When I first heard about the shoe the Beacon was high stack very lightweight Shoe that had a not the most exciting Foam in the mids but it was a really fun Shoe to run in you do a nice variety of Runs in it it was great for long runs Heard anything about the beacon for a Couple of years now the Ballas has now Come in I think to do a similar role With a much higher price tag and with a More modern and bouncy foam in the Midsole be intered to see also how it Compares to shoes in the current range Like the 1080 v13 which is a more of a Comfort Focus shoe with fresh foam X on The side and then there's the New Balance Rebel which is a lightweight Plateless verstyle daily trainer that Sits in the fuel cell [Music] Lineup okay so the fit for me in the Ballos I'm a size eight in the UK this Is a size eight uh I found it to be very Comfortable shoe on that first run that It it does have a little bit of space in The sides of the for foot and the midf
Foot it's not too restrictive although It's not the roomiest shoe out there um But it's definitely a shoe designed for People with average and probably more Than average width feet uh the front of The shoe hasn't got loads of space to my Big toe and the end of the shoe um it's Absolutely fine for me that's how I Generally wear shoes I don't have loads Of space um in front of the big toe but For some people who really do like to Have the thumbs with of space uh you Might want to size up half a size in This shoe uh the other thing about it is The front uh fabric of the shoe does Seem to sit quite low so um uh you can Feel it touching the toes it's quite a Stretchy fabric so I didn't have any Issues on that run uh but it's another Reason why you might want to size up Half a size I would stay to my size Based on that run I find it very Comfortable no issues nice bit of Padding no um no problems with the Lockdown the only thing I did have an Issue is was both laces came and done um When I started running so I had to tie Them down tighter um not sure why that Is but uh probably just worth knowing That um and not sure if these laces are Particularly well designed for um Holding uh steady but I would stay to my Size in this shoe but you might want a Size and half size comes to sizing I've
Got a uk9 here us99.5 which is my normal Size with New Balance I've sometimes had To go half a size up to get a bit more Room it's a bit of a tricky brand Sometimes to nail down the sizing of the Ballos has been fine for me in my normal Running shoe size but it's not the Roomiest toe box all around I'd say the Width is kind of okay although I do have A narrow foot it's not always easy to Tell on width but I think it's actually Just quite a low toe box so it can feel A little bit cramped but I did have Enough room myself on my first run in The shoe so maybe if you're at the Bigger end of your size have a very wide Foot to like a bit more room in your toe Box you can maybe look at going half a Size up would be a shoe that's probably Worth trying on but overall I think the Fit is fine in my normal running shoe Size and I would stick to [Music] That so for my first run the ballos is An easy to steady 45 minutes with a few Strides at the end so the pace started At around 430 PK and moved down to Around 340 PK with obviously some Strides at faster speeds afterwards a Little bit tired going into the run After a day of traveling I was looking For the shoe to give me you know a Little bit of a boost in spirits and it Certainly did that it is a really nice
Shoe to run in it's got a very fluid and Comfortable feeling under foot The Rocker really does move you through your Foot strike nicely and there's quite a Lot of Bounce there probably a little Bit more bounce than I necessarily Expected from the shoe rocker is I think The most notable feeling on the run it's Really smooth it's very nice it's not Actually as aggressive as I thought it Might be or actually feared it might be I think for a daily trainer like this You don't want it you know really Flinging you forward too much and Actually it didn't do that it felt very Smooth and relaxed at easy Paces I felt Like I could get into tune with it when I was running a bit more slowly at the Start of the run and actually I stay Kind of in sync and in rhythm with the Rocket as I move through the gears and Then pushed onto strides at the end it Is a rocket that feels very nice at a Range of Paces it doesn't really feel Like it dominates the run too much like It's not like you're thinking about the Rocker the whole time it just moves you Through your foot strike nice and Smoothly get a little bit of uplift off The foam under the forefoot but doesn't Feel like it's really pushing you Through your stride too much or anything Like that balas also feels really like Like a has a pretty lightweight design
But you know 250 g is not as light as Something like the rebel and actually it Felt similarly light to the rebel for me It's got a really nice pickup again I Think the rocker helps here you do move Through your foot stri nice and smoothly Up is nice and light there's nothing Really about the shoe that feels like It's pulling you down in any way at all Phone feels nice and Poppy Under Foot so Yeah all around feels like a really Lightweight shoe but still a pretty Comfortable one like it doesn't feel Like a really Mac stack shoe but it Certainly feels very comfortable Under Foot you're definitely getting enough Protection there at easy Paces that's Cuz the foam is also very soft like it's Got that sinking feeling that we've had With other Fresh Foam EXT shoes lately But unlike the fresh 1080 v13 where I Felt like I'd get lost in that foam and I wouldn't transition through my Footstrike very well I think you do get A nice bit of bounce back from the Fresh Foam variant in the ballos obviously Because it's got some p in there as well I think it gives it a bit more Resiliency you get that push back it's Not really explosive or you know an Insanely bouncy shoe something like the Mazo Neo Vista but you do get a nice Amount of bounce back and a lot of Comfortable squish sink in feeling when
You first land so it does have the Protection but it does then move you Through your foot strike with that Rocker give you some pop off your toes Is you know a really well balanced ride To then handle a range of Paces like I Did do in the shoe in that first run the Foam does sit somewhere in between the Fresh foam in the 1080 and the fuel cell In the New Balance Rebel in the rebel I Think it's a bit firmer you don't get Quite as much sink in certainly on Landing it's a softer foam in the ballos But unlike the really soft foam in the 1080 it then justes spring back and give You that push to carry on running so it Doesn't feel like a shoe that I would Just classify as an easy day shoe it's Definitely one that I think that has a Bit more range and versatility than the 1080 did do a short run wearing and the Rebel because I think the problem with The ball was he's going to be it price Tag potentially and the fact that New Balance has such a good plateless Lightweight daily trainer in its range Already in the rebel and you certainly Have a much more rocket feeling with the Ballos and a bit more of a bounce bit Softer feeling Rebel feels a bit more of A simple straightforward shoe with a Phone that gives you a little bit of Bounce gives you a bit of protection but Doesn't have as much softness to Spring
And certainly not the rocker that you Have on the ballos so with a soft foam Like this and a pretty high stack and The you know pronounced rocker I was a Bit worried about stability with the Shoe but it's not something I noticed at All on my first run I found that it was Rolling me through my foot strike quite Nice and smoothly on that kind of Straightforward neutral trajectory I Don't think it's particularly unstable Shoe despite the fact it is soft and Wobbly but that might depend a bit on How you land and whether you're overate Already a little bit so I'll talk a bit More in a foreview but I don't think Stability is going to be something That's a major concern for me and I look Forward to getting out in kind of longer Runs in the shoe to look at that a bit More okay so the balos is a shoe that I've been very very interested in for a While now we saw early previews of it Coming out at the American running show Can't remember what it's called it may Be called the running show um but when Those pictures came out I was very Excited I think New Balance has really Worked quite hard on developing its foam Over the past couple of years or its Foams and um we've seen really nice Updates to things like the new B the New Balance Rebel V4 um and we've got Updates coming to the 1080 range well
The 1080 v13 had a big update to the Phone which made it considerably softer Than the previous versions of that shoe Which I wasn't a fan of but I really do Like the 108 v13 we've got the uh 108 V4 Coming soon and the new bands more V5 Coming which I'm very excited about Testing anyway back to the BOS so the Ballos is a shoe that on paper I wasn't Entirely sure it was designed for it's One of the shoes it's a little bit Confusing when you look at the marketing Um Spiel that the brand puts up so they Talk about it on the website being a Faster training shoe takes you up to Race day um I'm always a bit skeptical When Brands talk about a shoe being able To do everything because no shoe tends To be able to do everything um so uh I Wasn't entirely sure what to from this Shoe what I've found from that first run And that first run I've done was a Pretty taxing fart leg session so I've Just got back from it uh ended up being About 11k and it included three uh 1 km Sections where I was running pretty hard Uh about 3 minute 40 km Pace uh and then Lots of shorter reps uh which I was Going down to about 315 minute kilm so Really taxing sessions for me I'm not I've not been running that fast for a Very for a very long time so um also I Did a 36 km hike on Monday across the Downs and I did quite heavy leg session
Earlier so I came to that session Without fresh legs I was not feeling Ready to go and I thought I was going to Struggle I did struggle quite a bit uh But I picked up this shoe um to see how It would deliver on that one really Really enjoyed it um it is a shoe I Think if you ignore the marketing um Spiel that's that you will see on the Website I think it's a shoe that is Really focused on Comfortable easy day recovery longer Sessions it's not a shoe that's Particularly designed for running faster Uh that midell foam it's a really nice Midell foam and when you are running a Nice consistent steady Pace it's really Bouncy soft uh it just gives you a lot Of energy back uh perfect for how my Legs felt today because I if I'd have Worn a really firm shoe I think I would Have really struggled on that on that Run today I needed something with a Little bit of energy in it they just a Bit cushioning just to make me feel like Uh the Run wasn't as bad as as it as it Felt um so uh yeah it's a shoe that Really has uh really hits those soft Bouncy cushion runs that you need Perfect for easy runs you can use it Really nicely for easy runs it just sort Of bounc you along really nice um those Faster sessions he did wasn't too bad at It actually I felt that I could pick up
The pace in that and that's because of The ngy return in the midsole um I don't Think it would be a really good choice If you wanted to mainly use it for Faster faster sessions intervals things Like that I think uh that midsole isn't Particularly welld designed it's not That responsive um but there is a rocker In it a really noticeable rocker which Really tips you forward so that rocker And that nice soft bounce really does Lend itself well to that consistent pace Of maybe a tempo run or just a steady Long run those sorts of things and it Makes it really fun as well um so what I Found over the course of that run is That for the easy sections it felt great Great very comfortable it tips you Forward it just makes you run nice and Easily um when you're maintaining a Consistent Pace when you're running Faster in it it's fine it it does feel Like it can do it that bounce does help You along with it you just it's just not A poppy shoe it's not a shoe that has Loads of responsiveness um and Definitely doesn't feel like a shoe I'd Use for like a fast 10K or anything like That um so really enjoyed it after that First run um and this foam uh I think It's a really nice tweaking of the Fresh Foam X it's great to see more versions Of fresh foam X coming out um because at A certain point we were looking at fuel
Sell as being the the phone that's Really taking over from from Fresh Foam X but with with shoes like this it seems That they're putting a lot of effort Into fresh foam uh at the moment as well So really enjoyed it last first run um Going to look forward to doing a lot More training sessions in it I'm Marathon training at the moment so I'm Going to have a lot of longer sessions I'm up to about two and a half hour uh Sunday long runs at the moment which are At consistent Pace this is probably the Year that I'm going to look forward to Using for that um so yeah very very Successful first running it um and Looking forward toing L more testing in [Music] It so my early verdict on the BOS I Think it's re a really exciting fun shoe Uh that is is really going to work well For someone like me who's marathon Training at the moment so I've got a lot Of miles to do uh my legs are quite Often going to be quite tired um but I Still got to do those those longer Sessions and it'll be burn for like 3 Hours in the next few weeks so I'm Looking for shoes that can really bounce Me along give me a bit of energy and Just just protect my legs and make them Feel like um they're not getting damaged All the time when I'm running um so yeah I think that's that's what this shoe is
Designed for it is probably uh similar To shoes like the super blast although It's less rigid than super blast there's No plate in the shoe it's it even though Um it has a lot of M foam in it a lot of Bounce does feel relatively natural I Would say it's not the most stable shoe I did land on it a few times and I did Feel that softness in the midsole uh was A little bit unstable it's not massive Not a major issue I think I'll notice it On the longer sessions if I do use it For those runs but for that session Today felt absolutely great um it's an Expensive shoe so I don't think it's a Shoe that necessarily everybody will Need but if you are a long-distance Runner if you have a lot of miles that You're trying to do and you want a shoe That is going to just make those runs More enjoyable and protect legs I think This is going to be an interesting and Really good option for that up with Things like the super blast where you Want a shoe For Those runs that doesn't Have a plate in it and isn't that Aggressive although the rocket is Somewhat aggressive um but it feels Quite natural when you're running it so Early impressions of the shoe that was Very fun first outing in the New Balance Ballos feels like a really capable daily Trainer that they will be able to pick Up a wide range of runs and you know
Make them enjoyable do them really well I think it protects the legs well with That soft phone but I do think it has a Nice lightweight feel that will work Well for faster runs as well be Interested to see how it does for you Know really fast stuff like moving Beyond those steady Paces down towards My race Paces intervals that kind of Thing I feel like it should be a pretty Good interval shoe cuz it does have a Nice lightweight pickup but I'll be Interested to see how it performs on Longer hard efforts where generally I'd Use a plated trainer or a even a plated Racing shoe and see if this can live up To those standards I do think it'll be Really good for easy stuff and long runs Though I think that of the kind of super Training Spectrum we have now I think It's one that tilts more towards the Daily trainer end of things that can do A lot of those easy runs and long runs But not sure necessar have the top end Speed of some of the others I think the Big problem with the ballos is this Really high price and like I didn't know The price when I was running in it and I Thought this is a really nice daily Trainer here no plate in it comfortable Can do a lot of stuff does not feel like A 200 shoe to me though on that first Run obviously there'll be a lot more Testing to determine that in the future
But it feels like a good shoe but it is Going up against some of the best shoes On the market that are coming in a fair Bit cheaper if you look at some of the Plated super trainers out there the Endorphin speed the macx 2 I've just Been testing recently I think it's an Amazing shoe you know you are getting More versatile shoes there I'd say with A bit more punch for Speedy runs and They are still coming at easy Paces There's also the Astic super Blast 2 Obviously which I think the shoe does Take aim at now super blast is a similar We but you're getting a lot more foam on The super blast I think it has a livel Ride but do think the ball can hold its Own against super blast but it's not Undercutting it in any way and the super Blast is such an impressive shoe like We'll do a full comparison down the line But for me this is a shoe that feels Like a this is a great plateless daily Trainer it's kind of shoe that can Compete with plated daily trainers and I Expect it to do that at a lower price Not coming more expensive than the my You've got great versatile lightweight Plateless daily trainers out there like The New Balance Rebel and the HX 6 Already those are great shoes that are Worth considering I think because they Are cheaper than some of the plated Shoes out there but if you're can come
In more expensive than the Sak endorphin Speed or something like the hok ma X2 It's going to be a slightly tricky sell We recently did our full review of the Hok ma X2 and I've been doing some of Those easy steady runs I did in this Shoe and it has felt a bit better For Those runs than the ballos just cuz it Has a bit more punch at those faster Speeds so the fact that it's also Cheaper just puts a big question mark Against the BOS talk more about that and I'll full review down the line when we Can discuss that price and how it Compares to some of those other shoes I Mentioned That's our first look at the New Balance BOS let us know what you think in the Comments below please like And subscribe Ring the little bell and we'll see you Next time
