Our previous review of the New Balance MO889 joggers introduced the change from proprietary New Balance soles to Vibram soles which significantly decreased the weight of the shoe (at a weight of 12.5 oz (355 g) per shoe for the MO889 sizes we tested). These 'Leadville' MT1210 shoes take things a step further: they have Vibram soles but they weigh somewhat less, just 11.1 oz (315 g) per shoe for the size tested.
A brief explanation of the name is in order. Quoting from the New Balance press release:
This legendary ultramarathon, also known as "The Race Across the Sky", takes place in Leadville, CO over 100 miles of extreme Colorado Rockies terrain. Known as one of the toughest physical challenges in the world, the event brings together the best trail runners from across the globe. As part of the sponsorship, New Balance will also become a sponsor of the entire Leadville Race Series which includes the Leadville Trail 100 Run Training Camp, the Leadville Trail Marathon, the Leadville Trail Heavy Half Marathon and the Leadville Silver Rush 50 Trail Run.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Overview
- Details
- Soles
- Midsole
- Rand
- Uppers
- Fit
- Field Testing
- Specifications and Features
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Thank you for the info/reply Roger.
As far as I can tell these are discontinued now …. not on NB site and some dealer sites list as discontinued …. These are my new goto shoe after searching for a long time, my last fav shoes being the Montrail hard rock that was infamously discontinued … just a heads up if you're into these as well…. grabbem up!
> As far as I can tell these are discontinued now …. not on NB site
Not according to NB themselves. And I just bought 3 pairs in my size from their new stock. OK for 2014 they say. Oh well.
Cheers
OK … looks like they are between versions? …. the red / black and blue versions are out and a black version is coming out in march ….I don't see anything on NB, but finding the new version with out of stock till 3/1 messages …. looks the same except for colors … can't find anything regarding 2014 / 2015 model update ….
http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=N1210M2
I like that color a lot better than the old ones. Good to know there will be continuing it.
Weird they would 404 the product URL when they're just doing a color update … anyways …. wondering if I really need the 5 pairs I just bought …. haha. Like red better then black … so maybe I will keep them. )
Here's a better pic of the new color … this auction is done but saw another one that was still live … http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MENS-NEW-BALANCE-MT1210BK-TRAIL-SHOES-BLACK-SIZE-9-5-/271376454422?nma=true&si=M7YwoLvXlkTykHtgajtr3DX%252FEtc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Trace
Are you checking the New Balance web site or a distributor's web site? I have no idea what a distributor might be doing – THEY might stop selling a model for any reason.
Cheers
The NW site, I believe, unless I'm mistaken … here's the 1210 page, it now 404s …. http://www.newbalance.com/Leadville-1210/MT1210,default,pd.html
Trace, that's just an old page. Try this one: http://www.newbalance.com/Leadville-1210/leadville,default,pg.html
Doug, I saw that page … but it only has the women's shoes … no good links for the men's to buy from since they appear to have taken it down until they do the refresh … which is why I was confused. :) It seems like companies will usually keep a product page up but have an out of stock or similar message…
"Doug, I saw that page"
Ah, I didn't hit the buy button. You're right, a bit strange!
Check out joes for the men's 1210. Just stay away from the women's until I can stock up…..
http://www.joesnewbalanceoutlet.com/search_results.asp
Thanks Jennifer …. might want to check out 6pm.com … they're $67 for guys … wait, just checked no they aren't … they went up to $79 …. haha. I'll take the win. :)
Subtotal (5 Items):
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Collected Tax:
$334.95
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$26.80
Order Total: $361.75
These are the first pair of New Balance shoes that I have ever worn out the soles and have the uppers still looking pretty new. Less than 350 miles and they are flat/smooth. The Vibram soles are a disappointment. Worse than some of the NB own soles through the years. Been wearing NB for 30 years. I love the fit on these, but wish the soles were better.
'I'm a big fan of New Balance. Here's a free piece of advice: go to a NB retail store and try on their different lasts. This is the key to finding a good fit for your particular foot size/type. Once you lock into that, then it's a trivial exercise to simply find the shoe in that last for your specific needs.'
How do you try on a shoe last? As far as I know a shoe last is a mold for forming shoes around. Is this an anatomical shell used for fitting that NB refers to as a last? If so is this specific to NB or do other companies offer it as well?
> How do you try on a shoe last?
Well, you are right of course. What you do is try on several NB shoes made with different lasts but with exactly the same sizing to see which one fits your foot best. NB have some good explanations about the lasts if you search around their web site a bit. Just as examples, one last gives a high arch while another gives a lower arch, one last gives a wide heel while another last gives a narrow heel.
> is this specific to NB or do other companies offer it as well?
The smaller shoe companies do not offer this: they do not have the production volume to make using different lasts (or for that matter different shoe widths) economic. So they offer just one width (typically D) and one last. If that combination suits you, fine. If it does not, well, tough, the shoe won't suit you and may give you blisters.
Cheers
Thank you for the reply Roger. I had never truly considered the process that goes behind shoe design before reading this thread and learning about shoe lasts. Certainly makes sense now as to why the same brand of shoe will fit differently between models. I guess that it why some people report of buying several pair of their favorite shoe at a time – to stock up before the maker 'breaks the mold'. I had a pair of NB in the past that were a good fit but when I went to try on a similar but 'new release' they were no where close to the same fit. I never knew that NB had a code for the lasts. I'm going to do some research about Brooks because I really like the design and fit of the Cascadia 7.
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