New Balance trail Runners with a Rockplate

. New Balance Leadville .

Thanks Link!  I had my eye on Leadville’s based on people mentioning them here, however I was unsure how much sole protection they have.  People around here tend to like pretty minimalist shoes.  I picked up a pair and they are everything I was looking for.

I loves my Leadvilles.

I picked up a pair of Leadvilles after going through two sets of Altra Lone Peaks and was wanting to try something different. The last pair of Lone Peaks (v3’s) wore out within about 5 months and about 200 miles of running and backpacking on them. Only thing I’m not happy about with the Leadville’s is that the heel fit is pretty loose. They don’t have an extra eyelet for locking down the heel like most trail runners do. To help remedy this I look a nail and heated it up and made an extra lace hole aft of the last original lace hole. Helped a bit, but still not as secure as I would like. I throw some leukotape on my Achilles before I go out on a hike or run and it keeps any rubbing at bay. Not an ideal fix, but it works. I’m planning to replace the Leadvilles with another set of Lone Peak v3’s in the not too distant future. Even though I’m not too happy with the longevity of my last pair, I loved the fit and feel of the LP v3’s before the cushioning went south.

Just an idea, but when I did the CDT in 2013, I cut a plastic milk carton the shape of my insole and duct taped it to the bottom of the insole. Voila, light weight shank or rockplate. Worked well except it cracked after a while and I just kept taping it together. Some other material may be more durable. Still lasted me about a month through New Mexico.

I’m glad it worked out for you Ben, I really like mine and am wearing them now.

You can buy heel cup pads to adapt the fit. Likewise tongue pads.

Strangely, the New Balance website doesn’t list “Rockstop” as one of the technologies used in the LeadVille v3’s.  Rockstop is listed for the 910v3, however.

http://www.newbalance.com/pd/new-balance-910v3-trail/MT910-V3.html?dwvar_MT910-V3_color=Grey_with_Yellow#color=Grey_with_Yellow

Yup, I agree Jeff.  I think part of the problem is marketing is diametrically opposed to giving consumers objective comparable information.  “Rockplate” is a term used by many people when discussing hiking shoes, but never mentioned by any shoe manufactures themselves.  When I asked on Amazon if the shoes have a rockplate, the seller responded with, “I don’t know what a rockplate is.”  One owner said, “yes” and another owner said, “no, but the sole is stiff enough that it has the same effect.”  Whether it is a stiff sole or a rockplate, they seem to give really good protection to the bottom of your feet.  I like them.