The Leadville 1210 is a great addition to New Balance’s
quiver of trail shoes, providing a more substantial option to the arsenal of
truly minimal footwear options they have been near the forefront of for the
past few years (think the Tony Krupicka-inspired 100/101 and Minimus Trail lines). It is
neither a featherweight nor a heavyweight, splitting the difference at 10.3
ounces but, in my opinion, it does feel lighter on the foot than its actual
weight. And, with an 8mm heel-to-toe drop it certainly blends in more with the
traditional shoe crowd and its offsets of 10-14mm than it does with the
pancake-flat and wafer-thin minimalists. My observation is that the 1210 feels
as though it rides higher than the Brooks Cascadia, even though the Cascadia
has a 10mm drop. This could be due to the supreme amount of cushioning in the
heel of the 1210.
|
Leadville 1210 |
The shoe design was born out of three-dimensional
measurements of ultrarunners’ feet and how they morph over the course of a
hundred miles (such as the Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado the shoe is named
after). Although this is a great concept for shoe design in theory, in
everyday-life actuality it creates a sizing dilemma. In addition, the shoe is constructed on New
Balance’s UL-1 last which has a wider heel and instep height.
The shoe is
VOLUMINOUS from the heel through the forefoot and wearing my normal size I was
swimming in the shoe and no amount of lacing trickery or sock-thickness
adjustment seemed to adequately alleviate this. I decided to step-down ½ size
and this mostly took care of the issues, although I still use the “rabbit-ears”
heel-lock lacing technique and I’ve noticed that my big toes are
somewhat-irritated by rubbing against the toebox where it begins to taper
toward the toe bumper. This is a minor nuisance but something that would
definitely become an issue on long runs or outings with long descents. So,
essentially, my normal size would work for ultra-distance runs (and would make
an ideal drop bag shoe for the late stages of a 100-miler) but I decided to go
with the smaller size in order to put the shoe in the weekly training rotation.
To the contrary of my sizing issues, a friend of mine started running in the
Leadville 1210 in his normal size in April and ran the
High Sierra 50 Mile with
them to great satisfaction.
|
Tons of heel cushion |
In spite of my difficulty dialing in my size I really enjoy
running in the Leadville 1210. I recently took them for a spin on some alpine
singletrack in the Eastern Sierra’s Rock Creek Canyon, just north of Sage To
Summit’s home in Bishop, CA. Taking the shoe and testing its flexibility with
your hands gives the impression of a fairly stiff outsole, however the shoe
feels incredibly responsive when running. I’ve even pounded some pavement on
mixed terrain loops and was impressed with its smooth heel/mid-foot to toe
ride. It did not feel clunky on the asphalt.
The 1210s are incredibly well-cushioned (maybe overly so for
technical trails) with a RevLite foam material that is 30% lighter when compared
with the weight of comparably-cushioned midsoles. New Balance calls this a
stability shoe but I would quibble with that label. There is a medial post of
higher density compression-molded EVA in the rearfoot but it feels soft
directly beneath the arch in the midfoot zone and this combined with an
elevated stack height and a roomy synthetic mesh upper with only modest overlay
reinforcements leads to a feeling of decreased stability on uneven surfaces and
descents.
The outsole is well-lugged and constructed with durable
Vibram rubber giving you confidence in traction. With a flexible rock plate and
a well-cushioned midsole the protection underfoot is solid without creating a
clunky, four-wheel drive “tank” feel.
Finally, the upper has been assembled with limited seam and
flexible overlay construction making for a very comfortable feel. The tongue is
sown to the upper all the way forward which helps to eliminate debris
intrusion. There have been some complaints that the tongue is too short causing
issues with laces slipping over it directly onto the foot and also that the
tongue is not padded enough to soften the lace pressure. I have not experienced
either of these issues.
|
Great Vibram Outsole |
I still need some more technical trail miles underfoot with
this shoe to know for sure whether it will be a go-to mountain running shoe for
longer hauls for me but, regardless of that, I am really psyched on the
Leadville 1210. If you’re looking to start experimenting with dropping your
heel down towards zero without initially sacrificing any cushioning or
protection this shoe would be a great option.
Those same features would make it a solid choice for a
fastpacking trip
where the extra 15-20 pounds on your back will add to the impact forces your feet
are forced to absorb. And, finally, for those that rarely have more than 1 or 2
arrows in their running shoe quiver the Leadville 1210 would make a great
all-around shoe, performing well on smooth dirt roads (and pavement when
necessary), and rougher trails, both flat and with significant elevation
change.