The outsole of the New Balance 1260 V7 is designed to ensure that the wearer of the shoe experiences smooth transitions as well as provide them with what they need in terms of traction. For starters, the material that makes up this layer of the shoe’s design is made from a hardened rubber material that works to give the wearer a high level of traction. The design of the outsole differs from that of previous models of the shoe in that the fork of the material is split slightly different; the shoe no longer has the T-Beam shank that the previous model of the shoe incorporated into the design. This enables the shoe to provide the wearer with transitions due to the use of a wide transition groove in the shoe’s design. Also, to give the shoe a range of textures, the shoe makes decent use of both a carbon and soft blown rubber; the materials affect the shoe’s ability to provide traction and ensure that the wearer doesn’t have to worry about constant wear and tear of the material.

The midsole design of the shoe is one that makes use of several comforting materials. The midsole of the New Balance 1260 V7 is designed from that typical foam material; it has a foam wedge that really aids the shoe in providing a high level of comfort. As mentioned in the section about the outsole of the shoe, the midsole doesn’t have the T-Beam shank; this means that the two layers of the sole unit now blend seamlessly together and give the wearer what they need in terms of functionality while in use. The shoe also makes use of the N2 cushioning in the shoe’s midsole which allows the shoe to provide the wearer with what they need in terms of comfort.

The upper of the shoe has a design that has changed slightly from that of the previous model of the shoe. The shoe doesn’t have all of the overlays that were featured in that model nor does it have the same types of materials that the previous model of the shoe incorporated into its design. The features an upper that is highly cushioned so as to give the wearer what they need in terms of cushioning and to provide them with the support that they need while in use; the tongue, as well the sides of the shoe give the wearer what they need in this respect. The material of the shoe is something that we all know and love, engineered mesh. The shoe also makes use of their Asym' or asymmetrical counter technology to give the wearer what they need in terms of stability and to keep the wearer’s foot from dealing with excess movement while the shoe is in use.

One of the things that wearer’s of this shoe simply raved about was that the shoe felt incredibly lightweight while it was on foot. The reason for that judgment of the shoe is that it is a bit on the lighter side of things (not really). The shoe, for a size 9, weighs roughly 11.8 oz; this is not the lightest weight that one has seen for a running shoe. The lightweight feel of the shoe can really be attributed to the fact that the shoe makes amazing use of the materials that are incorporated into its design. The upper of the shoe is highly perforated and moves relatively easily; the lack of force that the shoe presents on the wearer’s foot allows it to move relatively easily which somewhat adds to the feel of the shoe altogether. Aside from this, the shoe sole unit of the shoe also works to this effect and gives the wearer a high range of motion(not to mention that the materials that make up that part of the shoe are known for being surprisingly malleable).

The engineered mesh in the upper of the shoe was designed in such a way as to ensure that the foot of the wearer was able to really be able to deal with various types of weather and excess heat. The upper of the shoe is extremely breathable. This is a quality that can be seen by simply looking at the toe box of the shoe; the toe box is highly perforated. The shoe is able to retain that level of airflow and to prevent the wearer’s foot from dealing with buildups of sweat due to the perforation and the fact that the shoe doesn’t have the various overlays that shoes tend to come with nowadays. The lack of overlays is one of the things that really benefit the wearer’s foot in that there isn’t really anything in place that can prevent the wearer’s foot from taking in high levels of sweat and/or keeping the sweat in the shoe.

In terms of comfort, both the sole unit of the shoe and the upper provide the wearer what they need and work to give the wearer a pleasing overall ride. The midsole of the shoe and the fact that the material is able to conform to the shape of the wearer’s foot, provides the wearer with a high level of comfort. The shoe features the Fuel Cell insert which allows the shoe to really give the wearer what they need in terms of comfort due to the fact that the material acts as a second layering and works to provide the wearer with a higher level of conformity in that area of the shoe. The upper of the shoe now has copious levels of cushioning which give the wearer that added a level of comfort in certain areas of the shoe; the tongue of the shoe is even cushioned to a higher level than that of the previous shoe which shows the wearer what the shoe was designed to provide to them.

This is a pure-bred stability providing running shoe, that much becomes painfully obvious when one first looks at the shoe. The materials in the shoe vary in texture and firmness but all work to give the wearer what they need in this respect. The design of the shoe, as has been mentioned various times throughout this review, has changed a bit to add a bit more to the shoe in term so of comfort but. The shoe comes in various colorways, as is the norm with New Balance shoes, and gives the wearer what they need in terms of variety; rather than having a single, land colorway to wear, this model has quite a few colors to choose from which also allows the wearer to have a bit more choice in what they want to pair their shoes with. As is the norm with most shoes, the look of the New Balance 1260 V7 is a bit on the thinner side, which also aids the wearer if they want a shoe that they can wear in a more, non-traditional setting.

In terms of durability, the material in the shoe’s design allows the wearer to really put a bit of faith into their shoes; one doesn’t have to worry too much about the shoe simply breaking down on them or having to consistently find a replacement for their shoes. The sole unit of the shoe makes rather decent use of varying types of materials which allows the shoe to give the wearer what they need in regard to the level of durability; the shoe has both a carbon rubber in the sole unit as well as a blown rubber to level off the wear and tear of the shoe itself. The varying types of rubbers allow the shoe to continuously provide the wearer with what they need in terms of durability and also ensures that one doesn’t have to consistently worry about the materials of the shoe wearing down unevenly while the shoe is in use. The upper of the shoe should give the wearer that same level of durability due to the use of the engineered mesh in that part of the shoe’s design.

Although the upper of the shoe doesn’t make fantastic use of overlays, it still works to give the wearer a bit of protection when used on it’s intended surface. The heel of the shoe makes use of a counter which gives the shoe a bit of structure and works to keep the wearer from experiencing a high level of movement while in the shoe and provides security for that portion of the wearer; s foot. The toe area of the shoe has a reflective bumper which, as one can possibly tell, gives the wearer what they need in regards to security and keep the toe of the wearer from experiencing an injury while the shoe is used.

The foam inner portion of the shoe also works to give the wearer what they need in regards to responsiveness and transitions. The midsole of the shoe is designed from an EVA foam that allows the wearer’s foot to deal with a high level of impact when making contact with the ground. EVA is known for having this quality, as well as being able to transfer a decent level of energy back to the wearer due to the shoe’s innate ability to partially compress during use.

Both the sole unit and the upper of the shoe work to give the wearer what they need in terms of support. The sole unit provides ample support to the wearer’s foot simply because of the fact that the material on the sole (primarily the midsole) varies in both thickness and firmness. The medial side of the shoe has a wedge incorporated that is a bit on the firmer side and gives the wearer that much-needed level of firmness in that area of the shoe. The upper of the shoe is a bit on the snug side due to both the lacing and the materials used; this translates into very little movement being experienced by the wearer’s foot and a higher level of comfort for the wearer while the shoe is in use. The use of the wedge really allows the shoe to provide ample arch support for those neutral runners.

The look of this shoe tells the wearer 2 things; that the shoe was made for use on a road and that it most likely provides the wearer with what they’ll need in terms of support. The shoe has the varying rubber textures in the sole unit which is one of the major reasons why it is able to give the wearer what they’ll need in this respect. The shoe’s utter lack of lug in this very same area signals to the wearer that they won’t be able to enjoy the high level of grip that is generally needed on trail terrains; that doesn’t mean that the shoe can’t be taken out on those terrains, it simply means that it shouldn’t.

Now, the price range of this shoe definitely leans to the more affordable side of things. The shoe is made of very quality materials so the price of the shoe shouldn’t really leave the wearer with any questions as to the shoe’s worth. The fact that the shoe works to give the wearer everything that they need in terms of durability as well as the fact that the material will inherently provide the wearer with what they need in terms of support and comfort justifies every single dollar that is spent on the shoe’s purchase.

In terms of traction, the New Balance 1260 V7 makes amazing use of the materials in the shoe’s design and strategically places both blown and carbon rubber into the shoe’s design. The blown rubber is placed on the heel of the shoe and does a fantastic job ensuring that the wearer doesn’t have to deal with wear and tear in that area; it also does a decent job of allowing the wearer to achieve a decent level of grip while the shoe is being used. The carbon rubber is also highly abrasive and simply sticks to the surface that the material is used on; the fact that the material was placed in the forefoot of the shoe allows it to be aided by the transitions that are achieved by the design of the shoe.

The engineered mesh of the upper of the shoe and the lack of overlays in the shoe’s design really allows it to provide the wearer with a decent range of motion while the shoe is in use. The range of motion may be somewhat hindered by the wedge that is incorporated into the design of the midsole, simply because of the fact that the material is a bit on the firm side and is meant to provide structure for the arch of the wearer’s foot. The sole unit(outsole) also makes fantastic use of flex grooves in its design and allows the wearer to get that range of motion that they’ll need while the shoe is in use.

A shoe that provides support such as this one, would be nothing without having a stable structure as well. The New Balance 1260 V7 makes very good use of the engineered mesh in the upper of the shoe as well as the overlays and provides the wearer with what they need in terms of structure and security. The fit of the upper is a bit on the snug side due to the design and way that the materials are structured; this is the primary reason why the shoe provides the wearer with a high level of stability while in use. The sole unit or primarily the wedge allows the wearer to achieve a high level of stability while in use as well; the wedge is firm and adds to the structural integrity of the shoe as a whole.

The drop on this bad boy is a whopping 8mm. Nothing too special here; the drop is about average but does still aid the wearer in achieving a higher quality transition while the shoe is being used.

• Engineered mesh
• Asym’ heel counter
• Blown and Carbon rubber outsole
• Fuel Cell insert in midsole

The improvements of the New Balance 1260 V7 over the previous model can be seen by simply looking at the various sections of the shoe; they also provide a slightly better experience than that achieved by the previous model of the shoe. With that being said, the shoe is also on the slightly inexpensive side, which makes the shoe a bit more attractive to those who are seeking a shoe with a high level of quality while also still provide the wearer with what they need in terms of durability. The New Balance 1260 V7 isn’t a bad shoe by any means.